Sustainability

Our goal is to make our production climate-neutral by 2035* at the latest. At the moment, we are looking at how to reduce CO2 emissions across the entire product life cycle.

_{*in terms of Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, as defined in the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.}

Sustainable solutions for our customers – Viega offers solutions that significantly reduce energy and resource consumption in buildings.

All the environmental impacts at a glance – Viega is transparent thanks to its eco-labelling based on the cradle-to-grave principle.

Viega Foundation – this charitable foundation provides aid in India and is committed to clean water, better basic sanitation and greater hygiene.

Clean drinking water is the most basic requirement for hygiene and health, and one of the most precious commodities we need to protect in our world. We are doing just that. We are using intelligent and digital system solutions to ensure potable water hygiene and energy efficiency in buildings.

We manage our resources with care, and we have the Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to prove it. Our piping systems, for example, need to be just as durable as the buildings they are built into – and even afterwards, our metal connectors and pipelines are reused in line with the cradle-to-cradle principle.

How much CO2 do we emit, where and why? For as long as we have been recording this data, our measures for reducing emissions have been having an effect. Flanked by a step-by-step switch to renewable energy, we have reduced CO2 emissions per 1 million euros of turnover by around 25 per cent.

To use energy as efficiently as possible, we are constantly examining and improving our processes. That is why our energy consumption increased by just 8 per cent between 2015 and 2020, while our turnover increased by 40 per cent and our number of employees by 28 per cent in the same period.

Our vehicles, both cars and lorries, are being converted to electromobility one at a time, which has reduced CO2 emissions by 15 per cent so far. We are also offering our employees a flexible mobility concept, which includes a bicycle scheme, a Cologne-to-Attendorn employee shuttle, and electric car leasing.

We are convinced that innovation and sustainable success can only happen with cooperation and a wide range of talents, backgrounds and perspectives. There are over 5,000 unique individuals working at Viega. This means that, for us, diversity is not just a commitment but a matter close to our hearts. In a rapidly changing world, Viega values are our bedrock. They allow us to create a corporate culture where we can use diversity as creative energy.

Viega World is the Viega Group's new training center in Attendorn. Integral planning based on BIM (Building Information Modeling) methodology and the pioneering sustainability concept make it a smart building of tomorrow, today. Viega World generates more energy than it needs to operate, and has been certified by the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) with the highest rating level of "Platinum". Viega World received a score of 89.1% for its fulfillment of DGNB criteria – more than any training building before it. In line with the motto "learning from a living building", at Viega World, the training content of the seminars on the topics of BIM and technical building services can be experienced up close.

Have you ever wondered what effect the building sector is having on climate goals? Dr Simon Weihofen, our Director of Sustainability & Decarbonisation, explains: "The building sector has a major effect on long-term, sustainable development, because construction and operation make up nearly 40 percent of global CO2 emissions. Our mission is not only to make sustainable products, but also to support our customers in achieving their sustainability goals."

One example of how we do this is by transparently declaring the environmental impacts of integrated products. We offer durable, high-quality and recyclable product solutions and we provide Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for those solutions. We have begun with our piping systems, the EPDs for which are available since January 2024 in line with the cradle-to-grave principle. These independently verified environmental labels evaluate all the environmental impacts across a product's lifecycle – from raw material extraction and production to the use phase and then to disposal or recycling options.

"With 125 years of experience and as one of the global market leaders in the plumbing trade, we have the expertise and the purpose to play an active part in shaping and driving the transition in the industry," explains Simon Weihofen. "Sustainable action must be conceived in a transparent, long-term way that spans products and processes. In that way, we can work together today to get the building sector ready for the challenges of tomorrow."