LAPP Corporate Sustainability
Sustainability is an important part of LAPP.
“We only have one world we can use, and our job is to be responsible with the resources available in this one world. This mission is firmly established in our core value "family-oriented", as it is our responsibility to leave behind a healthy planet fit for our grandchildren and the next generation. I hope that we can tackle this challenge collectively - with the ideas, know-how, and strength of all our employees.“
-Andreas Lapp, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of U.I. Lapp GmbH and son of the company founders Ursula Ida and Oskar Lapp.
LAPP is a family company. This is what shapes our culture. We think long-term and act responsibly – for our employees, for our customers, for the environment, and for society. In this spirit, we are making a sustainable contribution to the well-being of future generations and the preservation of our planet. "Reliably connecting the world" is more than just a promise. Sustainable business is firmly anchored in our LAPP DNA.
Our focus is on sustainable, environmentally-friendly management, and responsible use of all-natural resources. We are convinced that as a company, we must set a good example. And we are doing so. For us, economic success is always linked to responsibility for our living environment and sustainability is a recognized criterion for all company decisions. We also have a profound understanding of responsible, respectful, and law-compliant business practices that we implement worldwide.
Our commitment to sustainability:
- We support the United Nations in implementing Agenda 2030 by working according to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which set the framework for sustainable economic, ecological, and social management.
- Particularly when it comes to the topic of the environment, we observe pioneering guidelines at the European level, such as the EU Green Deal, material-related regulations such as REACH/RoHS, and we support the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement. However, as a globally active company, we also consider specific requirements in our American and Asian sales and production regions.
- At our company, we set transparent and credible goals, anchor them in our strategy, and thereby make sustainability an integral part of all business processes. It is important to us to address the measures that have the greatest impact on society, the company, and the environment. We follow the motto "First create profound understanding, then reproduce approaches across the board". When it comes to the environment, we use the materiality matrix to identify processes with the relevant environmental impact. Processes are then adapted in accordance with the project, particularly those with a high CO2 impact. We focus on our products and their production, whether in-house or via our suppliers.
Navigate this page easily by clicking the links below that you are interested in viewing.
Designing Products and Solutions Sustainably
A sustainably produced product requires appropriate processes and structures along the entire value chain. We are working on this to minimize the strain on the planet caused by our products during production and at the customer's site. We want to use resources responsibly rather than simply consume them. Therefore, we are developing sustainable product concepts for more efficient use of natural resources, the material efficiency of the product, and the environmentally friendly handling of chemicals and waste. These concepts are implemented and integrated into our innovative portfolio in the long term.
In line with this, we developed the world’s first lead-free cable glands. Why? Because we are sure that the only way to be successful in the future is to start thinking about tomorrow today. This also applies to the use of suitable connection solutions for your applications and projects. We develop sustainable products before laws or regulations oblige us to do so – as an integral part of our corporate responsibility.
We are Committed To:
- A cable and connector design that is consumption- and production-friendly.
- Products designed for reliability and durability with high-quality standards: we promise fewer downtimes, lower maintenance expenses, and a minimized total cost of ownership (TCO) throughout the service life. This also means minimizing the use of resources.
- The global use of environmentally friendly materials while simultaneously avoiding substances of high concern. In this regard, we are proactively researching innovative solutions that replace potentially harmful material components wherever possible.
- Global monitoring of material regulations: we are assisted by a comprehensive network of companies for monitoring, analyzing, and implementing global regulations regarding materials used.
- Sustainable supplier management, which is proving to be an effective tool, particularly with regard to raw materials.
- Avoiding unnecessary production waste, recycling of existing waste, and safe disposal of hazardous waste
Product example: SKINTOP® MS
The world’s first portfolio of lead-free brass cable glands comes from LAPP. Since 2020, the most common models of our tried-and-tested SKINTOP® and SKINDICHT® cable glands have been available as lead-free versions, making this a sustainable and future-oriented product alternative in the standard range. Lead-free products are identified by the abbreviation LF at the end of the associated article number. This means we are already complying with the future REACH and RoHS directives – before the exemption for lead content of up to 4 percent expires.
