Active environmental commitment forms an elementary part of our corporate policy. As a traditional company, the responsible handling of materials plays a naturally inherent role in our business operations. Right from the initial product idea, we pay attention to environmental protection as well as human health, aligning our actions to the national and European environmental regulations.
Our products are used throughout the world in a variety of application areas. It is our aspiration to develop and manufacture durable and sustainable products. All locations worldwide attach the same great importance to energy efficiency and CO2 savings. With best practice examples we underline the knowledge- and technology-based approach of our efforts. We regularly exchange views and learn from each other throughout the group.
More best practice examples of the Diehl Group
How do you keep an overview of all the consumption that a running production requires? First and foremost, energy management means effective energy controlling: current consumption must be monitored precisely: Where there are particular deflections, the cause is investigated. Meter data is processed in order to allocate them exactly to the individual energy consumers. Energy management creates the conditions for the responsible and economical use of energy in order to constantly improve the ecological footprint of our metal production.
Our goal for the coming years? To use materials even more efficiently and reduce the energy required in the individual processing stages of production.
This means constantly rethinking and optimizing the entire production process. At Diehl Metall in Röthenbach, more and more meters are being installed for this purpose, which record the consumption in real time and forward it to an evaluation system. This enables the production managers to effectively monitor the energy consumption of their plants. Energy management through ever better transparency is the name of the game and we are constantly finding new ways to improve every year.
As a company, we are aware that social responsibility cannot only be limited to our own employees. Rather, we also continuously pursue this commitment along our supply and value chains. We want to ensure that our upstream suppliers set the same critical standards for their own actions as Diehl Metall sets itself. For this purpose, we have developed a strategy dedicated to social progress along our supply chain, based on the OECD guidelines for fulfilling due diligence.
At our Diehl Metall headquarter in Röthenbach, we have developed a Code of Conduct for our Business Partners. Compliance with this Code is an important criterion when selecting suppliers. The combating of risks in the supply chain is ensured by means of binding corporate social responsibility principles within the framework of this Code. We expect our business partners to agree to these principles and to comply with social and ethical standards, for instance by prohibiting corruption, forced and child labor or by designing an appropriate system of working hours and remuneration.
The sourcing of conflict minerals represents another social risk in supply chains, particularly in the metals sector. Conflict minerals are the metals tin, gold, tantalum and tungsten from mines in politically unstable areas. There, mining often leads to fundamental human rights violations, money laundering, corruption or the financing of armed groups. By completely refraining from sourcing conflict minerals, companies can avoid indirectly promoting such socially unacceptable conditions. Diehl Metall identifies and controls these risks by having the affected business units report on the origin of their metals using Conflict Minerals Reporting Template [CMRT] - an official document of the Responsible Minerals Initiative. The CMRTs are also available for download in aggregated form with annual updates on the right.
Diehl Metall assumes responsibility for environmental issues – a visible sign of this is our commitment in various environmental initiatives and associations that we have been supporting for many years.
The European Copper Institute (ECI) and its network of national associations in Europe bring the copper industry together to generate markets for copper, ensure fair market access for copper products and to support society’s acceptance of the copper industry.
Diehl Metall is a member of the German Copper Institute (Deutsches Kupferinstitut), which is incorporated into the international network of the Copper Alliance. The DKI combines research and application with the aim of generating an open knowledge platform. The Copper Institute, as an innovation motor, supports several market development projects, offers solutions for specific application areas and sound information for expert and public circles – in a competent, neutral and fair way.
Diehl Metall is a founding member of Metals pro Climate (Metalle pro Klima), an initiative of leading companies in the non-ferrous metal industry.
The material properties of aluminum, copper, zinc and other non-ferrous metals render the metal-producing and metal-processing member companies of Metals pro Climate indispensable climate protectors: through energy efficiency and CO2 savings in production, as well as durable and modern products in combination with sustainable management and recycling.
With its Röthenbach location, Diehl Metall participates in the Environmental Pact Bavaria (Umweltpakt Bayern). The Environmental Pact Bavaria was called to life in 1995 and is a voluntary agreement drawn up between the Bavarian government and Bavarian industry.
In the pact, the Bavarian government and Bavarian industry declare their express belief that natural resources can be protected better with voluntary and reliable cooperation between the state and industry rather than with laws and regulations alone.
