Ecological footprint
 
Our employees - committed & loyal
 
Human rights are firmly anchored in our company.
 
We take ecological responsibility
 
Sustainability and quality go hand in hand for us.
 
Sustainability and quality go hand in hand for us.
 
At BORBET sustainability and quality are interleaved.
ECOBALANCE
Employees
Human Rights
Efficiency
Quality
Resources
Goals and ratings
Aktiver Umgang mit oekologischen Herausforderungen EN
In 2020, we started a new project for more transparency: the creation of a life cycle assessment of our bicycles.

The life cycle assessment was prepared in accordance with DIN EN ISO 14040 and DIN EN ISO 14044 by an external partner. This partner evaluated the data collected from the individual locations and calculated the environmental impact of our bicycles using the Umberto LCA+ life cycle assessment software and the Ecoinvent 3 database. The 2019 financial year served as the data basis.

In the LCA, we considered the entire life cycle of the wheel - from cradle to grave.
We defined an average wheel weight in the respective plant as the functional unit. Since the average wheel weights in the individual factories differ, a wheel with a weight of one kilogram was also taken as a basis to ensure the comparability of the data.

You can view the life cycle assessment here:

201104 Icon EN  Mitarbeiter
We are convinced that diversity enriches our company. That is why we take care to treat men and women equally and oppose any kind of discrimination. Currently, employees of around thirty different nationalities work successfully together at  BORBET . We are aware that we have only been able to grow in our 130-year existence because we have always been able to rely on a committed, motivated and loyal workforce.

In order to constantly improve the safety of our employees, we have introduced occupational health and safety management systems at all Borbet locations in recent years. In 2019 and 2020, the individual management systems were merged and adapted to the requirements of the new DIN ISO 45001. In October 2020, we were finally successfully certified by TÜV Rheinland.

EN Menschenrechte

Policy Statement on Respect for Human Rights and the Environment


BORBET is committed to respecting human rights, the environment and to being responsible for its supply chain. We respect internationally recognised human rights and take care to prevent human rights and environmental violations and to raise human rights and environmental awareness. We expect the same from our business partners and all other interested parties.



Standards and Guidelines

In accordance with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP), we are committed to the principles of the following internationally recognised human rights standards and guidelines:

  • The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations (UN)

  • The Conventions and Recommendations of the International Labour Organisations (ILO) on Labour and Social Standards

  • Guidelines of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for Multinational Enterprises

  • UN International Covenant on Political and Civil Rights

  • United Nations International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

  • Principles of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC)

  • UN Conventions on the Rights of the Child

  • UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

  • Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union

  • Charter of Diversity

  • European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

We also want our actions to support the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In addition to these standards, the BORBET guidelines form the basis for our actions and business activities:

  • Code of Conduct for employees

  • Code of Conduct for Suppliers

  • Occupational safety and environmental protection guideline

  • Anti-corruption guideline

  • Antitrust Policy


Structure and responsibilities 

At the highest management level, our Executive Board is responsible for respecting human rights and the environment in our business activities as well as in the upstream and downstream supply and value chains. Several specialised departments are involved in the operational implementation of human rights and environmental due diligence processes, providing human resources to ensure due diligence and reporting on their findings on a regular and ad hoc basis.


Our approach to human rights and environmental due diligence Risks have always been identified, analysed and assessed in BORBET's integrated management system. Based on this, we derive measures to prevent, minimise or eliminate environmental and human rights risks. Effectiveness reviews are conducted regularly to continuously improve our processes.


BORBET is committed to respecting human rights and promoting fair working conditions - this applies in particular to our dealings with our own employees and direct suppliers. Within the scope of our possibilities, we are committed to implementing these principles with indirect suppliers and other business partners as well.

We expect all interested parties to comply with applicable laws and human rights conventions and to avoid negative impacts. Violations will not be tolerated and will be consistently pursued.




Risk analysis

An essential component of our due diligence is knowledge of potential and actual adverse human rights risks and impacts of our business activities on people along the entire value chain. With the help of our established analysis tool, we identify and prioritise relevant human rights and environmental risk areas. The company-wide risk and supplier management system is being expanded to include human rights and environmental due diligence. If a risk emerges, we conduct a concrete risk assessment in which we examine how likely a human rights violation is to occur, how well we are prepared for it and how severe the impact on people would be. In addition, we continuously look at the human rights situation in the regions of our raw material supply sources based on publications by human rights organisations and institutes. Our risk analyses form the basis for deriving appropriate corrective measures to be implemented in a timely manner. The results of the analysis of human rights and environmental risks have a direct impact on our purchasing process and supplier selection.

BORBET is committed to respecting human rights and promoting fair working conditions - this applies in particular to our dealings with our own employees and direct suppliers. Within the scope of our possibilities, we are committed to implementing these principles with indirect suppliers and other business partners as well.

We expect all interested parties to comply with applicable laws and human rights conventions and to avoid negative impacts. Violations will not be tolerated and will be consistently pursued.



Prevention measures

Our goal is to work together with the actors in the value chain, through various measures and processes, to prevent potentially adverse impacts and to promote sustainable positive development through joint approaches. These measures and processes include, among others:    

  • Continuous development of our sustainable sourcing and procurement practices

  • Minimum requirements for our value chain

  • ORBET Code of Conduct (CoC) for suppliers: Compliance with this must be confirmed with a signature

  • Certified standards and management systems at our suppliers' locations (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, EMAS, ISO 45001, ASI, etc.)

