As one of the first manufacturers in its line of business the Dortmund-based pump expert WILO SE has been providing a sustainability report regularly for four years. The long-established company from Dortmund, which in 2007 had a turnover of 927.3 m. euros with about 6,000 employees throughout the world, considers the principles of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) in offering this voluntary transparency.

The new 2007 sustainability report focuses on the relation between energy efficiency and climate protection and gives an up-to-date overview of sustainability measures and management systems already realised by Wilo. The report is supplemented by a detailed description of economical, social and ecological performance factors including comparisons over four years listed in tables, e. g. of  professional training activities, the structure of employees, health prevention, consumption of energy and water as well as the waste amount and recycling ratio. Among other things, the results of the two German sites Dortmund and Oschersleben are highly interesting. Here, the days used for professional training per employee have almost doubled since 2004 from 1.6 to 3.1 in 2007. Staff turnover has decreased since 2004 from 2.31 % to 1.97 % in 2007. The consumption of water and energy could be reduced significantly. A glossary with an explanation of the most important terms facilitates the reader’s understanding.

Dr. Thomas Schweisfurth, chairman of the executive board of WILO SE, underlines in the preamble the commitment “to the principles of a sustainable development as well as the duty of a company to act in a socially responsible and ethical way.” The overall concept of the sustainability report was revised in 2007 and will also be communicated internationally to all subsidiaries and representative offices in more than 70 countries. Dr. Schweisfurth continues: “We believe that sustainability and innovation are inseparable and it is on the basis of this belief that we intend to drive research and technology in the pump industry. Being pro-active in the prevention of climate change and participating in the search for solutions is our most important responsibility to society. That is why we have a great many energy efficiency projects in progress - not just projects to improve the efficiency of our products but also projects to inform our customers and other members of society about energy-saving opportunities.”