Responsible management

As a family owned business, we think and act independently, with a focus on sustainability and ethical aspects. And we do so out of deepest conviction. Our strategies are not aimed at short term success. But always at the permanent well being of the company and our members of staff.

Ecology and social responsibility have always been tremendously important at Hettich. This is reflected in a broad commitment to society. And through high levels of investment in technologies that ease strain on the environment and conserve resources. Because we are convinced that acting in a socially responsible and ecological manner in conformity with the law doesn't hamper a company's economic success but, in the long term, helps to promote and secure it.

Our aim is to combine business success with
ecological, social and civic responsibility.

Dr. Andreas Hettich

Chairman of the Management Board

Thinking and acting in an ecological minded way

Working energy efficiently. Conserving resources. Investing in sustainable technologies. This is our ecological policy for production, logistics and infrastructure. The focus is on operational energy consumption at all Hettich sites. Hettich products conserve resources by using materials efficiently, providing a long useful life and including a high proportion of recyclable materials. We also want to motivate our partners to act in an ecologically sound manner: high environmental standards are anchored in Hettich's purchasing conditions.

Ecology: Hettich is proactive.

Ecological responsibility – we take this seriously. For many years now, the Hettich Group employs an environment officer who is exclusively responsible for ecological matters and processes. We have established a separate environment committee for each Hettich production site. We implement the stringent EMAS Regulation at key sites. And we push forward technical developments that make it even easier to save raw materials. And statutory regulations? We understand them to be minimum requirements which in most cases we far exceed.

Intermodal transport: Hettich helps to relieve the burden on the roads.

Hettich is committed to pursuing this goal too: more and more goods are being taken off the road and transported by rail or water. In 2015, we used multimodal transportation to carry no fewer than 51 loads of freight, avoiding the emission of 83 tonnes of CO2.

Electric mobility: We are gathering speed.

Dr. Andreas Hettich states the objective: "We want to find out whether e‐mobility can be a sensible part of our sustainability strategy." Trials have already begun at the Kirchlengern/Bünde operation with 3 vehicles. Over a period of three years we will be testing how practicable it is for Hettich to use electric vehicles. This focus here will be on purpose, charging times, consumption and emissions.

Humane. Fair. Socially responsible.

At Hettich, people are paramount. Variety and equal opportunities are part of our corporate culture. Committed to good apprenticeship training, we ourselves take care of securing the rising generation of competent staff. The health and safety of our staff is discernibly close to our heart. Cooperation with our suppliers is also based on a culture of trust and fairness. High social standards are defined in our purchasing conditions.

Safety Excellence

There's a method to occupational safety at Hettich. From the very outset, we create the very best conditions with ergonomically structured workplaces and carefully considered workflows. We have also launched a unique initiative: all Hettich staff undertake to pay particular attention to occupational safety in everyday activities. This way, the "Safety Excellence" method complements the classic elements of occupational safety with conduct based aspects.

Worldwide code of conduct

The "Responsible Management at Hettich" code of conduct applies to all Hettich companies worldwide. The internal publication informs our staff on responsible and fair conduct in business life. Among other aspects, it explains ethical principles and applicable law, occupational safety and environmental protection as well as ways of reconciling work and family life.

Company healthcare management

Demographic change has arrived. Many people are working longer. Hettich has identified this challenge. We help our staff to stay healthy and maintain their level of performance with targeted measures.

Local commitment

The Hettich Group supports numerous non profit projects and organisations at its various locations. These, for example, include sports clubs, community festivals, nursery schools and retirement homes.

Responsibility to society

Hettich is committed to a just and educated society. We make money donations and donations in kind to promote education and science, art, culture and social issues. We often act as a sponsor at Hettich operating bases. And support the voluntary activities of our staff. And last but not least: through our loyalty to Germany as a host to production, a significant amount of taxes and social security contributions go into the German budget.

Hettich volunteers

Outside their work, many of Hettich's staff are involved as volunteers in social welfare projects at home and abroad. This is something we explicitly wish to acknowledge and actively encourage: we make money donations in support of social welfare projects Hettich staff work in as volunteers. These include humanitarian, sporting and other non-profit initiatives. From 2013 to 2016, Hettich sponsored 485 projects – and within these four years donated € 317,500.

Working with schools

We want to give young people a glimpse at the working world early on in their lives and invite them to our operations. At a number of German sites we cooperate with selected schools. We support interested pupils with job application training and work placements / internships. And if we can interest school leavers in starting a career at Hettich – all the better! We give our young members of staff comprehensive support on making the move from school to working life.