The company was nominated last year as well.

Last year, the nomination for the German Sustainability Award (DNP) in the resource efficiency category was already an honour for the Gelsenkirchen-based company Voigt & Schweitzer. On 14.09.2016, the medium-sized company, which operates throughout Europe, was once again nominated for the DNP 2016 – also in the resource efficiency category.

„We are very pleased about the re-nomination,“ says Dr. Thomas Pinger, who is responsible for sustainability at the company. „It confirms to us and our employees once again our sustainability concept.“ Managing Director Lars Baumgürtel adds: „Last year's nomination motivated us to apply again. This way, we can see where we stand, how others see us, and also what we can still improve.“

Both in the metal processing industry and in DNP's now nine-year history, this nomination is as unusual as it is unique. Who thinks of the topic of sustainability in connection with heavy industry?
Voigt & Schweitzer – the first nominated company from the metal processing sector – prove that metal can also be processed sustainably. The basis for their application is the company initiative Planet ZINQ®, in which the medium-sized company commits to greater sustainability for employees and the environment – a unique project within the hot-dip galvanizing industry. This includes systematically promoting training and further education, as well as increasing resource efficiency in the process and product. The Gelsenkirchen-based company continuously seeks energy-saving potentials in its production processes and develops new zinc coatings that offer higher performance on steel with less zinc. Last but not least, Voigt & Schweitzer operates in closed-loop systems, and the complete recyclability of ZINQ® products ultimately combines efficiency and effectiveness. Ultimately, the sum of all performance features demonstrates how clearly the company positions itself as Germany's most sustainable surface technology company.

This covers their own programme. But Voigt & Schweitzer is also implementing suggestions from the application process for the DNP 2015. Voigt & Schweitzer has particularly pursued the area of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – the modern term for social responsibility. New are employee surveys on the topic of sustainability and surveys of external parties to assess the company's external perception regarding sustainable products and strategies. Furthermore, the company is currently working on its first sustainability report.

With these prerequisites, the hot-dip galvanisers succeeded once again against partly globally active corporations in a two-stage application process. Among the top three, in addition to Voigt & Schweitzer, are now Procter & Gamble, a company that sells branded goods such as nappies and toothpaste worldwide, and Fliegl Fahrzeugbau, which specialises in commercial vehicles and agricultural technology.

The winner of the DNP will be announced on 25 November 2016 at the Sustainability Gala in Düsseldorf and celebrated amongst many celebrities and renowned names. Who knows, perhaps this year the company from the metal processing industry will be standing at the very top of the podium?