The Aalen-based Steinbeis Transfer Center for Applied Management helps and advises companies and other kinds of organizations with management, business, IT and technology issues. One key field at the center is sustainability. The Steinbeis experts recently advised VARTA Consumer Batteries on the successful introduction and implementation of sustainability management.
VARTA Consumer Batteries is a member of the Spectrum Brands group of companies. The company site in Dischingen produces alkali manganese batteries in the sizes AAA, AA, C and D. Its products make a major contribution to group turnover.
VARTA Consumer Batteries turned to the Steinbeis transfer center with a request for support with the introduction of a sustainability program at the company. The first step was to run workshops with teams and managers at the company to define sustainability policies and objectives, and identify key target groups. The processes of various departments were also analyzed.
To foster the concept of sustainability in specific terms and make it more tangible, a model was developed to represent the different interactions between the business and the outside world. The model depicts three pillars of sustainability – the environment, social aspects and the economy. Working with these pillars, it provides a basis for organizing processes and the sustainability strategy. Sustainability policies and the organization of sustainability processes were then planned in workshops. Sustainability policies were communicated through the company intranet and on company bulletin boards.
To convey the importance of the issue to the workforce, the company provides annual sustainability training to explain the logic behind sustainability policies and allow participants to exchange views. A variety of measures have also been introduced to promote sustainability through a VARTA sustainability program.
Product development plays an important role in the success of the sustainability concept. A central theme for the company is the issue of AA alkali manganese batteries, which account for the lion’s share of battery production at about 60% of total volume. The team looked at the different stages of the alkali manganese battery product lifecycle with respect to greenhouse gas emissions.
The analysis showed that sourcing raw materials and the transportation of raw materials account for around 90% of total greenhouse gas emissions. The areas VARTA has a direct influence on, such as production and packaging processes and, in part, distribution channels, only make a relatively small contribution to total emissions. Despite the relatively limited possibilities, VARTA has to significantly lower the total volume of greenhouse gas emissions, and the company is determined to do whatever it can through a variety of key measures. These could include using local material suppliers whenever possible to reduce distances traveled to factories, plus a string of small projects inside the company to improve efficiency and thus minimize the carbon footprint. The Steinbeis experts helped VARTA identify these key measures. Meanwhile, VARTA has issued its first sustainability report in two languages, German and English.
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Holzbaur
Steinbeis Transfer Center Applied Management (Aalen)
su0217@stw.de