We want to contribute to achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN) by taking the right course of action. These were adopted by the UN General Assembly in autumn 2015 and are the centrepiece of the 2030 Agenda – a global action plan that aims to tackle current challenges as well as protect our planet, while ensuring that economic progress is environmentally sound and socially equitable.
Outstanding sustainability
Festo is one of the winners of the German Sustainability Award (Deutschen Nachhaltigkeitspreises or DNP) in the hydraulics, pumps and compressors category. This is based on the goals of the German government's 2030 Agenda and therefore on key transformation topics such as climate, biodiversity, resources, supply chain and society. The 140 members of the DNP jury chose the companies that they believe are leading the sustainable transformation in their industries this year and gave the following reasons for Festo's award.
"Festo, as a family-owned company, is active in the automation sector and is doing everything it can to help shape the transformation of industrial production. The company aims to be completely CO₂-neutral by 2026 and is continuously optimising energy efficiency and waste recycling. Ethical principles and an inclusive and supportive working environment are fundamental values for Festo."
Our Sustainability Report 2023
Festo is a product of many hands created over generations. Our financial independence as a family-owned company enables us to shape our future. That is our mission. In doing so, we involve all our stakeholders – customers, employees, suppliers and society – in the collective and sustainable creation of value. With our expertise in automation and technical training, we increase our customers’ productivity and also create opportunities for the sustainable development of business, the environment and the community. That is our goal.
In our Sustainability Report 2023, we document our global responsibility using examples from 2023.
On the way to CO2 neutrality
Over the next few years, Festo will massively reduce its CO2 footprint. We have already made enormous progress in 2023 with regard to Scopes 1, 2 and 3.8: since 2024 – two years earlier than planned – the entire Festo Group has been CO2-compensated in Scope 1. Additionally, Festo plans to reduce Scope 1 emissions by around 30% by 2030 and be net-zero by 2040. In Scope 2 and 3.8, the Festo Group has been CO2 neutral since 2024. We are also continuing to invest in energy efficiency measures and are expanding our photovoltaic (PV) systems.
The areas of action defined in our sustainability strategy
In March 2020, our Management Board adopted the sustainability strategy, which has been regularly updated ever since. The sustainability strategy is currently being tied in even more closely with the corporate strategy.
In 2023, we made an important decision to combine the topics of energy efficiency and climate protection across the entire supply chain into one area of action that is now managed as a cohesive whole. This has led to the areas of action in the sustainability strategy being consolidated from five to four.
While identifying the key topics and developing relevant areas of action, the results of a stakeholder analysis were used and supplemented with observations of external changes in the fields of legislation, business and politics, technology, energy, the environment and society. We use this as a basis to regularly review our strategic focus as well as our sustainability goals and measures.
Partner of the Blue Competence initiative
We are a partner of the Blue Competence sustainability initiative. Blue Competence is an initiative of the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA) to promote sustainability in the machine and system building sector, and also to foster sustainable solutions throughout industry. Through our partnership, we are committed to complying with the 12 sustainable guidelines for machine and system building.
Sustainability Guidelines of the Mechanical Engineering Industry (PDF)