Machinery supplier Engel Group and vinyl window makerRehau GmbH are among "50 Sustainability & Climate Leaders" honored for 2020 in a program sponsored by TBD Media Group and Bloomberg media.
The campaign highlights the companies that are taking concrete action to respond to global emissions and pollution, rather than delaying a response until those problems become insurmountable.
The digital campaign covers industries across the board, including pharmaceutical, manufacturing, financial services, material handling, telecommunications and petrochemicals who stand out for their approach to crucial issues of sustainability even throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The businesses involved in the 50 Sustainability & Climate Leaders campaign are masters at putting plans into action, forming meaningful collaborations and finding a place for sustainability at the heart of their companies," said Paolo Emilio Zanini, CEO TBD Media Group.
For plastics machinery manufacturer Engel, sustainability is a fundamental part of the coporate philosophy, the company said.
The Austrian machinery maker said it works continuously to further improve its processes, aiming for a more economic resource use and improved recycling rates. It has moreover focussed on reducing the carbon footprint of its products and advancing digitalisation, which opens up great opportunities for establishing a circular economy.
"Closing material cycles is one of the plastics industry's priority tasks. We accept this challenge and are developing solutions that enable processed plastic waste to be used far more widely," CEO Stefan Engleder said in the video that Bloomberg produced for the Climate Leaders presentation.
"From packaging and automobiles to medical products, plastics have become an integral part of our modern life. They help us save energy and make significant contributions to hygiene and safety. As part of the plastics industry, we have a responsibility to ensure that people in all regions of the world are using plastic products responsibly."
A video for Rehau noted the group's work investing in the use of recycled material for windows as well as in banding for furniture, hoses and sprinkler systems. The company has spent 65 million euros ($77.2 million) on recycling plants in Europe to support access to post-consumer and post-industrial plastics.
"For us, polymers has always been a reusable material," Rehau, Germany-based Rehau noted in a news release. "Rehau has returned plastic waste to its production processes since the 1950s. In the 1980s, we produced the first products made from consumers' plastic waste. In early 2014, we began building our own recycling plants. And we are continuing to invest significantly in this area, like the currently example of our waste management facility in the U.K.
"By 2022, we want to implement new flagship projects for the circular economy in all divisions and roll them out across the board by 2030. These targets are part of our 2030 sustainability strategy. Another target is to reduce CO2 emissions in our plants by at least 30 percent in the next five years. Our long-term aim is for production to be carbon-neutral in all plants, as is currently the case in our Feuchtwangen [Germany] plant," the company said.
Auto supplier Mann + Hummel GmbH, an injection molder of under-the-hood parts and air and oil filtration parts, also made the list. Organizers touted the company's work in providing filtration systems for air and water.
Air filter cubes developed by M+H are being used in cities in Europe, South America and Asia to help reduce air pollution from vehicles and other emission sources.