Sustainable building for tomorrow: with SEP and system!

He adds: "Our conviction is logically reflected in the business strategy and the SQS-certified management system. The whole thing is well interlocked." Samuel Schwei-zer (S. S.) and Martina Marchesi (M. M.), Sustainability and QUS Manager, provide an insight into the concept here:

Mr. Schweizer, where do you see your company positioned in the market?
S. S.: We have built up a quality image in building construction over the years. Innovative strength and reliability are part of this. We are the market and innovation leader in the letterbox and parcel box sector. Thanks to our broad market focus on facades, wood/metal, windows, letterboxes and parcel boxes as well as solar systems, we combine a well-diversified range of products under one roof. Our claim: We want to contribute to a sustainable building stock with our building envelope solutions for energy efficiency, with our parcel boxes for networking and with our solar systems for energy generation.

Ernst Schweizer AG has been managed according to the "principles of sustainability" for "ten years". What does that mean?
S. S.: In our actions, we adhere to the three dimensions of economy, social affairs and ecology, and do so from a long-term perspective. This is the basis of the concept of the four Swiss Success Points (SEP), namely customer-oriented services, employees and society, the environment and economic efficiency.

What was the impetus for this attitude?
S. S.: On the one hand, it corresponds to the entrepreneurial values that shape our mission statement. But it also reflects our conviction that this is the way to ensure long-term success. Customer orientation and social responsibility were already established by my grandfather. At the end of the 1970s, my father introduced the environmental theme into our mission statement. Finally, the business policy orientation according to the 4 SEPs essentially emerged at the beginning of the 1980s, long before the actual boom in sustainability orientation began in the 1990s. Sustainable behaviour has a future. I myself continue to support this attitude unchanged.

How is the sustainability strategy organi sationally anchored in the company?
S. S.: Our approach is integral. The Swiss mission statement as the top level is unfolded in the 4 SEPs. And the business strategy also reflects the four dimensions, as does the annual planning. The management system supports and links all these levels. This means that the whole thing functions independently of individuals and is consistent. In the annual financial statements, the sustainability indicators are differentiated according to all 4 SEPs. Martina Marchesi, Head of Sustainability and QUS, has overall responsibility. In all business units, there are contact points with quality officers, environmental officers and safety officers for occupational safety and health protection. Through training and awareness-raising, we anchor the mission statement throughout the entire company.

Ms Marchesi, how is the sustainability strategy anchored in terms of monitoring and controlling?
M. M.: The monitoring process results in a lukewarm aggregation of key figures. For the company as a whole (including materials)

"The 4 SEPs are the basis of everything we do."

has been drawing up a life cycle assessment every year since 1990. In this way, we recognise where the leverage is to be applied and which projects are to be initiated in the interests of the environment. And we exchange information in all our networks. Last but not least, we benefit from the information and feedback we receive during audits. In 2004, we were among the pioneers in sustainability reporting. Today, we only produce a GRI sustainability report every two years because the cost of annual reporting is high and the feedback from the market is too low. But it is important that we have a report - and not just as a means of communication. After all, our achievements in the sustainability sector are part of our company history.

How are the sustainability strategy and the SQS-certified management model linked?
M. M.: The 4 SEPs are at the heart of everything we do. They are reflected cascade-like in the mission statement, in the strategy, in the annual planning as well as in the management system as a foundation. The management system regulates the interactions between the 4 SEP in the mission statement by interlocking the requirements of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 with the mission statement of Ernst Schweizer AG. This helps to maintain and further develop structures and processes in line with requirements. The whole forms a unit and provides support for all decisions. It cannot simply be "divided up" at will. In our observation, there are not many companies that have so consistently linked the management system with the sustainability strategy and the corporate strategy.

How does this work out in practice, firstly in your own company?
M. M.: Sustainability plays a role in all projects and decisions, not just once a year. The holistic approach gives all aspects of sustainability the necessary weight in the individual measure. Here are a few examples:

• Our mobility concept provides, among other things, that the limited number of parking spaces is subject to a charge. We use the proceeds to subsidise public transport season tickets for employees.
• We pay attention to environmental and social compatibility when making new investments. We also pay attention to this when making technical changes to existing plants.
• The topic of energy consumption and environmental impact is taken into account in all investment applications and quantified where possible. Motion detectors, district heating, woodchip heating, etc. are the results of this. The effects on employees and workplaces are also recorded.
• With seminars on environmental and safety topics, we want to expand the knowledge and awareness of our employees and motivate them to change their behaviour, including through suggestions for their private lives. At the three-day introductory training for new employees, half a day is devoted to the environment.

Secondly, with customers and suppliers?
M. M.: Customers are aware of the company's sustainable orientation. This image is also clearly anchored in the wider market. We also supply sustainable products - produced in Switzerland. In the supply chain, we pay attention not only to price and quality, but also to social and ecological criteria. For example, we have succeeded in increasing the proportion of recycled aluminium in profiles to up to 80 %.

And finally with the partner companies?
S. S.: We want to be perceived as a reliable, credible and responsible partner. This is very important to us, and we do a lot to achieve this. Our partner companies are also SMEs of a similar or smaller size. Although they do not have such clearly formulated concepts, they also pursue a sustainable business policy. This strengthens mutual understanding.
trust.