REACH is the chemicals regulation of the EU relating to the introduction, manufacture and use of all chemicals. It serves to protect human health and the environment. The regulation is applicable in all EU countries and is based on the principle of an increased responsibility within industry for the risk-free handling of its substances.
To protect human health, substances which may be considered to be of very high concern are subject to an authorisation process.
As part of this process, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) regularly publishes proposals to identify chemicals as substances of very high concern in the form of a “Candidate List”. In a further step, a decision is made as to whether the respective substance on the Candidate List is subjected to an authorisation process and then, if appropriate, whether restrictions of use for this substance can be expected.
https://echa.europa.eu/candidate-list-table
The Candidate List is reviewed by Diehl Metall after each revision by ECHA.
Lead metal was added to the SVHC Candidate List as of 27/06/2018 (SVHC stands for “Substances of Very High Concern”).
Lead is contained as an alloying element in some products in Diehl Metall’s range. Diehl Metall informs its customers in accordance with the information obligations under REACH.
Whether further restrictions, such as authorisations for certain uses, will be made during the course of the REACH process for applications of copper and brass alloys containing lead is subject to extensive consultation and will likely not be addressed before 2020. There are good reasons against the need for authorisation – the risks associated with handling materials containing lead are controlled.
In the event that lead is nevertheless subject to authorisation, there will be a transitional period until 2024. Authorisations for certain uses would have to be requested no later than 18 months before the end of the transitional period. It can be assumed that corresponding authorisations will be granted by the Chemicals Agency, especially since substitution of machining alloys containing lead is not straightforward using the latest technology.
Copper and brass alloys containing lead will therefore not lose their extraordinary importance in the future.
Rods, tubes, profiles, wire as well as the turned, stamped and forged parts produced from these are products for which there is no legal obligation to generate safety data sheets. The corresponding information sheets will be provided on request.
Cast billets and slabs are classified as substances and alloys as mixtures.
The semi-finished goods produced from these (rods, tubes, profiles, wire) as well as the turned, stamped and forged parts then generated during further processing are classified as articles.
The classification is made in accordance with the “Guidance on requirements for substances in articles” of the ECHA.
Metal scrap and chips are defined as waste in accordance with the Waste Framework Directive 2006/12/EC. They are subject to waste legislation and do not fall under the scope of the REACH regulation.
The national and international locations of Diehl Metall are largely certified according to the environmental management system ISO 14001. We regularly have our energy and environmental management systems audited by independent experts. In this way, we can safeguard our set environmental goals and continue to further develop sustainable processes and technologies for protecting raw materials.
In daily business, Diehl places great value on energy efficiency and careful treatment of the environment. The Röthenbach location is certified according to the environmental management system ISO 14001 and the energy management system ISO 50001.
Our products are characterized by ecological soundness, as they are produced from copper materials which can be 100 % recycled. Our production and manufacturing processes are likewise environmentally friendly. With modern exhaust gas purifiers we ensure that we do not merely observe the statutory threshold values but are significantly below them.
Environmentally sound business practices and continuous improvement of environmental protection measures are fundamental aspects of the Diehl Metal Applications (DMA) corporate policy. We thus ensure resource-saving production processes as well as the manufacture of environmentally-sound products. We determine and assess the environmental impact of our activities on a regular basis.
Since 1996, the Berlin location has had a validation according to the EMAS regulation; in 2013, the EMAS system was extended to the Teltow location. Furthermore, DMA has a certified environmental management system according to ISO 14001.
At the Zehdenick location, Diehl Advanced Mobility develops and produces products largely for use in the automotive industry. Stringent and consistent environmental protection is focused on to a significant degree here due to the close proximity of the plant to the natural surroundings. By means of intensive development work for electric vehicle components, the company also makes an active contribution to environmental awareness with its products.
An environmental management system according to DIN ISO 14001 has been in place at the Zehdenick location since 2007.
Diehl do Brasil is entirely committed to observing environmental regulations, avoiding air pollution and protecting natural resources such as water, energy, raw materials and packaging materials.
Environmental awareness among employees forms the foundation for responsible handling of limited resources. Waste avoidance and continually increasing recycling awareness are the focus of attention.
Diehl do Brasil has been certified according to the environmental management system ISO 14001 since 2001.
