Gleistein is and will remain the oldest industrial family business in Bremen – not least because sustainability has been a fundamental principle for us since the very beginning. This attitude has proven its worth, because only a company that takes responsibility for the consequences of its actions upon society and the environment will survive in the future.
For this reason, we do not wait for pressure from the market or politics to consistently implement the highest standards when it comes to resource-conscious and ethically responsible production and application of our products. It is not new to us that sustainable development is a necessary condition for economic success.
rPET
High-quality polyester fibres offer high strength with balanced elongation properties, are very resistant to abrasion, and extremely durable under all weather conditions. rPET is polyester, 100% of which is obtained from PET bottles, remelted and granulated to become the raw material for newly spun fibres. The raw material made from PET bottles guarantees high purity for consistent quality and is the prelude to the use of recycled fibres in Gleistein quality.
Discover our mooring line ReBoB
CO2 balancing as the foundation for responsible value creation
After many years of efforts to avoid and reduce emissions - for example by increasing energy efficiency or using green electricity - the company has decided to offset the remaining CO2 emissions generated during production (Scope 1 + 2) as a final step. By supporting certified climate protection projects in the areas of renewable energies and reforestation (https://verify.conclimate.de/tracking/ZKDQUK/), Gleistein has been able to guarantee its customers CO2 balanced production at all production sites since 2021.
The carbon footprint of every fibre
With the help of comprehensive recording of all required emission factors, Gleistein can calculate the CO2 footprint of each of its products. As a result, all interested customers can already be offered any product in the Gleistein product range on a CO2-balanced basis. This is done by calculating and then offsetting the individually incurred CO2 emissions. The climate neutrality is officially certified by the environmental services company ConClimate GmbH.
The Global Future Contract
CO2 emissions and the average global temperature have been rising rapidly since industrialization. This is leading to a massive increase in climate disasters and our planet is threatening to reach its limits. In 2015, the United Nations therefore set 17 global goals for sustainable development. The goals give a guideline about how prosperity and social progress should be defined, how sustainable economic activity can succeed and how responsibility and solidarity can be translated into concrete social action in the face of planetary limits. (Jens Martens und Wolfgang Obenland, 2016 in Die 2030 Agenda)
The goals are thought of globally and stand as a guideline for sustainable development on an economic, ecological, and social level.
Gleistein is almost 200 years old and sustainable development is for us a self-evident prerequisite for future viability. We are also aware of our responsibility as an industrial company: we want to make our contribution and consider our actions both regionally and internationally. That is why we have decided to focus on four goals that cover all areas of sustainability. We are particularly committed to Good Health and Well-being (Goal #3), Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (Goal #9), Responsible Consumption and Production (Goal #12) as well as Climate Action (Goal #13). The goals not only form the basis for our commitment in terms of sustainability, but also for our overall economic concept. They are reflected in our actions and flow into all areas of the company.
20% less CO2 in five years
When Greta Thun Thunberg was only twelve years old, we were already thinking about the energy transition and we made it happen by switching to green electricity, installing a modern combined heat and power station, and implementing a comprehensive package of measures to reduce electricity consumption at our Bremen headquarters.
Because of that we received, as the first company ever, the “CO2-20 Climate Protection Company” award by the state of Bremen in 2015.
We do not leave our waste’s disposal to chance …
Sustainability is about more than just reducing your CO2-emissions.
Avoiding, or if not possible otherwise, reducing production waste to a minimum is not enough to transform a value chain into a value cycle. That’s why we are in constant exchange with disposal and recycling companies. Thanks to our commitment, a major part of our production waste gets recycled and is given a second life, for example in the car industry.
As always – we leave nothing to chance, not even the future of our waste.
100% green, renewable energy since 2014
Energy generation and consumption cause 75% of all European greenhouse gas emissions.
Of course, a production company the size of ours bears special responsibility of which our Gleistein family has been cognizant for some time. This was the reason for our decision in 2014 to use 100% green, renewable energy for running our Bremen headquarters, including our production plants.
