Efficient use of resources makes financial and ecological sense. Apart from improving energy efficiency, Knorr-Bremse focuses especially on the sustainable use of water and economical use of materials in production. In addition our waste management system helps to protect resources.

 

Efficient use of materials 

To protect resources, Knorr-Bremse aims at economical and efficient use of materials in production – in particular steel and iron materials, light metals, polymers, operating fluids and packaging materials. In our production processes we focus on top efficiency and maximum waste prevention. All materials used should be as safe as possible, and we choose the more environmentally-friendly alternative whenever we can.

 

Waste management 

Knorr-Bremse abides by the principle of sustainable closed-loop recycling. Our overall objective is to reduce total waste and, in particular, to avoid generating hazardous waste. Where this is not possible, we are committed to environmentally-compatible recovery systems. At Knorr-Bremse, production waste results mainly from metal processing and the surface finishing of products, in addition to packaging materials such as cardboard, plastic and pallet wood. By optimizing material cycles and a policy of waste avoidance, separation and recycling, we have been able to drastically reduce waste in recent years.

 

Water management 

As part of our environmental management system, we draw up site-specific measures for reducing water use. We use water in particular for surface finishing and cleaning of our products, for testing applications and for drinking and sanitary purposes. We endeavor to use water as efficiently as possible and to recycle it as often as possible. We draw water from municipal supply companies and dispose of it via the public wastewater system in compliance with the legal requirements. At some sites, we conserve drinking water by using rainwater for cleaning, in sanitary facilities or for irrigation. At company headquarters in Munich, we use well water in a circulation system for cooling the administration building and the data processing center. State-of-the-art wastewater treatment technologies also contribute to saving water.