Operating Buildings and Plants in a Resource-Saving Manner
The heart of LAPP beats in our buildings, plants, and among all employees there. Our culture is put into practice here – family-oriented, innovative, success-oriented, customer-oriented, and taking responsibility for the future. This entails the obligation to plan, construct, and operate buildings sustainably. This also includes identifying the largest energy consumption sources and subsequently optimizing consumption. In addition to the efficient use of resources, the emission of harmful substances has a significant impact on the ecological balance of construction. LAPP has been purchasing 100 percent green power in Germany since 2019, supplemented by its own photovoltaics and geothermal energy. Most of the LAPP locations with key production sites are ISO14001 certified, and the sales companies are also gradually following suit. Twenty of our companies in the LA EMEA region work closely together as part of an ISO50001 matrix certification. Consistent quality management in accordance with ISO9001 ensures LAPP’s high-quality standards, whereby products with a high level of reliability and durability are the top priority.
We are Committed To:
- Continuous reduction of electricity consumption in our own buildings, in addition to purchasing green electricity (primarily in Germany) and using renewable energy sources on-site with grid feed-in or own use according to legal requirements
- Reduction of production waste through process optimization and integration of recycling concepts for plastics and copper directly in production or through close partnerships with recycling experts
- Intensively promoting CO2 neutrality according to Scope 1 & 2 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol through building renovation and integrated energy use concepts
Example: LAPP European Headquarters in Stuttgart
New offices, conference rooms, and an exhibition space dedicated to the company’s history were created at LAPP’s energy-optimized European headquarters spanning 9,000 square meters. Thanks to geothermal heating combined with photovoltaics and roof greening, around 440 office workstations are used here that are CO2-optimised. The focus is placed on geothermal heating, which is supplied with the necessary power from a photovoltaic system. Other factors also support the CO2 balance: automatic blinds guided by sunlight ensure indoor temperatures that reduce the use of air-conditioning systems. A large number of cycling spaces and charging stations for electric vehicles provide incentives to make people's routes to their workplace environmentally friendly. Since August 2021, our company has been able to boast the "Bicycle-friendly employer" award from the ADFC (German Bicycle Club).
Environmentally Conscious Delivery to Customers Around the World
LAPP has a close-knit network of logistics centers and excellent sales experts available worldwide. We continuously coordinate which products are produced in which plants around the world, and in which logistics centers they are stored, depending on their suitability for our global or local portfolio with regional legal considerations. This ensures shorter transport distances and efficient shipping processes thanks to sophisticated digital logistics solutions. Nevertheless, packaging, for example, is essential to protect the products and the safety of the customers. We are therefore constantly on the lookout for ways to optimize packaging and save materials, for example by using films with a high recycled proportion and, ideally, we want to be able to reuse materials.
At the same time, we want to support our customers in adopting a more sustainable approach. This applies to disposal and, above all, to recycling our packaging. To this end, we are strengthening our commitment to sustainable and resource-saving practices with our customers by offering free disposal and recycling of our packaging in cooperation with our partner Interseroh.
Our decentralized network of experts also supports our efforts to develop a mobility concept that further promotes positive development with short distances and a range of sustainable mobility solutions. Our logistics department develops modern and sustainable transport solutions, both for equipping our own vehicle and transport fleet and for selecting forwarders and transport routes used worldwide. We search every day for the optimum combination of delivery time, transport safety, and sustainability, with the aim of focusing more and more on sustainability.
We Are Committed To:
- Sustainable packaging material: new concepts for type and recycling of packaging material
- Sustainable transport management: shorten transport distances through a regionally customized product portfolio in customer-oriented distribution centers and local production, as well as bundling orders
- Sustainable mobility concepts: for the means of transport used, for local sales, and for employees
Example: LAPP and Logistics Partner
Many products for everyday use are transported thousands of kilometers to the consumer. This has also been the case for connection solutions such as cables and connectors. Thanks to optimized internal factory transportation and energy-efficient logistics partners, LAPP has managed to significantly reduce both distance traveled and CO2 emissions.
Aligning the Portfolio with Sustainable Industries
Solar and wind energy help to overcome the challenges relating to climate change. Over the past few years, LAPP has developed a leading role in this field – with innovative solutions to the challenges growing with rapid development.
