A matter of generations

A sense of responsibility towards individuals and the environment has always been given high priority at Miele. How the tradition-steeped, family-run company puts these principles into practice is now evidenced by the 2013 Sustainability Report, which Dr Eduard Sailer, Miele board member responsible for technology, recently presented to the press.

Under the title 'A Matter of Generations', Miele provides a detailed and highly visual rundown of its activities and objectives which fall under this heading. Like its 2011 predecessor, which the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) and 'future e.V.' counted amongst the ten best sustainability reports published by large German companies, the new report consists of a text section and a presentation of interesting facts and figures. 'Added to this, there are above all the results of a comprehensive strategy process which has helped specify our priorities relating to sustainability in even greater detail', explains Eduard Sailer, responsible for technical affairs at Miele.

A further focal issue is naturally the company's commitment to offer its customers domestic appliances with built-in sustainability – an aspect which goes far beyond electricity and water consumption. 'No other manufacturer within our branch of industry attaches such great importance to durability and recyclability', Eduard Sailer affirms. Furthermore, Miele has further increased its lead in smart energy management, for instance by bringing together SmartGrid-enabled appliances and home-generated electricity from rooftop PV arrays.

Similarly, environmental protection at production plant level is another focus of the report. An example of this is the on-going work on expanding heat recovery from ventilation and air-conditioning systems at production plants. 'The most recent measures at our Gütersloh headquarters alone have resulted in net savings of around 2000 MWh per year', Sailer calculates. This corresponds to the energy needed to heat 100 homes.

The report is structured in six chapters: 'Company', 'Strategy and Management', 'Products and Supply Chain', 'Environmental protection at production plants', 'Employees' and 'Social responsibility'. Selected aspects such as quality assurance or equal opportunities are investigated more thoroughly in features and interview.

The text section comprises 56 pages; Facts and Figures adds a further 40. Like the last two reports, this publication to has been created in accordance to the guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) whose standards on sustainability reporting are recognised worldwide. This, though, is the first time the GRI has actually monitored and evaluated compliance with these guidelines. Miele was awarded the highest possible grade A which equates to professional reporting without any reservations.

In addition to the printed version, a more comprehensive online edition of the report is also available (www.miele-nachhaltigkeit.de). The complete Sustainability Report is available from www.miele-sustainability.com for download.

(394 words, 2802 characters incl. spaces)

Company profile: Miele is the world leader in the field of premium domestic appliances including cooking, baking and steam-cooking appliances, refrigeration products, coffee makers, dishwashers and laundry and floorcare products. This line-up is augmented by dishwashers, washer-extractors and tumble dryers for commercial use as well as washer-disinfectors and sterilisers for use in medical and laboratory applications (Miele Professional). The company, founded in 1899, has 8 production plants in Germany and one plant each in Austria, the Czech Republic, China and Romania. 2011/12 turnover amounted to approx. EUR 3.04 bn with sales outside Germany accounting for 70%. Miele is represented with its own sales subsidiaries and via importers in almost 100 countries. The Miele company, now in the fourth generation of family ownership, employs a workforce of oven 16,700 with two-thirds in Germany. The company headquarters are located in Gütersloh/Westphalia, Germany.