  • Conduct training on environmental and human rights issues

  • Risk-based verification of compliance with the CoC through audits


Complaints mechanism

We offer every person the opportunity to report violations or infringements of human rights or other concerns to us. In doing so, the whistleblower can decide for themselves which medium they feel most comfortable using.

For example, reports can be sent to the compliance officers via a hotline, an online form, by email or post. This is also possible anonymously. Further information on this can be found on our homepage (www.borbet.de). All reports are treated confidentially and processed by the Compliance Officers in accordance with the deadlines.


Confidentiality and the protection of whistleblowers are our top priorities. We ensure, as far as possible and within our sphere of influence, that whistleblowers are protected from disadvantage and punishment in connection with the information and complaints they submit. We have defined, documented and communicated processes for the whistleblowing system. The corresponding policy is accessible to all employees on our intranet. The effectiveness of our complaints procedure is reviewed regularly, at least once a year, and on an ad hoc basis. In addition, dealing with complaints and the knowledge gained from them enables us to continuously improve our human rights due diligence processes. Each individual can contribute to BORBET's ability to identify misconduct or violations at an early stage and to prevent further potential human rights violations through the measures and consequences derived from them.



Further development and reporting
Respecting human rights and considering risks and potentially negative impacts is a continuous process that makes an important contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. We provide information on implementation and developments annually as part of our sustainability reporting.

Hallenberg-Hesborn, May 2023
BORBET GmbH


200520 Icon EN Energieeffizient
For us, the efficient use of energy is both a matter of ecological responsibility and economic necessity. That is why we have introduced energy management systems at all BORBET sites. In addition, our German sites are certified according to DIN EN ISO 50001. By using heat recovery systems, we have been able to realise large savings potentials in electricity and natural gas in some areas. Aluminium chips that we produce during the production process are fed back into the cycle and remelted.

Innovative manufacturing processes such as Flowforming or Undercut can reduce the weight of the wheel. This reduces the use of aluminium and improves the carbon footprint of the wheel. Despite all innovative measures, the quality of the wheels is still our top priority.  

A current example: In order to reduce water consumption at the site in Austria, we invested in a recirculation system at the quenching basins, which saved considerable amounts of well water.

Quality
We conceive, design and produce light alloy wheels with the highest quality standards. From market research, design and construction to the finished painted wheel, the products are created entirely under one roof. State-of-the-art manufacturing processes, patented and innovative production technologies, an uncompromising quality assurance system and hard-working employees contribute to the company's success every day.

Sustainability and quality are intertwined in our company.

BORBET takes its responsibility seriously and places environmental protection at the centre of everything it does. We combine our high quality standards with our ecological demands in the value chain, production and BORBET wheels.

With our passion for light alloy wheels, we ensure the perfect balance of sustainability, quality and competitiveness.

200520 Icon EN ressourcen
Procurement - We assess the sustainability performance of future suppliers before we procure our raw materials. For this purpose, each supplier is asked to provide a self-disclosure and to attach supporting documents. In addition, each supplier must sign the compliance with the Code of Conduct for suppliers.

A risk profile is created for each supplier, which is then evaluated together with the other data within the supplier approval process. We also use the self-disclosure tool for existing suppliers and request relevant evidence that meets our sustainability requirements.

BORBET aims to have suppliers certified to ISO 9001, ISO 45001, IATF 16949, ISO 14001 and ISO 50001. Preference is given to those that are certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 or a comparable system and make greater use of environmentally friendly materials and renewable energy. Suppliers with certification according to the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) standard are also preferred.

BORBET itself has been a member of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative since 2021, as an "Industrial User" and certified according to the ASI Performance Standard-Material Stewardship since the end of 2021.


Usage
We take our responsibility seriously and want to continuously improve environmental protection both with regard to products and in manufacturing. In doing so, BORBET relies on advanced and efficient technologies. The consumption of water, energy, raw materials and operating supplies is regularly checked and potential savings implemented. All BORBET sites are certified according to ISO 14001 and are working on continuous improvement.

EN Ziele
Sustainability goals
As a metal processing company, we want to use energy and all other resources sparingly and responsibly. No matter how good you already are, you can always do better! In the future, we will continue to identify further savings potential and thus make our contribution to climate and environmental protection. In doing so, we include our supply chain.

For several years we have been calculating the CO2 emissions of our production and regularly set ourselves new targets for the future. We have been very successful in achieving these targets in the past and will continue to do so in the future. By 2040, we want to reduce our CO2 emissions in production (Scope 1+2) by 100%. Our focus here is primarily on the implementation of energy efficiency projects and the increased use of renewable energies.

Since 2019, we have also been recording emissions from the upstream and downstream value chain (Scope 3 emissions). Here, too, we want to work on reducing emissions in areas where we can. This includes, above all, the upstream supply chain with all raw material purchasing.  

Ratings
Since 2012, we have been answering the questionnaires of the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) on the topics of "Climate Change" and "Water". The non-profit organisation CDP evaluates the company's performance based on the answers given and then publishes a rating. Leadership Level "A" is the best possible rating, Disclosure Level "D-" the worst.

In 2021, we achieved a 'B' rating in the area of 'Climate Change' and 'Water' and an 'A-' rating in the area of 'Supplier Engagement'.

In addition to CDP, we are also active on the EcoVadis sustainability platform, where we have our corporate social responsibility (CSR) assessed. To this end, we submit a self-disclosure once a year on topics such as sustainable procurement, the environment and ethics. BORBET is among the top 5% of companies evaluated by EcoVadis in 2021 and thus achieved the gold medal.