Nature and environment

natur und umwelt blumenwiese
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SMART & GREEN

Environmental protection and nature conservation are essential for us. We are aware that our actions and products can also have a negative impact on the environment. It is therefore all the more important for us to keep this impact as low as possible and to actively contribute to the mitigation of climate change.

For us, this has included a practised and certified environmental management since 2012. High energy efficiency, limited emissions and responsible use of natural resources play a fundamental role in our product development as well as in our production and business activities.

Since 2023, we have been using exclusively green electricity for the production of our luminaires at our main production site in Schwenningen. At the same time, our goal is to steadily increase the proportion of electricity generated at the site. We currently produce electricity via our company's own photovoltaic system and by operating our combined heat and power plants according to the combined heat and power (CHP) principle.

The development of sustainable products is an integral part of our work. Here, the topics of circular economy, energy efficiency and durability play a particularly important role. We are particularly proud of the Cradle to Cradle® certification of our LAVIGO free standing luminaire (light) as the world's first office luminaire ever. For more information on our Cradle to Cradle® certified luminaires and our sustainable product development, click here.


Use renewable energies. Recycling energy from emissions. And produce no more waste. Sounds Swabian? It is.

But this is how every modern, sustainable, eco-effective company should think, work and manufacture. We, at least, are doing our best in the Black Forest.

REDUCE CARBON: OUR 2045 CLIMATE STRATEGY

We are committed to the 1.5°C target of the Paris Climate Agreement and consistently align our actions with science-based climate targets (SBTi). Our goal: net zero emissions by 2045 – through the targeted reduction of direct (Scope 1) and indirect emissions (Scope 2 and, in the future, Scope 3).
To achieve this goal, we are pursuing a clear priority: avoid before reduce before offset. We consider offsetting to be only the last option for residual emissions that cannot be avoided for technical or economic reasons.
We are continuously reducing our energy consumption through efficiency measures and modern technologies. At the same time, we are increasing the share of renewable energies – both by purchasing 100% certified green electricity and by generating our own electricity using photovoltaic systems and combined heat and power (CHP) plants based on cogeneration.
Our main production site in Villingen-Schwenningen is already carbon neutral in Scope 2, and our Scope 1+2 emissions have been reduced by over 50% since 2019. We track our progress using the ecocockpit tool and follow the GHG Protocol.
We have defined a concrete climate roadmap for the period up to 2028. Key measures include:

  • Expansion of our own power generation

  • Substitution of energy-intensive systems

  • Expansion of e-mobility

  • Optimization of building technology and production processes

  • Start of Scope 3 accounting from 2025

  • Start of the first product carbon footprints in 2025

Our goal is to reduce our ecological footprint to a scientifically required minimum. The initial focus will be on emissions that we can directly influence (Scope 1+2) before we expand our strategy to upstream and downstream processes (Scope 3).


Climate footprint 2024

Our carbon footprint (Scope 1 and Scope 2) was created using ecocockpit and is based on the standards of the GHG Protocol.

Klimabilanz GHG Protocol

Accounting period: 01.01.2024 to 31.12.2024

This balance sheet considers all direct emissions (Scope 1) and emissions from Scope 2 for Herbert Waldmann GmbH & Co. KG at the main production site in Villingen-Schwenningen. Scope 3 emissions are not included in this balance sheet.