Corporate sustainability at MANN+HUMMEL: Turning words into actions
The world is changing. As the world’s population continues to grow, so do the challenges of air and water pollution. Meanwhile, mobility is also undergoing radical change. Industries and service providers need to innovate and adapt to stay ahead in a society that values and relies on mindfulness and sustainability.
The numbers say it all: Since 1950, freshwater use has quadrupled, and global CO₂-equivalent emissions have increased sixfold. What’s more, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that over 99 percent of the global population inhales polluted air, while fresh water makes up less than three percent of the planet’s water resources.
Sustainability is one of the most important ideas of our time, but actions speak louder than words. MANN+HUMMEL has been dedicated to sustainable practices not just recently but for a legacy spanning over 80 years.
Sustainability means responsibility
At MANN+HUMMEL, we deliver filtration solutions for cleaner mobility, cleaner air, cleaner water, and cleaner industries. We are allies and innovators for those seeking the right solutions for a brighter tomorrow. Filtration, in our view, is sustainability in action, protecting people and the planet from both present and future hazards by separating the useful from the harmful. For us, sustainability goes beyond buzzwords; it's in our DNA. It's also closely tied to human rights because cleaner air and cleaner water are universal rights. That's why we take our corporate responsibility so seriously.
By becoming a member of the UN Global Compact (UNGC) on October 26, 2021, MANN+HUMMEL has committed to upholding the UNGC’s 10 principles, which span human rights, environmental protections, and anti-corruption.
As one of the world's leading filter manufacturers, we aim to help our customers achieve sustainable operations and lifestyles. Our products empower them to separate the useful from the harmful while also conserving energy and other resources. These are our driving values:
We protect people’s health.
We ensure cleaner air and cleaner water.
We reduce emissions and environmental pollution.
We increase the lifespan of our machines and systems.
True sustainability: MANN+HUMMEL’s multidimensional approach
The standard definitions of sustainability encompass the following three dimensions:
Striving for sustainability is not a luxury, but an absolute necessity in order to combine entrepreneurial activity with social and ecological progress. Sustainability traditionally comprises three dimensions: ecological, economic and social. However, we at MANN+HUMMEL believe that sustainability is much more than that. We firmly believe that the dimension of technology - in our case filtration solutions - is a key element for greater sustainability. We therefore see filtration as the fourth dimension of sustainability.
We’re leading the charge in tangible sustainability, providing advanced filters and filtration systems that help purify waste, process resources, protect human health, drive cleaner mobility, and improve industrial performance.
For a cleaner planet and a world worth living in.
MANN+HUMMEL: Pioneering responsibility in sustainability
Our Code of Conduct, our Social Charter, and our Declaration on Human Rights make it crystal clear that we promote initiatives in line with our sustainable business interests and regulations. With our carbon-zero strategy, adopted in 2021, we aim to be climate neutral by 2050. A key milestone for this is CO2-neutral production, which we want to achieve by 2035. Other key elements of our carbon-zero strategy are as follows:
- From 2025 onward, we will use only renewable energy or a combination of green electricity and certificates.
- During our product development phase, we aim to use less new material, more recycled content, and other materials with minimal carbon footprints. We also ensure that our designs are made in environmentally friendly ways.
- Our products and services are designed to use energy as efficiently as possible throughout their lifecycles.
- The way we design our products supports a circular economy, focusing on sustainability at every stage.
We also quantify sustainability to keep track of our progress. Here are some of our achievements:
- In the 2022 financial year, we successfully cut our CO₂ emissions by approximately 160,000 tons by shifting to renewable energy sources and putting other sustainability strategies into action.
- That same year, we also reduced energy needs by five percent by cutting down heat in our processes, improving various processes, and implementing additional energy-saving measures.
Our commitment is already yielding results: MANN+HUMMEL has received a 'Gold' rating from EcoVadis, a prestigious index for corporate sustainability. For the third time in row, we are in the top five percent of the 100,000+ companies evaluated. It was awarded after an extensive review of our company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) management system, which focuses on environmental practices, human rights and labor, ethics, and sustainable procurement.
