Sustainability

Corporate Social Responsibility within SES

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is of paramount importance at our company. We strive to contribute to a sustainable future. We do this by making conscious choices in the areas of waste management, energy use, raw materials and care for our employees.

Our people

Our employees are the core of our company. We are an approved training company and offer workplaces and guidance to people who are distanced from the labor market. Moreover, we provide free and fresh fruit to all our employees every day, because we believe in the importance of health and well-being in the workplace.

These measures demonstrate our commitment to a better world. We continue our ongoing efforts to reduce our ecological footprint and fulfill our social responsibility.

For example, we turn our own recycled plastic into new protrusion molds for our clay. We continually strive to reduce material waste and work to make transportation more efficient through smart loading methods. Partnering with toy charities is also an important aspect of our mission.

Waste

Our waste management focuses on maximum reuse and recycling. Wastewater is treated in special settling pits to remove pollutants before disposal. Boxes are reused as padding material, reducing waste.

We also separate our waste carefully: plastic, cardboard, residual waste, toners, paint sludge and archive documents go to specialized processing companies. These ensure that as many materials as possible can be reused or disposed of responsibly.

Energy

We use district heating and electricity to heat our buildings. Our newly built logistics hall has underfloor heating, which provides more efficient and even heating.

In addition, we use 99% LED lighting, which uses significantly less energy than traditional lighting. Our lighting runs on sensors, so lights are on only when needed. Each room, including the production departments, has separate temperature controls to minimize energy waste.

Raw materials

Sustainability is also a core value in our choice of raw materials. We use as many sustainable materials of European origin as possible. Our eco-products are made from eco-friendly raw materials. Our folding boxes consist of 95% recycled paper and cardboard. We minimize the use of plastic in our packaging, and the plastic we use is recycled. In addition, our new Green BEEDZ ironing beads contain bio plastics made from sugar cane, and we have Green BEEDZ ironing beads shelf boards made from recycled plastic from the insides of old refrigerators.

CO2 emissions offsetting

The climate is changing because more and more greenhouse gases such as CO2 are being released into the air. The earth’s temperature is rising. At SES, like any other company, we consume energy to produce our toys, operate our buildings and deal with employee travel.

Our goal is to further reduce our carbon footprint every year. We do this by applying smart innovations step by step and optimizing our production, logistics and other business processes.

What is CO2?

CO2 is, in itself, a harmless gas that occurs in our atmosphere. We need it to warm the earth. CO2 is stored in fossil fuels (crude oil, coal, natural gas) and is released when these are burned. Because a lot is emitted, the earth heats up too much. The so-called greenhouse effect.

What is CO2 compensation?

CO2 emissions are a major cause of climate change. Nature plays a crucial role in combating climate change. Trees extract CO2 from the air. CO2 consists of carbon (C) and oxygen (O2). The trees release the oxygen into the air and store the carbon. Trees mainly absorb CO2 when they grow. The carbon they have stored in the growth phase remains in the tree. If the wood burns or rots away, the carbon is released back into the air as CO2. By protecting forests and ensuring that they are not cut down, the stored carbon remains in the tree. This is how you can compensate for CO2.

Currently, we have acquired several endangered or neglected forests in central Germany that we improve and manage naturally. This forest management also provides a contribution in jobs and improvement of nature and various animal species. Locally, together with other companies supporting this initiative, we have removed diseased or fallen trees and with planting of new trees improved the diversity of the forest for the benefit of the overall ecosystem.

The project will be implemented according to the principles of the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), currently the most widely used standard for carbon offset projects worldwide. It also takes into account the Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) Standard based on which it is ensured that in addition to addressing climate change, the local community is supported and biodiversity is preserved or even enhanced.

Why is protecting forests important?

Forests are disappearing all over the world. Every year, the world loses forests with an area of 26 million hectares, the size of the United Kingdom. Ninety percent of that deforestation is due to agriculture and urbanization. Deforestation contributes thirty percent to the increase in CO2 levels.

The lost CO2 storage due to annual deforestation is greater than the total CO2 emissions of all of Europe. If everyone (businesses and people), in addition to the important reduction of CO2, protected and preserved forest to offset the remaining emissions, deforestation could be stopped or even reversed in a growth of forests with its positive CO2 uptake effects.