Eberbach, Germany—Gelita AG has presented its Corporate Social Responsibility Report for 2019, according to a press release. The report provides information on the company’s achievements, gives examples of projects for resource-saving production, describes social initiatives, and assesses progress made.

Last year, the position of Global Coordinator for the areas of Environment, Energy, and corporate social responsibility was created. Samuel Najafi has headed the new team since May 2019, and has coordinated all the company’s sustainability activities worldwide, the press release says. Najafi is an environmental engineer with expertise in biological processes for wastewater treatment, and as such devotes a major part of his work to water.

Some highlights from the report:
  • 16% energy reduction. Dr. Franz Josef Konert, CEO of Gelita, sums it up in the press release: “2019 was another very successful year for Gelita. In particular, we succeeded in increasing the production volume while simultaneously operating in a measurably more sustainable way. The energy consumption was reduced by 16% over the last three years.” Gelita invested in modern, energy-efficient facilities and environmentally optimized processes.
  • 5.6% water reduction. In the past three years, Gelita’s state-of-the-art facilities have allowed the company to reduce water use by 5.6% water use per kilogram of product. The company is also committed to clean wastewater, and makes targeted investments in its purification plants.
  • 36 million euros invested in new locations. The investments went to new, energy-efficient plant technology, and measures to avoid waste and reduce air pollution. The company also opened a plant in Pingyang, China, which is now the most modern in the Chinese gelatin industry.
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The company is also working on improvements in worker safety, and improvements in product development—Gelita has produced the world’s first vegan gelling agent in sheet form, according to a press release. Gelita also provides neighborhood assistance through cash and product donations and sponsorship of recreational sports for kids.

The report is availablehere.