Festo Honoured with German Sustainability Award
January 9, 2024
Europe’s largest award for ecological and social commitment
At the award ceremony on 23 November in Düsseldorf, Festo was presented with the German Sustainability Award (DNP) in the hydraulics, pumps and compressors category. The DNP is based on the goals of the German government’s Agenda 2030 and thus on key areas of transformation such as climate, biodiversity, resources, supply chain and society. Festo was also recently named a successful practice company in the field of sustainability by RWTH Aachen University and the Complexity Management Academy.
“Sustainability is of strategic importance to Festo. It is an excellent motivation for us to be honoured with such a high-ranking award,” says Dr Oliver Jung, Chairman of the Management Bord of Festo. Julia Bikidis, Head of Sustainability, is also proud: “We are delighted to receive this award, especially because it confirms our holistic approach. We are focussing on climate protection and people and are fulfilling our responsibility in doing so. The award recognises the work of many hands and shows that we are on the right track.”
The 140 jurors of the DNP chose the companies that they believe are leading the sustainable transformation in their industries this year and gave the following reasons for honouring Festo. “The family-owned company Festo is active in the automation sector and is doing everything it can to help shape the transformation of industrial production. The company aims to be completely CO₂-neutral by 2026 and is continuously optimising its energy efficiency and waste recycling. Ethical principles and an inclusive and supportive working environment are fundamental values for Festo.”
“Sustainability is reflected in our daily work, our buildings and our products. We have created a sustainable framework for ourselves and our customers. The Festo Group will therefore be CO₂ neutral from 2024 – two years earlier than planned. We work in diverse and motivated teams to find the best and most efficient solution for our customers. This starts with the design of the customer solution: we want to avoid any kind of waste, such as oversizing, through transparency in our design tools. An explicit shopping basket of products with energy-saving functions, such as automatic switch-off in standby situations, also contributes to this. Our learning programme rounds off the framework: Without people making the right decisions, we will not be able to design sustainable solutions. We therefore see the sustainable transformation as a shared journey with all our employees, customers and suppliers,” says Julia Bikidis.
ulia Bikidis, Head of Sustainability
This is the 16th time that the DNP has honoured pioneering contributions to the transformation towards a sustainable future. It uses the best examples to show how ecological and social progress can be achieved more quickly.
Further award in the field of sustainability for Festo
Festo was also recognised by the Complexity Management Academy and RWTH Aachen University as one of five companies in the field of managing sustainable innovations. The focus was on a holistic view of the company with a focus on strategy, product, process and organisation, with the sustainability goals of finance, environment, social and governance.
About Festo
Festo is a global player and an independent family-owned company with headquarters in Esslingen am Neckar, Germany. Festo has set standards in industrial automation technology and technical education ever since its establishment, thereby making a contribution to sustainable development of the environment, the economy and society. The company supplies pneumatic and electrical automation technology to 300,000 customers of factory and process automation in over 35 industries.
Digitalization, AI and the LifeTech sector with medical technology and laboratory automation are becoming increasingly important. The products and services are available in 176 countries. With about 20,800 employees in over 250 branch offices in around 60 countries worldwide, Festo achieved a turnover of around €3.81 billion in 2022. Each year around 7% of this turnover is invested in research and development. In this learning company, 1.5 % of turnover is invested in basic and further training. Festo Didactic SE is a leading provider of technical education and training and offers its customers worldwide comprehensive digital and physical learning solutions in the industrial environment.
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