How does SERTO protect the environment? What possibilities does a company have to make a daily contribution to public welfare? Strategic decisions ensure a long-term commitment for the benefit of all.
Not only do our products and services decide how our natural resources are used and how our environment is impacted, but also the choice of our business partners and materials. Even our internal logistics affect our contribution toward protecting the environment.
Since summer 2008 SERTO has been dispatching products for delivery within Europe directly from production. Approximately 35,000 packages with an average weight of six kilos are sent every year. Lorries come to Frauenfeld daily to pick up shipments. The packages find their way via various distribution centres to their final destination: on the customer‘s doorstep. Routes on which exhaust is produced and the environment is polluted.
These emissions cannot be avoided entirely. But we can do something to reduce emissions in other places. This is the basic concept of CO2 compensation. With "pro clima" the Swiss Postal Service offers the possibility of climate-neutral shipping.
For each package and delivery zone, the Postal Service adds a small surcharge. These surcharges are dedicated to climate protection projects, such as wind farms or solar installations. SERTO will be participating in the "pro clima" project as of January 2010 and paying a contribution to climate protection projects on each transport unit. Our invoices for these shipments will feature the "pro clima" label.
Minergie is a Swiss construction standard for new and modernised buildings. Minergie buildings are characterised by very low energy requirements and the highest possible proportion of renewable energies. Living and working comfort is made possible by a high-quality building envelope and systematic air renewal.
The production and office building in Frauenfeld was built according to the Minergie standard. The central element is the space heating with the system of thermoactive building components (TABS). This principle ensures surface temperatures close to room temperature and thus a comfortable indoor climate.
Minergie certificate for pre-existing building (2014; German only)
Minergie certificate for extension building (2021; German only)
SERTO has invested heavily in photovoltaic systems and generates its own electricity at the three production sites in Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Italy.
At the Swiss headquarters in Frauenfeld, a photovoltaic system with an output of 178 kWp and an annual electricity production of 200 MWh is in operation on the production building, and we produce around 240 MWh of electricity with an output of 250 kWp on the extension built in 2020. Thanks to this new installation, environmentally friendly electricity production has more than doubled and we can cover a good 40 % of our electricity needs with it.
In Italy, a photovoltaic installation was built in 2019 with a production of 115 MWh and in the Czech Republic, in the same year, an installation for 62 MWh. At these two locations, the electricity demand is very high due to the many CNC automatic lathes and we can cover more than 10 % of the electricity demand with the installations. In the Czech Republic, the expansion of the photovoltaic system to over 100 MWh is planned for 2021
Neither oil nor gas is used for heating, but the energy of the groundwater in the Thur plain is used in combination with a heat pump chiller. A pump extracts max. 1,000 litres of groundwater per minute from a depth of 14 metres. At another point, the water with a temperature difference of up to 3°C is returned to the ground.
Part of the rainwater from the roof of the SERTO AG production building is collected in a 40,000 litre tank. The filtered rainwater not only supplies all toilet facilities with flushing water, but also our water games in front of the company building and in our reception to the delight of our visitors and employees.
The central compressed air compressor produces the operating compressed air of 6 bar for the entire building. The resulting waste heat is fed into the heating system through a heat exchanger.
SERTO AG pays the cost of a half-fare travelcard for every employee. With this ticket, passengers pay only half the regular price on nearly all public transportation routes in Switzerland (train, post bus, bus services, urban transport, ship). A good incentive to leave your car at home in the garage and take the bus or train to work.
In 2017 we have purchased an electric car for short journeys, a Renault Zoe. Employees and managers use this vehicle for all appointments in and around Frauenfeld, up to a distance of 100 km and thereby make an important contribution to protecting the environment. At night the Zoe is connected to the mains so that it is ready for the next journey. The Zoe, which is decorated with a colourful summer meadow design, attracts the attention of other drivers and passers-by: SERTO is doing its bit to keep nature intact. SERTO drives without exhaust fumes.
SERTO AG is committed to the careful use not only of natural resources, but also of materials, auxiliary materials, manufacturing processes and production facilities. We regularly monitor the effectiveness and conformity of our environmental management system and our success is demonstrated by certification to ISO 14001.
