Sustainability for a Better Future

BE A GREEN LEADER

The Earth's environment is precious. We would like to raise our end customer awareness about a healthy environment by teaming up with you. As the market leader in coating technology, we are well aware of our global responsibility for the planet. At LEONHARD KURZ we have come to view our main task as protecting the natural balance. Only the equilibrium between mankind and the environment can create a healthy habitat for future generations.

For five decades now we have been working on our sustainability goal: A holistic KURZ lifecycle. Its main focus lies in the sustainable and sparing use of natural resources, as well as delivering top quality and increased efficiency for our customers. After all, the value chain begins with each individual product.

Sustainability Rating: KURZ with Above Average Results

KURZ's sustainability strategy has received the silver medal in the 2023 EcoVadis 'Sustainability Assessment Report.' The renowned provider of sustainability ratings has analyzed KURZ and numerous other companies from the industry. KURZ performed above average in all dimensions examined – Environment, Labor and Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement – and received the prestigious award from the sustainability experts. Within these four analyzed dimensions, energy requirements and emissions are reviewed, for example, and the materials used, and product lifetimes are also analyzed. In addition, the focus is on protecting employees and their working conditions, on complying with anti-corruption regulations, and on the integrity of our other partners along the value chain.

 

With this award, we can underline the importance of a green value chain, demonstrate further progress in the sustainable use of people and resources, and send a strong message to our customers: KURZ is well on its way to becoming one of the most sustainable companies in the industry and is also a reliable partner in the manufacture of resource-conserving products.

The EcoVadis Rating at a Glance:

  • Praise from the sustainability experts: "LEONHARD KURZ is actively working on further improving its sustainability management system."
  • Important milestone on the way to realizing the 'Be a green leader' vision
  • Environmental aspects and human rights are particularly important in the EcoVadis ranking. They are more heavily weighted and have a significant impact on the overall result.

Sustainability Report 2022': Our Path to a Sustainable Future

With our Sustainability Report 2022, LEONHARD KURZ is underlining that responsible corporate governance is one of the most important goals. On more than 100 pages, KURZ shows what matters to the company in the value chain, labor and human rights, and environmental protection, among other areas.

The KURZ motto, 'Be a green leader,' is backed by a holistic sustainability strategy. On the one hand, this message has an internal impact and makes clear to employees the importance of responsible business practices for humans and the environment. On the other hand, it is an offer to all KURZ customers - product innovations and the continuous development toward a circular economy also put them in the lead in the long term.

Successes in the Area of Sustainability:

  • Globally valid requirements in the area of raw material selection are complied with.
  • Environmental management systems ensure transparency and continuous improvements.
  • PET substrates with recycled content are used.
  • KURZ decors already consist of 30 percent raw materials of organic origin.
  • RECOSYS® 2.0 increases the efficient recycling of production residues.

 

Would you like to get an overview of our sustainability developments in recent years? Then please find the KURZ Sustainability Report from 2022 (PDF 15,71 MB) here.

Discover the Key Pillars of our Sustainability Commitment:

Technology innovations
Resources and emissions
Social sustainability

The KURZ Sustainability Program – Looking to the Future right from the Start

As early as the 1970s, LEONHARD KURZ made a clear commitment to sustainability. To this day, we remain true to this commitment and align our corporate policy with an environmentally friendly approach to nature and sustainable work and product concepts. Over the past five years, we have invested heavily in new processes for recycling, exhaust air disposal, energy saving and recuperation, and the alignment of KURZ products to sustainability.

Our Goals:

  • Achieve CO2 neutrality by 2040
  • Further reduction of energy consumption in production
  • Making our development formulas even more sustainable
  • Providing additional extraordinary funds for our sustainability investments

Environmentally Aware Production for Every Industry

The ecologically sound finishing of paper, cardboard, durable or non-durable plastic products – the KURZ transfer coatings ensure.

  

Our Success:

  • Lowest CO2 emissions
  • Avoidance of hazardous raw materials as much as possible
  • Coating process without wastewater generation
  • Dry application process

And:

  • 100% renewable energy used by KURZ Germany
  • Continuous expansion of our photovoltaic plants worldwide
  • A plus of 'green innovation'
  • REACH Certification since 2006

 

BE A GREEN LEADER

Environmentally Friendly Plastic Industry

Under the strategy Design for Recycling, we will take you down new paths in the finishing of plastic products. Our power pack of sustainable decoration capabilities feature cutting edge finishing processes in combination with endless design options for new products and recycled material.

Sustainability for the Graphics Industry

Ecologically sound finishing of paper and cardboard – that's the KURZ promise for transfer coatings for the graphics industry. At 100% recyclable and deinkable, your packaging will boast a classy gloss, without sacrificing any of its sustainability characteristics.

Green Machine Development

What good is an environmentally friendly product if it is unaffordable? We target the optimization of our application machines. They help you stay competitive with resource conserving production, systematic waste minimization and reduced energy use.

Global Partnerships for Sustainable Development

Unfortunately, it takes more than a lone pioneer to get customers to rethink their green priorities. That's why we rely on the power of the collective, and cooperate with an international network of professional bodies and industry initiatives for a mutual, sustainable future. This bundled know-how from different branches of industry allows us to cultivate a far reaching understanding of our customers' issues, while presenting them with global solutions.

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