In today’s society, it is still impossible, whether as a company or as a private individual, to exist completely without CO2 emissions. Already unavoidable factors such as the daily use of public infrastructure prevent the complete reduction of environmental pollution. WEROCK is completely geared towards sustainability – without any ifs and buts. We have set ourselves the goal of having a positive impact on our planet. The resources of our planet must not be wasted any further and CO₂ emissions must be reduced. The issue of sustainability and environmental protection has been an integral part of the company’s philosophy since its foundation.
We want to become better all the time. Our approach is divided into three steps. All of our own products go through these steps and are regularly checked to see if they can be optimized. In the first step, product development is carried out with sustainable approaches such as replaceable batteries, repair-friendly housing design or environmentally friendly packaging. The second step is the actual avoidance of emissions such as shipping the product by rail instead of by air freight as is usually the case. All CO2 emissions that could not be saved beforehand are offset in the third step with the help of climate protection projects that bind or save CO2 from the atmosphere.
WEROCK products are characterized by high quality on the one hand and great functionality on the other. At the same time, all products are free of planned obsolescence. Currently, the completely conflict-free production of modern electronics is not possible. With our code of ethics we oblige not only ourselves but also our suppliers to put a special focus on sustainability and environmental protection.
A completely climate-neutral production of computers is not possible in the foreseeable future. We are aware that we emit greenhouse gas emissions with our products. This presents us with certain problems in the area of industrial computers. Elaborate processes and comparatively small quantities make sustainable production difficult. At present, we cannot do without standard industrial components in production. This applies to the housing as well as battery technologies. After all, your devices should also be able to withstand adverse conditions and falls. A notebook or tablet can also not be operated with air & love. For the production of powerful and long-lasting rechargeable batteries, we currently require materials such as lithium and cobalt.
Our packaging consists mainly of unbleached paper and often also serves as shipping carton. This not only saves costs, but is also more environmentally friendly than other packaging. We make sure that the packaging size is as small and light as possible to reduce the required loading space and weight. Larger orders are packed as “bulk goods” by the production facilities, so they do not have their own packaging. Packaging material is only used here to protect against scratches and for transport protection. Depending on the product type, this results in space and weight savings of up to 60% in each case.
We are in permanent market research and exchange with our production partners on how to use more environmentally friendly processes, methods and materials. As a signatory to the statement on the protests for more climate protection “Entrepreneurs for Future”, we also want to set an example on a political level.
All employees at WEROCK stand behind the corporate strategy to have a positive impact on the planet.
In Germany, we obtain all our electricity from renewable energies, without trading in certificates. The electricity in our offices comes from Bürgerwerke, a cooperative association of small energy producers. Here the electricity comes mainly from wind turbines and solar plants from agricultural land. The electricity is certified as green electricity by TÜV Nord and the Grüner Strom Label. Our IT server structure is also completely sustainable and is operated 100% by hydroelectric power plants. We rely on the power of water to supply our servers with electricity. Our environmental partner is the TÜV-certified Energiedienst AG, which generates green electricity from 100% carbon dioxide-free and environmentally friendly hydroelectric power.
With video conferencing, instant messaging and cross-platform collaboration tools, we avoid unnecessary business trips. We communicate and work with teams and partners in an agile way, making us faster and more flexible. Travel is sometimes unavoidable in the course of business. We take care of most travel by train, bus or car sharing. As of today, no one at WEROCK has a car with a combustion engine. Air travel is reduced to the bare essentials and does not take place within Germany.
The shipping of our products within Germany is usually done by DHL or UPS. DHL has set itself a measurable climate protection target with the group-wide GoGreen program. No matter with which shipper we ship: In any case, we ensure that the greenhouse gas emissions generated are offset. The offsetting takes place via internationally recognized climate protection projects. We generally use used cardboard boxes for shipping your orders, because in most cases, cardboard boxes can withstand several transports and do not have to be disposed of directly. For imports from Asian countries, we rely on a mix of sea freight, rail freight and – if it is really urgent – also air freight.
Our favorite is the transport by rail, because it is a compromise between the other two modes of transport. The train needs about 4 weeks from Shenzhen to us in Germany and covers about 12.000 km until it finally arrives in Duisburg. During the transport our packages pass through China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and Poland.
As a young company, we do not have a complete research department that could calculate the emission of each component even in the supply chains and permanently research new materials. Nevertheless, we want to do something. For this reason we compensate the emissions that cannot be avoided at the moment.
To do this, we work with WWF Gold Standard certified climate projects. The Gold Standard organization was founded in 2003 by WWF and other NGOs to have a maximum positive effect on our climate and future developments. High standards for climate security and sustainable development have been set, which are related to the Global Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. In addition to savings in emissions, the organization is also committed to important sustainable projects. For example, the creation of clean water sources for local communities, the protection of endangered animal and plant species, and the creation of jobs.
Through offsetting, we compensate for all other emissions from the production and transport of our equipment, personal CO2 missions of our employees and other operational emissions, if not already done elsewhere. To do this, we regularly calculate our emissions using a CO2 ootprint calculator, which is then offset through a Climate+ project run by the WWF.
In offsetting, we only support particularly high-quality projects that take into account at least five of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. However, we aim to support only projects with eight or more of these goals.
Every quarter we report on the development of our emissions and how we deal with them. Our emissions offsets are also reported at this frequency. We report on the specific offset projects we support to offset our emissions. We also report on the progress we have made in reducing and avoiding emissions. Our efforts go beyond simply offsetting CO₂ emissions: all decisions are made with a view to permanently improving environmental protection. Once the three-stage process has been completed, a review is conducted on a regular basis to determine how the company’s environmental protection efforts can be further improved. Do you have any ideas on how we can become even more environmentally friendly? We look forward to hearing from you.
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