A sustainable path into the future
For 100 years now, we at SÜDWEST Lacke + Farben have been taking responsibility for our customers – in the form of products that protect facades, preserve the substance of buildings, increase comfort in the home, or help protect health. This responsibility for the quality of our products is the basis for sustainable and longstanding partnerships with the trade and our suppliers. Partnerships that are characterised by reliability and mutual respect.
A guideline for how we think and act
For us, a sustainable approach means developing sustainable products for our customers, conserving the resources our ecosystem provides, and taking responsibility for our employees. Sustainability is therefore not an isolated objective, but rather a guideline steering how we think and act at all levels. For this reason, we have divided our approach to sustainability into three dimensions: we take responsibility for the environment and climate, for our employees, and for our customers. In doing so, we set ourselves the challenge of finding the right balance between ecological, economic, and social aspects.
Responsibility for the environment and climate
In recent years, we have digitalised our logistics and ordering processes and introduced numerous measures to make them more efficient and more sustainable. As a result, we save 120,000 sheets of paper every year and minimise error rates. Since 2021, all the electricity we purchase is green electricity and, since 2018, we have saved 300 tonnes of carbon dioxide by carrying out environmentally friendly recycling measures. SÜDWEST is also certified to ISO 14001, the globally accepted and applied standard for environmental management systems. Through IntegrityNext, we are ensuring the sustainability of our supply chain.
Responsibility for employees and society
As a manufacturing company in the chemical sector, we do everything in our power to avoid accidents in our day-to-day operations. Our efforts include regular training on the subjects of occupational safety and IT security. What’s more, our occupational health measures comprise an extensive portfolio of seminars and campaigns – covering the topics of back health and quitting smoking, for example. Fair pay is a matter of course for us. We pay our employees in line with the collective bargaining agreement for the chemical industry. Through product donations, charitable project work, and sponsorship, we take social responsibility with respect to schools, nursery schools, and welfare institutions.
Responsibility for our customers
The market for eco-friendly products is growing. As a partner for expert craftspeople and the trade, we already offer a whole host of environmentally friendly products such as water-based lacquers, preservative-free external renders and plasters, and interior paints with natureplus certification. Some of the highlights include our silicate interior paints and plasters in organic quality, biomimetic facade paints that do not contain any algicidal or fungicidal additives, and the durable SÜDWEST AquaVision two-component trim paint without harmful isocyanates. And we are firmly committed to expanding this range even further.
Hans-Jörg von Rhade
Managing Director of SÜDWEST Lacke + Farben
Sustainability
What our employees say
