Berentzen Group publishes Sustainability Report

"Sustainability is an intrinsic part of our self-image in our group of companies, whose roots go back more than 260 years. Our Sustainability Report 2020 makes it clear that we have continued to develop in this regard even in the last, challenging year," explains Ralf Brühöfner, the member of the Executive Board of Berentzen-Gruppe Aktiengesellschaft responsible for so-called Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, among other things. "With the now fourth, voluntary sustainability report, we are continuing the continuous, transparent communication in the area of social, ecological and economic responsibility with our various internal and external stakeholders."

"The ever increasing intensification and professionalization of the Berentzen Group's sustainability activities demonstrates the high priority that the topic of sustainability has within the corporate group" explains Laura Schnober, CSR Manager of the Berentzen Group. "We are implementing sustainable thinking and action more and more in our everyday processes. In doing so, we are guided by our understanding of sustainability and our three fields of action: People, Planet and Products."

The People area required particular attention last year, with the protection of employees in light of the coronavirus pandemic more than ever at the forefront of daily working practices. In 2020, this area of action also encompassed other topics such as the compatibility of family and career, equal opportunities and the Berentzen Group's social commitment. This was demonstrated, for example, by an inter-company cooperation for the production of large quantities of disinfectants at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Part of the measures in the Planet area of action in 2020 was again the careful use of natural resources and the reduction of the Berentzen Group's energy consumption. The proportion of electricity generated from renewable energy sources was increased to 98 percent in the corporate group last year. At the same time, CO2 emissions were reduced by 9.4 percent compared to the previous year.

In Products, the focus is on improvements with regard to responsible procurement and sustainable products and packaging. For example, the mineral water brands Emsland Quelle and Märkisch Kristall, as well as all Mio Mio products available in German retail outlets, have been climate-neutral since 2020. In the Non-alcoholic Beverages segment, the Group also relies heavily on the use of glass and refillable bottles - the glass bottle share of 47 percent and the refillable share (glass and PET refillable) of as much as 69 percent of total production in 2020 were significantly higher than the respective comparative figures for the German mineral water market.

The Sustainability Report 2020 also addresses an important milestone in the Group's sustainability activities: The publication of an ambitious sustainability strategy at the end of last year. Based on the three fields of action People, Planet, and Products, the strategy defines three key targets that the Group aims to achieve by 2025: 0 - 100 - 100.
0 - Zero accidents and better health.
100 - One hundred percent resource efficiency.
100 - One hundred sustainable products.

"In order to comprehensively achieve these goals by 2025, we will continue to keep our forward-looking focus, initiate and implement many new things. Despite the current challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic affecting most companies, sustainable commitment to people and the environment must not take a back seat. The successes of the past year show that this can work together and through the commitment of all employees," Brühöfner concluded.