Environmental Protection

ZEISS optimizes its business processes in line with environmental and economic aspects and organizes them so that ever fewer resources are required. Environmental aspects are also taken into account in product development in order to make many end-of-pipe activities unnecessary.

Effective environmental and climate protection and the responsible use of resources are key concerns of the ZEISS Group. ZEISS believes that adhering to the highest standards holds potential for both greater competitiveness and innovations that reconcile environmental protection and economic efficiency.

Dr. Nicole Ziegler Head of Sustainability
ZEISS aims to operate in a carbon-neutral way in its own activities worldwide by 2025. This supplements the company's existing goal of switching to green power at its sites worldwide by 2022. ZEISS is therefore making a contribution to the global targets set in the Paris Agreement of limiting global warming to well below 2°C.

Climate Protection

One of today's most urgent tasks is to counter climate change and its impact. ZEISS adheres to the global goal stipulated in the Paris Agreement of limiting global warming to well below 2°C and has taken its own measures in order to achieve this.

ZEISS aims to operate in a carbon-neutral way in its own activities worldwide by 2025 (Scope 1 and 2). The following priority measures will be implemented to achieve this:

Increasing energy efficiency at the sites
Purchasing green power from certified providers
Enhancing company plants to generate renewable energy: for example via photovoltaic and geothermal energy
Offsetting unavoidable emissions

Efficient use of natural resources

Raw materials, semi-finished goods and preliminary products, as well as energy and water, are all used to manufacture the company's various products. In doing so, emissions, effluents and waste are generated that cannot subsequently be reused in the manufacturing process. The use of natural resources comes with certain challenges, including a scarcity of the necessary natural resources or a negative impact on the environment resulting from the extracting, processing and disposing of materials. In addition, rising energy, material, or waste disposal prices can adversely affect the company's competitiveness. ZEISS therefore optimizes its business processes in line with environmental and economic aspects and organizes them so that fewer and fewer resources are required. Environmental aspects are also taken into account in product development in order to make many end-of-pipe activities unnecessary.

Find out more about our activities

Climate Protection at ZEISS – Globally Carbon-Neutral by 2025

This goal is part of ZEISS' sustainability strategy and builds on its ongoing improvements regarding environmental performance. One of today's most urgent tasks is to counter climate change and its impact. But this is by no means a new topic at ZEISS. Back in 1998, the company established global environmental principles. And since 2003, it has been recording and globally consolidating environmental performance indicators in the areas of energy, water, waste and CO₂ emissions.

Greater Sustainability through Additive Manufacturing

The ZEISS Consumer Products strategic business unit has been using 3D printing since 2018 and continuously expands its use. The process is primarily used to manufacture the tools required in production processes. The new printed tools are made of artificial resin and have largely replaced machined tools made of aluminum. The new process avoids negative effects associated with aluminum production such as a very high demand of energy and limited recycling ability due to the use of numerous different alloys. At the same time, a 3D printer consumes much less energy than a cutting machine. So in terms of energy balance, the new process impresses on account of both the material used and its processing. Alongside improved sustainability performance, the new process has paid off, with ZEISS having achieved annual savings in the 6-figure range.

Green Logistics: E-Truck Pilot Project at ZEISS

We had to think a little bigger – no, it's not an electric car, but an electric truck! The electrically powered MAN eTGM is hitting the road for ZEISS as part of the vehicle fleet run by Schwarz Logistik GmbH. ZEISS is using the pilot project – which is being monitored by Aalen University – to test the suitability of electric commercial vehicles as part of the company's logistics. This constitutes yet another step on the road to greater sustainability for ZEISS Logistics.

Sustainability at ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions: It's the sum of our parts that makes the difference

ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions has a large number of projects that contribute to sustainability. The ecological balance sheet is impressive: many machines can usually be produced at different locations and consequently directly on site. Long transport routes are thus reduced to a minimum. For the delivery of bulky products, we usually avoid air freight and instead use the more sustainable sea route or truck transport.

More on ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions

Sustainability Report

Further information is available in the current Sustainability Report

Sustainability Contact Information

If you have any questions or comments on sustainability at ZEISS, please write to us at respons ibility @zeiss .com

General Contact Information

You can find general contact information here

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