In 2022, Earth Overshoot Day fell on July 28, marking the date when we officially overconsume our planet’s resources for the year. From now on, we will be demanding more of the Earth than it can supply.The reasons for this deficit? Our collective overconsumption, accumulated waste and carbon emissions. The consequences? Soil erosion, deforestation, species extinction, climate change, and more.To help reduce this deficit and move back the date of Earth Overshoot Day, organizations everywhere need to reduce their carbon footprint. It is the responsibility of every company to reduce its fossil fuel consumption, use more sustainable practices, and reduce waste. For any action we take, we need to look at the total environmental impact, and not just the carbon footprint of that specific action.
At Diehl Metering, sustainability is at the heart of what we do. Since our origins, we have continually provided solutions to help people use water and energy more efficiently. Today, we have established internal processes to integrate eco-design as early as possible in our product development. This forms the basis for reducing energy and water consumption and minimizing waste – thereby lowering our carbon and water footprints.
In 2021, we signed the UN Global Compact, a voluntary agreement for companies intent on contributing to a more sustainable world. The pact sets out 10 principles based on 4 pillars, human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption, offering us a framework to do business more responsibly.In addition to the UN Global Compact, we have developed our own 7 Priority Programs to ensure we continue to challenge ourselves and improve sustainability every day.
Supplier management
We carefully select our suppliers in terms of sustainability, reliability, competitiveness, and innovation skills. To assess the level of sustainability of our key suppliers, we use the independent rating company EcoVadis.
Ecodesign
We integrate ecodesign principles into our product development, aiming to lower the environmental impact of each product through life cycle assessments. We develop water meter with composite bodies, reducing the environmental impact compared to brass bodies because composite requires less energy to be transformed and is lighter than brass. Thanks to a collaboration with Pöppelmann France, we also use protection caps for water meters based on post-consumer polyethylene, reducing the carbon footprint of our products.
Local for local
Through our “local for local” program, we do everything as close to our customers as possible and ensure our suppliers are also as close to us as possible. The idea is to create and develop local partnerships.
Empowerment of our teams
We believe we can only grow as a company if our people grow with us. When our employees have direction and purpose, they are motivated to make our strategy a reality. We involve our people in regular workshops and events related to sustainability, such as European Sustainable Development Week.
Innovation to support customer sustainability
We use our experience and know-how to develop new digital services and solutions that enhance our customers’ sustainability efforts. Our Non-Revenue Water Reduction Service enables utilities to analyze their water network in order to identify, anticipate and prevent leaks and thereby reduce water loss. For heat management, our heat meters can be associated with our IZAR system and adapted software, enabling utilities to reduce heat loss and reduce energy costs.
Management of resources
We make every effort to optimize the use of resources while minimizing waste. At each of our sites, we are gradually lowering electricity, water, gas, and fuel consumption, as well as pursuing other actions. Another way we reduce our carbon footprint is by focusing on our supply chain through a project that aims to increase direct deliveries and avoid unnecessary stopovers as much as possible.
Sustainable and ethical growth
Long-term growth only makes sense if it is sustainable. That’s why we drive economic development while sustaining natural resources and the environment for future generations.