Sustainability

In a time of increasing climate change and the necessary energy saving targets that go hand in hand with it, compliance with energy standards and the pursuit of climate targets are becoming more and more important.

Here at SUMTEQ, sustainability is of utmost importance to us.

From the very beginning, our goal has been to develop a class of materials that significantly contributes to the preservation of valuable resources. We have achieved this with Sumfoam. From its production with a climate-neutral blowing agent to recycling, we place the highest value on environmental protection.

Redefining the Value of Plastics

With this vision, we are pursuing the goal of using plastics responsibly in order to make a decisive contribution to environmental protection. This applies in particular to foamed plastics, as even small quantities can have a great effect - especially in the supreme discipline of high-performance insulation.

Based on our material class, we have developed a high-performance insulation material that outperforms traditional insulation materials efficiently and space-saving. Our foam has a greenhouse gas balance that is up to 50 percent better than comparable products and makes a significant contribution to conserving resources and reducing emissions in end-user applications - a major step towards achieving the climate targets.

High-performance
insulation material

50% reduction of
greenhouse gases

Resource saving

But the use of Sumfoam also contributes to sustainable improvement in many other areas. From process optimization in plastics recycling to an improved CO₂ balance in lightweight construction or as an oil binder, our innovation proves to be an environmentally friendly solution.

In addition to the environment, we also always keep health in mind, because Sumfoam is free of halogens, toxic heavy metals or volatile organic components and even approved for food contact.

Free from halogens

Free from toxic heavy metals

Free from volatile organic components

Small footprint - big steps towards a sustainable future

The concept of sustainability runs through the entire value chain at SUMTEQ and is based on three pillars:

No emission of blowing agents
Energy-efficient production
Tracking (DNK)

Applications and customer specification
Physical separation
Chemical recovery

Biogenic feedstocks made from
organic waste

In the production of Sumfoam, our blowing agent is managed in an environmentally friendly circular way. Furthermore, we place just as much importance on ensuring the energy efficiency of our production. To achieve this, we are taking several measures. One of our declared aims is to obtain more energy from sustainable sources in the coming years and to use low-emission lorries for transporting goods. In this way, we are contributing to a cleaner environment and align with climate goals.

As part of our zero-emissions strategy, we have already been able to fully offset CO₂ emissions through our energy-efficient production - and we are consistently pursuing this path. Our commitment to sustainability is emphasized by our compliance with the German Sustainability Code (DNK), which ensures transparency, accountability and traceability of our sustainability efforts.

Another focus of our sustainability strategy is recycling. Here we create customized solutions in close cooperation with our partners. We utilize both chemical and physical recycling concepts for this purpose.

And in future, we will even go one step further, as our aim is to foam biopolymers nanoporous in order to make an even greater contribution to environmental protection.

In addition to complying with the DNK, we also rely on the national standards set by the German federal government (Sustainability Strategy for Germany) as the foundation for guidelines in formulating and achieving various objectives. Furthermore, we directly adhere to the international guidelines of the Global Compact und der International Labour Organization (ILO) in all our processes and practices.

Due to our focus on sustainability, we receive support from several ecological funding programs, and this is already proving to be a distinguishing feature for us.