The use of photovoltaic systems has been an important pillar of renewable energy for many years now. It makes a significant and reliable contribution to the energy revolution for successfully addressing the challenges posed by climate change. For example, as modern photovoltaic systems are much more powerful today than just a few years ago, the high system voltage places demands on cables and components. It is a challenge that LAPP overcomes with its products. We are also constantly developing our solar solutions to ensure even longer durability, robustness, and extreme flexibility.
Our connection solutions for energy generation from wind power are also strengthening our portfolio in the field of sustainable industries. The fastest-growing market among renewable energies is making a key environmental contribution. Different climatic conditions at the global sites, specific technical requirements – here too, the requirements for cables, cable glands, and connectors are extremely complex. Thanks to its extensive experience spanning over half a century, LAPP can rely on its development and production.
LAPP also impresses the very positively developing electromobility market with innovative solutions and offers user-friendly charging cables for infrastructure operators, charging station manufacturers, and vehicle manufacturers for charging at public AC charging stations and at domestic or industrial sockets. We want to make electric mobility accessible to everyone. After all, you shouldn't need to worry about charging an electric vehicle.
We Are Committed To:
- Products specifically for the solar and wind energy sectors as well as a strong focus on the topic of rail transport particularly in the APAC region.
- Business unit with a focus on eMobility and innovative charging concepts to strengthen the use of electrically driven vehicles in day-to-day operations
- Strengthening the Industrial Communication business unit to promote digitalization in automation technology (smart factory, Industry 4.0, IIoT) across the world – the more that data is available and is in the right place at the right time, the more benefits and sustainable product concepts can be generated. We thus enable our customers to work in a more efficient and resource-saving manner.
Example: Lapp Mobility – The Future of Mobility is Electric
LAPP Mobility GmbH emerged as a corporate start-up from the LAPP Group. The company specializes in the development, manufacture, and sale of charging systems for electric vehicles and offers user-friendly charging cables for infrastructure operators, charging station manufacturers, and vehicle manufacturers as well as private electric vehicle drivers.
Preservation of Nature and People in the Long Term
Our focus is always on sustainable practices and responsibility towards our employees and people worldwide. We support our employees in balancing work and family at all stages of their lives. We were honored for our human resources work orientated towards the life phases of our employees. The German Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth has also named us the most family-friendly company in Germany. Social and cultural commitment is also very close to our hearts outside the company.
We believe that family companies such as LAPP are not only the backbone of the German economy, they also particularly strengthen social cohesion. Our social activities range from providing vocational training to refugees and supporting childcare centers in the community to supporting talented young scientists. For us, it is important to act sustainably. Our commitment to social issues is an inseparable part of our corporate culture, regardless of market conditions, structural changes, and strategic repositionings.
As a decentralized and global company, we deal with a wide range of regional requirements and cultural perspectives every day. Diversity is part of our culture and is fully embodied. In addition to global topics, local projects are being pursued to support employees and families in a targeted manner. These vary from country to country and therefore provide a high value locally.
“We firmly believe that it is our duty as a company to take responsibility and we are happy to do so. We are glad to help wherever we can."
-Andreas Lapp, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of U.I. Lapp GmbH and son of the company founders Ursula Ida and Oskar Lapp.
We are Committed To:
- Helping employees around the world to achieve their work-related and personal goals: here, the focus is placed on supporting families and looking after dependants in need of care.
- Globally sustainable site development locally – whether in Germany, India, or Panama – site developments and support projects for the local infrastructure are implemented in each country, always based on regional needs.
- Joint sporting activities and the promotion of social sporting events: this strengthens social coexistence worldwide and brings people together alongside their daily work.
- Close collaboration with universities and scientific institutions: the technical and social challenges of our time can be solved by encouraging, supporting, and motivating young researchers.
Example: umbrella association Kind e.V.
To ensure that men and women do not have to choose between careers and family or have to worry about their children being looked after during their working hours, LAPP is supporting the construction of high-quality educational facilities for children in the Stuttgart region. The focus here is the umbrella association Kind e.V., which helps to build childcare centers close to businesses.
Example: Oskar Lapp Foundation
The LAPP Group supports the Oskar Lapp Foundation, which, in cooperation with the German Society for Cardiology (DGK), awards young scientists for outstanding work in cardiovascular research and specifically supports young talents.