Sustainability
We take responsibility.
Sustainability is a matter of head and heart. It is sensible to make use of our solutions to save resources and energy – this reduces costs. Yet sustainability is also a topic that is close to our hearts. To keep our world in a state that we can continue to live in, we need to take responsibility and act. What we do today determines how we live tomorrow!
Being conscious about manufacturing sustainable products is just the start. We are also modernising our production processes to save as many resources and as much energy as possible when manufacturing our durable products. This results in a dual benefit for our customers because using our solutions allows them to save on long-term costs while also being conscientious.
CLIMATE-NEUTRAL by 2035
Our goal is to make our production climate-neutral by 2035* at the latest. At the moment, we are looking at how to reduce CO2 emissions across the entire product life cycle.
*in terms of Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, as defined in the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.
RESOURCE OPTIMISATION
Sustainable solutions for our customers – Viega offers solutions that significantly reduce energy and resource consumption in buildings.
TRANSPARENCY
All the environmental impacts at a glance – Viega is transparent thanks to its eco-labelling based on the cradle-to-grave principle.
RESPONSIBILITY
Viega Foundation – this charitable foundation provides aid in India and is committed to clean water, better basic sanitation and greater hygiene.
As a family business, we factor future generations into all our decisions. Managing resources sustainably is part of Viega's DNA. Most of our products can be recycled again and again. In production, we take particular care with our packaging to reduce how much we use and to use recyclable materials. Sustainability is an entrepreneurial responsibility for us.
Anna Viegener (Chair of the Shareholder Committee), Viega Holding GmbH & Co. KG
The building sector accounts for a third of Germany's CO2 emissions and energy consumption. Energy-efficient drinking water treatment systems have an important part to play in reducing energy consumption and protecting our climate. Our products help our customers to contribute towards the achievement of our national climate objectives.
Claus Holst-Gydesen (Chair of the Management Board), Viega Holding GmbH & Co. KG
Our Goals
We have identified six core fields in which we drive sustainability forwards. We do this in line with the content of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for socially, economically and ecologically sustainable development. These goals consciously go beyond environmental issues and address sustainability holistically, as do we.
#1 Clean Drinking Water
Clean drinking water is the most basic requirement for hygiene and health, and one of the most precious commodities we need to protect in our world. We are doing just that. We are using intelligent and digital system solutions to ensure potable water hygiene and energy efficiency in buildings.
#2 Circular Economy
We manage our resources with care, and we have the Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to prove it. Our piping systems, for example, need to be just as durable as the buildings they are built into – and even afterwards, our metal connectors and pipelines are reused in line with the cradle-to-cradle principle.
#3 Reducing Emissions
How much CO2 do we emit, where and why? For as long as we have been recording this data, our measures for reducing emissions have been having an effect. Flanked by a step-by-step switch to renewable energy, we have reduced CO2 emissions per 1 million euros of turnover by around 25 per cent.
#4 Saving Energy
To use energy as efficiently as possible, we are constantly examining and improving our processes. That is why our energy consumption increased by just 8 per cent between 2015 and 2020, while our turnover increased by 40 per cent and our number of employees by 28 per cent in the same period.
#5 Mobility
Our vehicles, both cars and lorries, are being converted to electromobility one at a time, which has reduced CO2 emissions by 15 per cent so far. We are also offering our employees a flexible mobility concept, which includes a bicycle scheme, a Cologne-to-Attendorn employee shuttle, and electric car leasing.
#6 Diversity
We are convinced that innovation and sustainable success can only happen with cooperation and a wide range of talents, backgrounds and perspectives. There are over 5,000 unique individuals working at Viega. This means that, for us, diversity is not just a commitment but a matter close to our hearts. In a rapidly changing world, Viega values are our bedrock. They allow us to create a corporate culture where we can use diversity as creative energy.
Our Projects
We are installing lifelines for the buildings of tomorrow. We believe that our duty is to preserve and enhance potable water hygiene, energy efficiency, comfort and safety in buildings. Our solutions make some of the world's most formidable buildings more sustainable.
Viega World: enabling sustainable construction
Viega World is the Viega Group's new training center in Attendorn. Integral planning based on BIM (Building Information Modeling) methodology and the pioneering sustainability concept make it a smart building of tomorrow, today. Viega World generates more energy than it needs to operate, and has been certified by the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) with the highest rating level of "Platinum". Viega World received a score of 89.1% for its fulfillment of DGNB criteria – more than any training building before it. In line with the motto "learning from a living building", at Viega World, the training content of the seminars on the topics of BIM and technical building services can be experienced up close.
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs): environmental impacts at a glance
"We make buildings more sustainable with smart solutions and innovative drinking water installations. To do this, we think long-term and look at both products and processes. We want to shape change transparently in the interests of our customers." - Dr. Simon Weihofen, Director Sustainability & Decarbonisation
For us, sustainability is product transparency from raw material to recycling.
Have you ever wondered what effect the building sector is having on climate goals? Dr Simon Weihofen, our Director of Sustainability & Decarbonisation, explains: "The building sector has a major effect on long-term, sustainable development, because construction and operation make up nearly 40 percent of global CO2 emissions. Our mission is not only to make sustainable products, but also to support our customers in achieving their sustainability goals."
One example of how we do this is by transparently declaring the environmental impacts of integrated products. We offer durable, high-quality and recyclable product solutions and we provide Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for those solutions. We have begun with our piping systems, the EPDs for which are available since January 2024 in line with the cradle-to-grave principle. These independently verified environmental labels evaluate all the environmental impacts across a product's lifecycle – from raw material extraction and production to the use phase and then to disposal or recycling options.
"With 125 years of experience and as one of the global market leaders in the plumbing trade, we have the expertise and the purpose to play an active part in shaping and driving the transition in the industry," explains Simon Weihofen. "Sustainable action must be conceived in a transparent, long-term way that spans products and processes. In that way, we can work together today to get the building sector ready for the challenges of tomorrow."