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Our Sustainability Week 2024

From 23 to 27 September 2024, KNAUER and its employees once again organized a Sustainability Week with a series of exciting and effective activities related to social responsibility and environmental sustainability. The charitable organization "The Hand Project" was also a guest and provided a moving experience. Under professional guidance, KNAUER employees from various departments assembled four mechanical prosthetic hands to be donated and fitted to people in need in countries such as Uganda and Nepal.

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knauer.net is powered by 100% renewable energy

Our website is hosted in Germany by Hetzner Online, a company committed to protecting the environment. Their German data centers use 100% hydroelectric power - one of the greenest sources of electricity with the longest tradition. They have also been choosing the most energy efficient hardware for years.

KNAUER has been using green energy (water, wind, sun) for several years. In addition, the company's own photovoltaic system was expanded this year, increasing our annual production capacity by 13,030 kWh. The motivation to change not only the energy source of the company, but also the energy source of all employees to green energy was a topic in 2021/22. For this reason, a presentation by Simone Schütz from Greenplanet Energy was held in 2021 to inform employees about good energy alternatives. In 2022, KNAUER provided each employee with 50€ to change their current electricity provider to a greener version and we decided to continue the program in 2023 to support the transition to green energy.

Sustainability & Environmental Commitment

We are committed to protecting the environment for ourselves and our children. KNAUER contributes to the preservation of a healthy environment by implementing an environmental management system according to DIN EN ISO 14001. The KNAUER Quality Management System according to DIN EN ISO 9001 ensures that our products are of the highest possible quality. As a family business with about 190 employees, KNAUER is committed to sustainability and takes responsibility for our future.

Some of our environmental activities:

• The regular preparation of an input/output balance sheet to identify and evaluate energy and resource flows
• Environmentally friendly product development, energy efficient manufacturing and shipping with biodegradable packaging materials and reusable packaging with local suppliers
• Specifications for new product development based on environmental considerations such as low solvent consumption, repairability, and product longevity
• Complete modernization of the company building, including thermal insulation, new windows, electric blinds and a green roof, resulting in a 50% reduction in heating energy.

• 100% green electricity and solar power generation with our rooftop photovoltaic system
• Guidelines for business travel from an environmental, economic and social perspective
• Tips and instructions for customers to reduce the use of solvents when using equipment
• Environmentally friendly operation and manufacturing of HPLC instruments and accessories, e.g. by using energy-efficient equipment and reducing the use of solvents and hazardous substances
• A life cycle assessment to optimize the manufacturing process and focus on energy-saving components

Sustainable ACT Ecolabel Products

Certified by My Green Lab

Why sustainability is not a trend at KNAUER ... and why your choice makes a difference.

Selecting a laboratory instrument like an HPLC system can have a great impact on the success of your business. The choice affects the quality of your analysis, your productivity and the cost per sample. But your success and the success of your employees is not just related to these aspects.

You can make more sustainable and in the long term smarter purchasing decisions by choosing products from manufacturers who actively work to minimize the environmental impact of a device both during manufacture and during use. Purchasing HPLC systems with lower energy consumption, longer product lifetimes and reduced environmental impact during manufacture will also have a positive impact on the success of your business and determine your contribution to the wellbeing of the planet.

Challenge and a solution

Data for these aspects and costs are often hard to find and to consistently compare among the different manufacturers.

The ACT label (Accountability, Consistency, and Transparency) allows scientists and purchasing professionals to compare and choose products based on their sustainability around manufacturing, energy and water use, product lifetime, packaging, and end-of-life. ACT-labeled products are independently audited by SMS Collaborative, LLC (SMSC) and published by My Green Lab. To date more than 1300 laboratory product are in the ACT database.

The environmental impact factor (ACT-EIF) makes the products comparable. It is comprised of twelve individually evaluated criteria for each product.

KNAUER has also subjected its best-selling HPLC systems to independent assessment by “My Green Lab”. We are pleased to present the ACT Ecolabel that we have been awarded.

Top score for KNAUER HPLC

KNAUER's best-selling HPLC systems received the lowest environmental impact factors compared to any other HPLC product currently (July 2024) in the ACT database — implying its products set a new benchmark for sustainability in the industry. The instruments’ energy-efficient design, sustainable production, and years of efforts to create short and resilient supply chains are paying off.

There are three different labels for each of the evaluated products, depending on the region it is delivered to (US/EU/UK), because the shipping impact is also calculated.

KNAUER HPLC systems are Made in Germany, manufactured in Berlin. The KNAUER AZURA® 862 bar HPLC system with diode array detection scored an ACT-EIF of 13.3 for the EU label and the AZURA® 862 bar HPLC system with refractive index detection scored even lower at an ACT-EIF of 12.5 only for the same region. The ACT-EIFs for the US labels were 21.8 for the DAD version and 21.0 for the RID version respectively.

“Sustainability is not a trend at KNAUER. Since the start of the company in 1962, every decision, such as for example the selection of the suppliers or the design of the products, is driven by offering to the user long lasting products, with a minimal impact on the environment. The longer a system is in use, the less environmental impact does its shipping have", says Dr. Kate Monks, Head of Quality & Regulatory.

More info about the ACT label at:  act.mygreenlab.org

#KNAUERforFuture

• Ecologically managed, award-winning company garden. The beautiful, spacious organic garden on the company premises is a place where people, plants and animals can truly feel at home. Because KNAUER is such a high-tech company, the garden was designed under the guidance of organic farmer Olaf Hempelmann. No pesticides or insecticides and only selective intervention - this is the philosophy of the beautiful organic garden in Zehlendorf. In addition, some beehives live in the KNAUER garden and produce honey.
• No plastic bottles in the company, free glass bottles for all employees and a drinking water filter for high quality water.
• Rewards for employees who commute by bicycle, public transportation, or carpooling
• Employee bike station with covered bike parking, bike pump and bike repair tools
• Leasing of a "business bike"
• Supporting the community, such as donating 40 trees for street plantings
• Conserving paper, preferring recycled paper, and recycling single-sided printed paper. Read the article in Robin Wood magazine 
• Participation in European Sustainability Week