Sedustainable: a clear vision

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Sedus Pressestelle
Christof-Stoll-Straße 1 (ehemalige Gewerbestraße 2)
79804 Dogern
Tel.: +49 (0) 7751 84 - 320
E-Mail: presse@sedus.com

Sustainability runs through the DNA of Sedus. It’s over 30 years since Christof Stoll first described an idea that now has greater resonance than ever. “Ecology is not the opposite of economy,” he said. “They are indispensable parts of the whole”. The grandson of Albert Stoll, he understood that social responsibility is inherent in entrepreneurship, so it is inevitable that ecology and economy go hand in hand. For his pioneering and lifelong commitment to sustainability, he was honoured as Eco-Manager of the year by the WWF in 1993. More than three decades later, Sedus continues to pursue ambitious sustainability goals: including being CO2 neutral by 2025.

By 2025, Sedus's administration and manufacturing sites (Scope 1 & 2) in Dogern and Geseke will be CO2-neutral. “We want to cut 30 percent of our direct emissions by the end of 2025 and by a further 20 percent before the end of 2030,” explains Daniel Kittner, CEO of Sedus Stoll AG. “We have set other milestones for Sedus in the build-up to 2025: Sedus will reduce emissions from its vehicle fleet by 20 percent and rethink the way we use energy to reduce the use of primary energy by around 60 percent. We plan to optimise packaging by an additional 15 percent. And around 80 percent of the wood we use for our furniture production will be sourced from sustainable forestry by 2025.”

The three pillars of sustainability: people, planet, profit

There are many facets to sustainability. For Sedus, all decisions are taken based on three core principles. These form the three pillars of sustainability: people, planet and profit. This encapsulates how everything Sedus does should add value at a commercial, social and environmental level. “All decisions must take the “three Ps” into account,” says Kittner. “We ensure that our actions always have a positive impact in at least two of these ways, and at no time should we harm any of them.”

Sedus's core business principles include sustainable corporate governance and employee participation. “Co-determination and business partnerships are very important to us” explains Kittner. “As early as 1952, Christof Stoll introduced a profit-sharing scheme for his employees. That profit-sharing scheme is still in place today and has been continuously expanded in recent years to include new options. It is important for us to display to our colleagues the recognition and gratitude they deserve for their work. And this includes their vital involvement in the sustainable ways in which we run the business.”

A focus on the entire product life cycle

Sedus applies the Sedus Green Codex in the development, production, and marketing of all of its products. The individual elements built in to this system do not function in isolation. They are part of a well-thought-out circular approach. This drives responsible action and sustainable ways of doing business. This ranges from the choice of sustainable materials in the creation of office furniture, to the ways it is processed, reused and recycled. Sedus makes the entire process clear, transparent and comprehensible for customers.

“With numerous certificates including, most recently, EcoVadis Gold and SA8000 accreditations, and the high level of transparency of product components, Sedus ensures that all aspects of the closed product life cycle come together,” explains Kittner. “In addition to outlets which resell products with minimal signs of use at a lower price, Sedus also takes back well-loved chairs after years of use and reupholsters them. If refurbishment is no longer possible, we offer to dismantle old products from larger projects and recycle them. This is only possible because we have a vision of the entire product life cycle during product development.”

A visible commitment to people and the environment

Sedus is owned by the Stoll VITA Foundation and the Karl Bröcker Foundation. Together, these two foundations maintain the entrepreneurial independence of Sedus Stoll AG, and pursue charitable, philanthropic goals. Around two-thirds of profit is donated to charitable causes. As well as nature conservation, Sedus supports projects in the fields of public health, education, and preventative, therapeutic projects and facilities for children and young people both at home and abroad.
“We don’t talk about this enough, but Sedus’s social commitments in Germany and around the world are anchored in the work of the two foundations,” says Kittner. “We can proudly say that the wealth and value we create is the only way we can continue to support projects such as Pro Uganda, a German non-profit organisation from Hesse which offers prosthetics to give amputees or physically impaired people in Uganda a better quality of life. There are many other projects such as the sailing camp of Transplant-Kids e. V. from Wiesmoor that make it possible for us to give something important back to society - and that makes me personally very proud and happy at the end of every working day.”