The plastics and rubber industry in Germany

A smoothly functioning quality management system not only secures the trust of your customers through consistently good products, it also enables you to optimise your existing business processes in such a way that freedom is created to develop new ideas. And this is particularly important in the plastics industry as a supplier to many branches of industry with constantly increasing quality and innovation pressure!

This is a good reason for ISO 9001 certification, which explicitly addresses topics that promote innovation, such as strategic opportunities and risks and knowledge management, so that no aspect of your expertise is lost.

For companies involved in supply chains in the automotive, rail or aviation industries, certification to the industry standards IATF 16949, IRIS (ISO TS 22163) or EN 9100 is also another way to demonstrably meet the high quality requirements in these areas.

Offer of the GUTcert Academy

Seminars on the topic of quality management

An ISO 14001-certified or EMAS-validated environmental management system forms the basis for the continuous improvement of your environmental performance and helps to permanently reduce running costs through the economical use of raw materials and energy: a plus point in an industry that is particularly raw material- and energy-intensive - whether in the production, processing or recycling of plastics.

And your reputation on the market is also strengthened if you can credibly demonstrate that you are systematically addressing the issue of protecting people and the environment: Your marketing will benefit in corporate communications.

With an energy management system according to ISO 50001, potential savings can be identified and energy sources can be used more efficiently. This not only saves costs: a certified system protects you from the complex legislation.

State benefits and tax refunds, such as the special equalisation scheme (BesAR) under the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) and the successor regulation to the peak equalisation scheme (SpaEfV), are also linked to the operation of a systematic EnMS according to ISO 50001, an environmental management system according to EMAS or (for small and medium-sized enterprises) alternative systems.

As an accredited certification body with a wide range of approvals, we issue certificates that not only meet the standard requirements, but also ensure recognition by state authorities.

Achieving climate neutrality in the plastics industry involves a great deal of technical and technological effort and investment: Reducing energy consumption, switching to renewable energies, technological innovations and offsetting unavoidable emissions - a major challenge.

In order to develop a functioning climate strategy in the company, a solid greenhouse gas balance (GHG) is needed. If a company's own operational emissions are recorded, the Corporate Carbon Footprint is a suitable tool: The main CO2 emissions are identified, you can determine mitigation measures and implement cost reduction plans. If individual products are to be assessed for their emission intensity, the Product Carbon Footprint is the best choice. Background information can also be found at www.climateneutrality.com.

Occupational safety and health is a factor that strengthens your credibility and, properly communicated, creates trust among customers and the public. Because well-functioning systematic management systems for safety and health at work (SGAMS) such as ISO 45001 contribute significantly to avoiding accident and illness-related absences in the workforce and thus to ensuring that your processes run smoothly.

As a member of the international AFNOR Group, GUTcert offers you these certifications worldwide, either individually or in combination, e.g. with environmental or quality management.

Evidence of sustainability-related performance is increasingly becoming mandatory criteria in major tenders. The awarding of contracts in the value chain in Germany and Europe also often depends on what the company achieves and how transparently it communicates this.

The motivation for an audited report arises for listed companies on the one hand directly from the reporting obligation of the CSR-RUG or for small and medium-sized companies indirectly, as they are part of the supply chain of large companies. The plastics industry supplies many of the large companies that have to report according to CSR-RUG - therefore the public commitment to sustainability is increasingly part of daily business here as well.

A verified sustainability report is a proven tool to present economic, environmental and social corporate performance to business partners, customers, NGOs and the public.

A sustainability report is also an advantage when it comes to filling out evaluations for supply chains that are common in Germany, such as EcoVadis.