Environment and Energy

United Initiators is certified in accordance with DIN EN ISO 14001 – both to address any possible environmental consequences and to ensure the continuous improvement of environmental protection. Local employees or their representatives are actively involved in the definition of environmental programs and objectives according to the local requests.

Integrated environmental protection starts with the planning of new production facilities. It continues with the selection and procurement of raw materials, the development and application of environmentally friendly production, the manufacturing of environmentally friendly products, the well thought-through management of waste materials and the selection of environmentally sound transport methods.

The constant modernization of existing facilities, and the on-going development of production equipment and processes to meet state-of-the-art technology (“added environmental protection”) are, alongside the concept of integrated environmental protection concepts, the second important pillar of the ecologically sound development of the production facility.

The impact of current activities on the local environment are monitored and evaluated, and any significant impact on the environment is checked.

We meet the legal requirements but also voluntarily exceed them; constantly working to prevent and minimize any environmental impact. We strive to avoid emissions (air, water, and soil pollution) to minimize noise pollution and waste, and to conserve energy and raw materials.

It is the responsibility of management and each employee to identify potential improvements in environmental protection and to develop solutions for their implementation. The regular internal reviews (audits) of all divisions and the on-going training of employees with regard to quality, safety, and environmental protection serve to support this process of continual improvement.

The responsibility for our products does not stop at the factory gate. It also includes environmentally sound storage, transport, use and disposal. We therefore maintain a regular exchange of information and experience with all partners – suppliers, distributor, transporters, and customers. For us, product stewardship means limiting or halting production and sales of products should information pointing to unacceptable risks come to light.

Arrangements are made to guarantee that external contractors working at our sites conform to the same environmental standards as United Initiators and that our rules for quality, safety, and environmental protection are strictly adhered to.

Necessary measures are taken to prevent accidental emissions of substances and energy. Special processes minimizing the impact of any accidental discharges are developed in conjunction with the public authorities.

We invest continuously in new technologies to optimize the production and the consumption of energy on our sites.

The main focus of the last few years was electrical power and reaching our goals in this field we continue to defines new opportunities. But now, targeting the use and generation of steam, water, compressed air, and gas will define our general philosophy in energy management.

That means we have specific objectives in equipment and production processes to optimize energy related procedures for being best in industry.

Furthermore, with the implementation of a specific, energy related management system, ISO 50001 helps us define, plan, perform, and measure what we are able to achieve. The overall initiative has been rewarded in December 2016 with the achievement of the ISO 50001 certification for the Pullach site as the largest production within the UI network. This is another major step to bring our energy efficiency to the next level and to further expand this concept globally.