FACILITIES
SUSTAINABLE HEADQUARTER
Appart from paying attention to tolerance and safety for people and environment in the production process we have also designed our company building and grounds as advantageous as possible.
PREMISES
The warehouse covers but 1/7 and the office only 270 sqm of the approximately 7.000 square meter-wide company’s premises. Further 900 sqm include a paved courtyard area. The remaining area is palnted and cultivated close to nature. There you will find a 200 sqm large herb garden and a 3.000 square meter-wide area full of fruit trees and a rough pasture. The little river Untere Argen limits the area.
With care measures we ensure that insects find food sources on our grounds. Therefore, the meadows are only mowed after most of the flowers have flowered. In a next step, they also get mulched. The remaining areas receive their nutrient supply through compost from our own composting plant. This ensures that a variety of nectars-givers will continue to grow upon our company premises in the following year.
BUILDING
In our facilities we have processsed a lot of wood as a renewable raw material: the construction is a timber frame construction and the floors are made of untreated larch. All wall surfaces are painted with LIVOS natural colors. As well, the furniture is mostly built of solid wood and is delivered from the ecological furniture producers WASA. With the office furniture, including the office chairs, we paid special attention to repairability and recyclability. The resulting healthy and pleasant working atmosphere promotes the well-being and the productivity for all employees.
ELECTRICITY
Since the summer of 2019 we have been using a solar electricity storage system with 65 KW so that we gain over 60% of the annual consumption through our own PV electricity. A PV system with 27 KW / P. is adapted
On days with several hours of sunshine, we are self-sufficient from spring to autumn.
HEATING SYSTEM
Concerning the technical infrastructure, we focused on climate protection. Since 2012 the building contains a photovoltaic system (12.7 KW / P). It currently covers 20 – 30 % of our electricity needs. We create the thermal energy for heating the offices and warehouse with a modern and highly efficient pellets heating system (heating power 60 kW), which was installed in 2012 by the Kimmerle GmbH from Isny. The heating system largely exploits the technical possibilities in terms of climate- and emission protection: The heating system itself features an efficiency rate of approximately 95%. Via heat exchanger further heat can be gained from the exhaust gas. To minimize emissions, combustion is optimized by control mechanisms. In addition, dust particles are removed from the exhaust gases via condensation. With only 16 mg / m³ the particulate emissions are well below the legally required values.
The primary energy demand of the entire building only amounts 53 kWh / m2 thanks to the low energy standard of the building’s envelope as well as the energy-efficient technology and lighting (excluding LED lights). The cost advantage towards less efficient buildings is obvious. We consider the costs of achieving these low values as an investment in the future.
INNER WORKINGS
But we do not only pay attention to the sustainability of our infrastructure and equipment. We also only use environmentally friendly agents during cleaning. And while hosting our customers we have only been serving fair-traded organic coffee for 20 years now. Because we are convinced – as with our leather – only sustainable benefit can satisfy our customers in the long term.
