As a mid-sized, family-run group of companies, the bilstein group has always taken its social and ecological responsibility seriously. For us, however, sustainability is more than just a mandatory obligation: we want to align all our actions with it over the coming years.
Sustainability will play a role in every important operational decision because, as a family company, we know that only sustainable business processes have a future. This future has already begun in the bilstein group. Below, you will find many examples of our projects on the road to sustainability.
As we work towards becoming a more sustainable company, we try to cover the entire scope of the issue.
From our perspective, sustainability is comprised of three key components:
Sustainability is not just about minimizing our carbon footprint; it also means creating long-term, secure jobs with humane working conditions and living wages. At the same time, we emphasize sustainable production, utilizing economically efficient processes to minimize negative environmental impacts and conserve natural resources and energy.
Alternative-drives are key to achieving global climate targets. In 2022 the EU decided that new registrations of combustion-engine cars will be banned from 2035. In the future, it will be all the more important that vehicles with hybrid, electric or other alternative-drive systems are supplied with the necessary spare parts for the longest possible service life.
We already have thousands of parts on offer for the hybrid, electric, hydrogen and alternate-powered vehicle sector, be it passenger cars or commercial vehicles. More than 2,000 new articles are being introduced annually for passenger cars alone, and we have a database of over 90,000 individual vehicle variants.
Additionally, the delivery of more than four million catalogue applications to the screens of distributors and installers around the world puts the bilstein group in a very strong position to provide the aftermarket with the widest range of repair and maintenance parts - today and tomorrow.
Essential to more sustainable consumption for the bilstein group comes from the extension of a vehicle's lifespan, too. However, we are well aware that the CO2 balance of mostly older vehicles with combustion engines must be compared to vehicles with more modern drive technology.
Positive Influence on the Sustainability Balance
As the pioneer in the IAM, we believe that our high-quality and durable products are extending the vehicle lifespan so significantly (with comparatively low use of resources), that we have a positive influence on the sustainability balance of the whole vehicle.
By adding more and more parts for alternative-drive vehicles to our range, we will be able to keep cars on the road for longer in the years to come, thus securing the future of sustainable mobility.
Climate protection is a major concern for us - we are committed to the Paris Climate Agreement. In order to contribute to this, the bilstein group reduces emissions along the entire supply chain and relies, for example, on energy-efficient technologies, renewable energies, resource-saving production processes and building standards as well as a comprehensive energy-management system.
"In this way, we contribute to saving resources and at the same time live up to our identity as a family-owned company: we think and plan in terms of generations, and the protection of our environment also plays a central role in this," says Group Managing Director Jan Siekermann.
Annual savings of approx. 40% CO2
80% of all carriers converted to Euro 5 standard
Combined heat and power unit producing energy for logistics
Consuming 45% less energy than comparable buildings
Refitting of conventional lights in production and logistics
750 kWp photovoltaic system
Innovative heating concept utilising machine waste heat
First full electric car in the fleet
Packaging is either 100% cardboard or 100% plastic
Consuming 45% less energy than comparable buildings
15.000 m2 green roof
750 kWp photovoltaic system
Reduction of plastic packaging by 2 tonnes per year
Supplying the German sites with electricity exclusively from renewable sources
Energy management system certified to DIN ISO 50001 at logistics and production sites in Germany and the UK
The bilstein group not only focuses on avoiding CO2 emissions—we also generate our own electricity. We have installed photovoltaic (PV) systems on our production hall in Ennepetal and our logistics center in Gelsenkirchen.
Our first PV system began operating in 2017 alongside our new in-house production in Ennepetal. In 2021, the PV system at our new logistics center in Gelsenkirchen was added.
The PV system in Ennepetal, covering approximately 6,000 m², is one of the largest in the Ennepe-Ruhr district. Around 80% of the generated electricity (approximately 600,000 kWh/year) is used for in-house machinery, while the surplus "green" electricity is fed into the general power grid.
The PV system in Gelsenkirchen is also around 6,000 m² in size and consists of 2,200 photovoltaic modules. It can generate over 700,000 kWh of electricity per year. Due to its east-west orientation, the system achieves a self-consumption rate of over 80%.
Together, the two PV systems have a capacity of 749 kWp and can cover the annual electricity demand of 500 households. The cumulative PV self-generated electricity has increased to 8.124 million kWh by 2024.
