Just as the threads of our fabric are tightly interwoven, we are tightly bound to the concept of sustainability. We define the term sustainability not only as the use of natural, renewable resources such as plant fibers, but above all as our responsibility to safeguard our environment for future generations. At Vitrulan, sustainability is a way of life which we are continuously refining, and which is embedded in the fields of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG).

We work hard every day to improve our products and processes, make optimal use of resources, and avoid unnecessary transportation to protect the environment.

For example, we no longer use substances that are harmful to health, as confirmed by the OEKO-TEX certification. However, it is not enough to be mindful of sustainable development and production and have a circular business model – fundamental to our ethos is that our products make our customers more sustainable, too: our mesh fabrics and glass fiber wall coverings have been developed to increase the lifetime of buildings, extend renovation cycles and generate energy savings; our infrared heating systems can be virtually carbon neutral when operated in conjunction with photovoltaic modules – and without the need for heating pipes, radiators, or a boiler, they maximize resource savings; our technical textiles and composites can be used for lightweight construction, enabling wind turbines to have larger rotor blades and thus generate more energy on the same footprint, or vehicles to use less energy yet still achieve the same level of performance.

We care about our employees. With their experience and diversity, they are chiefly responsible for our corporate success. Accordingly, we believe it is our responsibility to meet the needs of our employees in a sustainable manner – with a personnel and organizational strategy that offers ample scope for career development, attractive and meaningful tasks and a wide range of training and educational opportunities. But that's still not enough: we offer flexible working models which allow staff to achieve a better work-life balance, we recognize our responsibilities to our employees in terms of safeguarding their health and upholding their workers' rights, we promote tolerance and equal opportunities, and we support not-for-profit organizations as part of our corporate citizenship initiative.

Various conditions must be met to uphold and continuously improve a forward-looking, social and sustainable corporate governance. In addition to effective risk management, a willingness to accept responsibility, and compliance with laws, standards and voluntary codes of practice as a fundamental principle, these include transparent ESG reporting and the integration of ESG compliance rules into our corporate strategy. We are working hard as a team on the last two topics – to create a growing sustainable ESG organization which takes social and ecological aspects into account at every step.