In line with our company’s philosophy, we were far ahead of the European climate protection goals at that time already.
If something lasts twice as long, it will quickly save you money – and save waste for all of us
Did you know that it is very easy to interpret a design in such a way that it seems to be more efficient according to technical data? Namely at the cost of a dramatically shortened lifespan?
It is enticing, but fraudulent in terms of lifecycle costs and its environmental impact. We are commited to the sustainable solution:
Gleistein ropes provide the perfect balance between high strength, low weight, and a long operational life.
When success and energy consumption complement each other
Would you like to know what our carbon footprint actually looks like?
We are evaluating our status quo for 2020 in cooperation with the climate protection company ConClimate GmbH. With the help of the findings, we are continually improving our strategy to reduce and avoid CO2-emissions even further. We determine the achieved progress with a yearly evaluation of our CO2-balance, the results of which will be published here.
Because also in the sustainability sector transparency is an important value at Gleistein.
A buzz is in the air …
Humans could survive on planet earth another four years if bees were to go extinct.
Almost all our indigenous plants are dependent on the pollination of bees. Gleistein wants to contribute to preserving the ecosystem beyond continually working towards becoming a carbon-neutral manufacturer.
Therefore, we have been giving a home to 100.000 honeybees on the company’s premises since 2017. This promotes biodiversity and the collected honey sweetens the Christmas season for our team every year.
Connected with nature, thanks to Bio-Based Dyneema®
Together with the premium manufacturer and long-standing Gleistein partner DSM Dyneema, we have been providing our customers with industry-leading textile rope solutions of exceptional quality since decades. But now an already good thing is getting even better!
As the first rope-manufacturer in the world we have made a decision that brings us an important step closer to our goal of a carbon-neutral future: Switching the entire portfolio of products made with Dyneema® to be manufactured exclusively from bio-based Dyneema® fibres. In this process, the petroleum component Naphtha is replaced by organic Naphtha from sustainably managed, certified forests in a strictly controlled mass balancing procedure. Through this change we were able to reduce our carbon footprint by 1000 tons of CO2 within the first year. Not only the environment, but Gleistein customers as well, benefit from this invention immediately.
Social sustainability with our GeoFit program
Facing climate change, it is easy to oversee social factors – but this doesn’t happen with us!
Labour standards, health and diet of the Gleistein family are particularly important to us.
Every three months we organise an exclusive activity- and health-programme for our employees. Our in-house health management team offers Yoga, back training, Standup Paddling and fitness boxing as well as nutritional education and stress management training. Rather than having to pay a participation fee, employees who participate regularly receive bonus payments or additional holidays.
Besides gaining education through interesting talks and improving quality of life through health-promoting courses, this also strengthens social cohesion in the Gleistein family.
Sharing is caring
Our engagement is not confined to the well-being of nature and our team.
By getting involved in Jugend forscht, a contest encouraging the scientists of tomorrow, as well as through Christmas donations to various charitable organisations, we contribute to the well-being of everyone. The youngest members of the Gleistein family, the apprentices, will decide to whom the annual amount provided by management will go this year. Still, we do not consider that to be enough! Now several members of the Gleistein team have come to a collective decision, to pull in the same direction and join the Rest Cent Initiative.
By making this decision we have agreed to share a part of our income with people who need it more urgently.
Carbon-free to work
Resource-conscious, sustainable, and healthy …
Many of our colleagues have long since opted to use bicycles for their commute. In the future this trend will continue: As part of our GeoFit programme, we are creating further incentives from which both the health of our Gleistein family and the climate benefit. As if that was not enough, we have already replaced 60% of the company cars with electric and hybrid vehicles. Soon it will be all of them. We have therefore installed several charging stations on our premises in 2020. Of course, they are powered by renewable energy and may also be used by our guests to make their journey emission-free.