Around one third of Germany's surface area is covered with forest. Wood is natural, durable and grows back. This makes it one of the most sustainable building materials on earth. We are aware of the great responsibility we have for our environment and have set sustainable roundwood procurement as our highest goal. For us, this means sourcing this valuable raw material regionally and PEFC- or FSC-certified, as well as making sure that it is 100% replanted. Please take a look at our certificates.
At HCR, we follow the concept of environmental protection throughout the entire supply chain. Our immediate proximity to the largest pine and spruce area in Europe enables us to have short transport routes - starting with the removal of the roundwood from the forest. This not only saves transport costs, but also helps to reduce CO2. We continuously monitor our CO2 emissions and work with an external consultancy to develop further concepts for additional investments in environmental protection. This is an important step towards achieving our goal - to be a 100% climate-neutral and self-sufficient sawmill - in the near future.
In addition to sustainable procurement, we invest in the low-CO2 processing of our roundwood. Valuable energy is needed especially for drying the sawn timber - an important service for our customers. We are aware of the responsibility for this resource and fulfil it by certifying our energy management system according to ISO 50001. We generate heat independently through our own combined heat and power (CHP) plant, which is operated exclusively with wood chips and shavings. Other processing residues find their way into the wood processing industry.
In addition to the sustainable use of resources and protection of the environment, HCR also maintains sustainable relationships with its customers, suppliers and employees. To this end, we have defined and committed to a Code of Conduct within the Outdoor Life Group. Operating in several European countries our growth and long-term viability are based on three shared values that guide all our activities:
Reliability, Respect and Responsibility.
The Code of Business Conduct describes how we put these values into practice every day. It explains our commitments and expectations towards stakeholders and provides guidance for employees and everyone who works on our behalf.
Reliability, Respect and Responsibility are our core values.
this requires us to act responsibly in the short and long term and earn the trust of our customers, suppliers, colleagues and other stakeholders every day. Trust ensures more job satisfaction, better results and greater success in the longer term. We can only achieve this together, because each employee contributes to the good reputation of our company and the trust that others have in us.
Respect for the different talents each employee brings to the table and compliance with the highest integrity standards, in particular by preventing comrption, fraud and anti-competitive practices.
Our people have a large degree of personal responsibility and the power to make decisions themselves. Having responsibility also means being accountable, transparent and having the courage to admit mistakes. We take responsibility for our way of working and how we want to achieve our goals: by adhering to the letter and spirit of this Code, which is our business compass.