In logistics, buildings tend to look functional from the outside, but our new buildings have it all when it comes to energy efficiency. Both our production and logistics centre in Gelsenkirchen, opened in 2022, were built according to KfW Standard 55. This means they consume around 45 percent less energy than a comparable new building without efficiency measures.
Better Climate Conditions
In addition, two halls and the main entrance in Gelsenkirchen have been equipped with a green roof on an area of around 15,000 square metres. Not only environmental aspects play a role here: among other things, the green roof helps to reduce the negative effects of heavy rainfall and contributes to better climate conditions in the rooms underneath.
In our logistics centres, we mainly rely on automated logistics systems. In Gelsenkirchen, for example, this allows us to save around 75% of the space required by a purely manual warehouse.
We also use energy-efficient components and drives (active shutdown of conveyor technology when not in use; use of braking energy of the stacker cranes).
Thanks to savings in light and heat as well as process energy, we consume up to 1,500 t CO2 less per year in our automated warehouses than in a comparable manual warehouse.
Other factors also play a role. In production, for example, the waste heat from the machines is used to heat the fresh air drawn in from outside in colder months, saving on additional heating. The waste heat from the compressors is, in turn, used to generate hot water for the sanitary facilities. For our metal hardening processes, we consequently use rain and drainage water to cool down the cooling circuit.
This is how our production contributes to climate protection:
Fresh water consumption -
systematic use of drainage water
Recirculation of process heat -
no loss of valuable energy
Energy savings -
production hall according to KfW-55 standard
German Locations – Scope 1 and 2
Our German locations account for more than 80% of total Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. Therefore, our primary focus has been on reducing and avoiding emissions at our German sites.
We have successfully avoided a significant portion of our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions in Germany under the market-based approach by purchasing "green" electricity certificates with guarantees of origin for all our sites and climate-friendly district heating for our logistics center in Gelsenkirchen.
In the coming years, we will expand our measures to our subsidiaries worldwide.
*Scope 1: includes the direct release of climate-damaging gases within the company and its production processes.
Scope 2: includes the indirect release of climate-damaging gases by energy suppliers.
Indirect Greenhouse Gas Emissions – Scope 3
To better understand how our indirect business activities and supply chain impact climate change, we have decided to conduct a systematic assessment of Scope 3 emissions using the GHG Protocol guidelines.
For the calculation, we used secondary data and emission factors from reliable databases. However, we found that these data are often imprecise and lack specific information for our industry. Therefore, we plan to collect primary carbon emissions data directly from our suppliers and explore further ways to reduce Scope 3 emissions.
Less Packaging - More Environmental Protection
When it comes to packaging, the bilstein group is also taking important steps towards more sustainability. For example, since 2022, the logistics at HQ in Ennepetal has refrained from packing small parts for repair kits in a neutral plastic bag. This saves about two tonnes of plastic per year. A significant reduction was also achieved in bubble wrap, which is used to protect goods.
In 2020, the general consumption of bubble wrap was analysed and put to the test. The result was clear: since then, we have been using around 24.5 tonnes less bubble wrap per year. Through the system partnership with PARTSLIFE, the environmental management service provider for the automotive industry, the bilstein group makes an active contribution to waste avoidance and disposal.
Recycled Plastic Wrap
In 2022 our logistics in Germany switched to bubble wrap that consists of up to 50 percent recycled plastic.
But isn't 100 percent also possible? For the air cushions to form, parts of the material are welded together. To be able to control these processes, a sheet consists of different layers. The different properties of these layers require a certain proportion of virgin material, as the melting temperatures are known and uniform for this type.
Small Ideas, Big Impact
In 2018 Ali Serttekin, who has been working in bilstein group logistics since 1994, had the idea to use A5 stickers larger packages instead of A4 stickers. A simple idea thanks to which a lot of paper can be saved. In addition, combi-packaging (packaging made of a combination of cardboard and plastic) was completely eliminated in the company.
Thanks to this simple but efficient measure, the materials can be separated more easily and recycled accordingly.
Let There Be LED!
A large part of our logistics in Germany is now equipped with energy-saving LED lights. In logistics in Ennepetal alone, well over two kilometres of lighting have been newly installed in recent years and connected to the existing intelligent building management system so that it can be controlled entirely according to need.
Thanks to this solution, 294 tonnes of CO2 can be saved per year.
The bilstein group has been using paper padding machines at its locations in Ennepetal, Gelsenkirchen and Wuppertal for a long time. The company has had good experiences with the machines from the manufacturer Sprick, which are provided by Paul Hildebrandt in Bergkamen.
