Comprehensive environmental management enables us to identify environmental risks at an early stage and to take precautionary action. We take possible environmental effects into consideration during the development of our products. We certify our plants in accordance with the ISO 14001 environmental standard.

Since many of the corporation’s properties have been used for industrial purposes for many years, risks of contamination and the resulting site restoration obligations cannot be ruled out completely. However, we pay very special attention to identifying such risks when acquiring companies. If necessary, appropriate provisions are included in contracts.

Stricter statutory regulations particularly where the environment is concerned can lead to higher development and production costs. We track legislative initiatives in our key markets as part of our risk identification and control procedures and address the issue of alternative materials for our products in our research and development activities.