Sustainability has been an everyday practice throughout the WILD Group for decades. Now it has been officially certified under the ISO 14001 environmental management standard.

”Structures, processes, and projects that meet the requirements of ISO 14001 have long been in place. Certification was simply the logical next step towards documenting our commitment in a transparent way and demonstrating that WILD‘s environmental management applies throughout the entire group, is systematically embedded and delivers measurable results“,  explains Head of Environmental Management Alfred Michalek.

PROGRESS ALONG THE ENTIRE VALUE CHAIN
In Völkermarkt, for instance, WILD has optimised the internal processing of eloxal baths. By installing a neutralisation unit, a significant  reduction of hazardous waste has been achieved. The water recovered in the process is discharged into the sewage network in a controlled manner, and the remaining electroplating sludge is properly disposed of. In addition, thanks to the alternative process chemicals now used, the amount of sodium cyanide produced during chemical nickel plating was significantly reduced.

WILD also means business with regard to resource management: a 4% reduction in electricity consumption, a gradual conversion of the company fleet towards e-mobility and new packaging guidelines for suppliers aimed at reducing plastics and increasing the rate of recycling have been implemented.

NEW TOOLS FOR GREATER TRANSPARENCY
New digital tools enhance both traceability and legal certainty and represent important building blocks in ESG management. One of the central topics is tracking and reducing CO2 emissions in an effort to continuously reduce the group‘s ecological footprint. The basis for  assessing WILD‘s impact on climate change is the climate risk analysis, accompanied by a comprehensive materiality analysis. Part of the data required for sustainability reporting comes from the EnergieMonitor software, which measures energy consumption at the Völkermarkt site in real time. In addition, the Power BI software analyses large amounts of data and compiles it for use in sustainability decision-making – an essential tool towards the targeted optimisation of systems and processes.

WILD‘s environmental management system is an essential governance tool that helps meet ecological requirements across the group‘s sites, and which translates into clear benefits for customers: manufacturing done is in compliance with the latest environmental standards, thus minimising environmental and compliance risks, making processes more efficient and improving sustainability performance in a measurable way. Drawing on the positive audit and the ISO 14001 certification, WILD has already initiated further steps, including better communication of its environmental targets, the implementation of an internal reporting on environmental performance and a targeted incorporation of sustainability aspects in the product realization process.