Wöhner – The Next Level

What are currently the biggest sustainability-related topics for you as a well-known company?

We have made a commitment to become climate positive by 2029, the year that Wöhner turns 100 years old. In terms of achieving this, I see the complexity of the topic of "sustainability" as a big challenge: Though something may appear to be climate friendly at first glance, a closer look may reveal that this is not the case. Only by taking a holistic view of sustainability can positive results actually be achieved. From what I have seen, the biggest effects come from the two levers of prevention (e.g. with regard to wasting resources) and product design (e.g. using bio-based plastics in our products). At Wöhner, we also already implement optimised processes, for example with regard to travel planning and the movement of goods.

Is climate neutrality actually possible or is it just wishful thinking? What technologies can achieve this?

If we look at the last ten years, we see how huge the developments can be just by considering the proportion of gross electricity consumption that is made up of renewable energies, which has now risen from 17 % to around 50 % in Germany. But in the future, it will continue to be important to use a healthy mix of different technologies. No one can predict exactly how technologies will continue to develop and there will, of course, be further innovations over the next 20 years. An enormous number of technological approaches are possible – to name just the three main areas, there is decarbonisation (including hydrogen technology), electrification (including electric mobility) and digitalisation (including using artificial intelligence, remote technologies and augmented reality).

And how will all of this affect production processes?

There will be far-reaching changes in terms of energy supply. Our energy supply is becoming increasingly decentralised and concepts such as combined heat and power production and the use of process heat will play a bigger role. If the industry is to depend more heavily on hydrogen in the future, the hydrogen supply will have to be organised and made safe. This trend towards decentralisation also poses risks for companies – they will need to be able to protect themselves better against possible attacks.

 

Sticking with the subject of hydrogen – how important is this technology in your opinion and might its potential even be underestimated?

Hydrogen is a core technology for the future and "green hydrogen", meaning hydrogen that is produced in a climate-friendly way, makes it possible to reduce CO2 emissions even in areas where this previously was not possible – or not to a large enough extent. Even though there are still many unanswered questions, the German federal government's new national hydrogen strategy is pointing in the right direction. In my opinion, providing that there are significant investments in infrastructure, hydrogen will soon become as normal for us as petrol or diesel.

The keyword here is policy – does not the plethora of different international agreements, roadmaps and activities pose a problem when it comes to achieving climate goals?

For us as a company, there being a large number of different statutory initiatives is never ideal and requires effort. Nevertheless, a complex range of initiatives on many levels is to be expected in a time of change like the one we are experiencing now – and it's also positive to see. Ultimately, this will accelerate the process of achieving climate goals. We have to be aware that if the climate temperature rises by more than 1.5 degrees, it will cause massive problems and in this respect, we are all in the same boat. Nevertheless, as a company, we do, of course, want the initiatives to be harmonised and clear guidelines to be established as quickly as possible when it comes to concrete laws and regulations.

Which framework conditions are particularly urgent? What are the core elements required in order to achieve the climate goals, for example those of the EU, for which the deadline is 2030?

As I see it, the most effective strategy is education. Climate neutrality and sustainability must become a much bigger focus of school, training and higher education courses. We all have to play a part in this – and place much greater emphasis on sustainability in in-company training programmes too. Only in this way can a high level of awareness be achieved and can the necessary technologies be advanced. The more intelligent people we have, the more people who are aware of the future problems and can solve them.

How would you sum up the current stage of the discussion?

Climate neutrality is simply a subject that affects us all and something that we can also only achieve together. It begins with small steps and requires an openness to new ideas and change. At Wöhner, we view sustainability as a company responsibility and we want to further increase awareness – among our employees, our customers, our customers' customers and our suppliers.