Heiche Oberflächentechnik GmbH

Subject: Environmental protection

The today’s company management can’t be imagined without the topics environmental protection and climate protection. The Heiche Group has practised active environmental protection for many years and has been awarded with the environmental management certification ISO 14001:1996 and the energy management certification DIN EN 16001:2009 at the location Schwaigern. The endeavour of the company to use energy efficiently, economically and ecological reasonably had priority in the past and has priority today more than ever.
Already in the eighties when building new production halls the management placed great emphasis on the use of renewable energy. So the heating of these halls was realized with geothermal energy. The next step was to furnish the roofs with photovoltaic. The installed capacity on the production halls and warehouses of the Heiche Group meanwhile is 130kWp and is extended constantly.
In the year 2005 the biggest vegetable oil block heat and power plant at that time was built. Since then by means of power-heat coupling the self-produced energy in the form of current and heat has been used in an economic and ecological advantageous way.  In January 2012 the new bio natural gas block heat and power plant went into service replacing the vegetable oil block heat and power plant. Already today the Heiche Oberflächentechnik GmbH fulfills the prognosis for 2020 expected by the Federal Environment Ministry that 30% of the used energy is generated from renewable energies.  
An energy management system controls all consumptions such as current, hot water, cooling water, compressed air, fresh water and deionised water of every separate facility in the main factory. This system helps to detect weaknesses in the energy supply and consequently to improve them.

Environmental and Energy Policy

The environmental protection has an enormous sociopolitical significance. The company management of the Heiche Group determines the environmental and energy policy for the Heiche Group with the following statement:

1. Every production, especially the one of the chemical industry influences the environment and contains risks. For Heiche the reduction of these risks and the protection of the environment are an important part of the corporate transaction and belong to the most important targets of the Heiche Group.
2. Concerning the production of our products, the handling, the transport and the disposal of raw and residual materials and the recycling and disposal of waste attention is paid to highest possible safety whereat unnecessary risks for the environment are avoided.
3. Environmental protection, energy efficiency and safety at work are taken into consideration when using new products, planning and constructing new plants.
4. The economical use of resources and energies is part of our company aims.
5. The compliance with legal regulations and the implementation of them is standard at the Heiche Group.
6. We produce our energy in large part from renewable materials in Schwaigern since the year 2006. This is generated by a block heat and power plant which is run with vegetable oil (in future with bio natural gas) and by a photovoltaic power plant.
7. Our neighbours, customers and employees can be sure that our processes are further developed besides economic and qualitative aspects also under environmentally friendly and energy-saving aspects.
8. Essential elements of the integrated management system are the standards ISO 14001 &
9. 16001 and their continuous improvement process, namely not as control but as internal feedback control system based on self-responsibility and self-monitoring.

Environmental & Energy Management means to us:

• Environmentally sound and energy-saving production and treatment of our products
• Complete implementation of all laws and requirements regarding environment and energy
• Compliance with all aspects of safety at work
• Integration of sound acting regarding environment and energy in all processes

Aims:

We strive for a continuous improvement of the environmental performance and the energy performance regarding the following items:

• Conservation of all resources used by us
• Reduction of the resources and the related disposal
• Avoidance and reduction of environmental pollution
• Conservation of the natural resources and the environment of the company