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‘Our intention is to develop sustainable products that spontaneously appeal to the customer’s desire for specific individuality.’ Roland Meyer-Brühl, CEO Acting sustainably Sustainability has been an integral goal of brühl‘s business activities for more than 20 years. Throughout that time, we have come increasingly closer to this goal – and today, we go beyond the legal require- ments in many areas. All of the company‘s manu- facturing methods are guided by sustainability from start to finish. This includes the materials we choose, a choice that is always guided strictly by ecological aspects, looking after the health of our employees and delivering our furniture with our company‘s own fleet of environmentally-friendly vehicles. Our sustain- ability concept focuses on our responsibility towards humankind and the environment across the genera- tions as defined in the 1987 Brundtland Report: ‘Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’ This definition still applies today. brühl have been distinguished for their environ- mental commitment, environmental friendliness and climate-neutral production processes. Contemporary lifestyles are diverse and of a hybrid character; individual habits and preferences frequently change at relatively short intervals. However, in parallel, there are also fundamental needs that never change – such as the need for security, well-being, stimulation, a well-balanced environment. We address these lifestyles and needs with our products, by designing them in such a way that on the one hand, they can be used in many different ways, are versatile and individually customisable whilst on the other, their fundamental ‘virtues’ also remain constant: they are transparent and clearly structured, environmen- tally friendly, durable, comfortable, and aesthetically timeless. Realising this goal time and again calls for a binding commitment to a set of corporate values that the products reflect in a way the users can recognise and also verify. Needs-oriented products Lifecycle Our seating is constructed in a way that ensures that the life-span of the basic elements of the design, i. e. the frame and the upholstery, is practically limitless. These basic elements are covered with particularly du- rable and robust textile or leather covers. Beyond this, most of our designs also feature removable covers that are often also washable or dry cleanable. This allows the people who buy our pieces to redesign their interi- ors as they wish or need to without having to change the actual basic furniture, which basically results in a doubling of the seating life-span. A great number of our customers make use of this option, which is also on offer for furniture ranges launched more than 15 years ago. Of course, the furniture can also still be disposed of in the normal way. Due to the use of environmentally-friendly raw materials and recyclable individual parts, its disposal causes very little harm to the environment. Social responsibility As a company, we are aware of the fact that we are part of a social structure, and that the way we act has an impact on this structure. Not only a direct one through the products we manufacture but also an indirect one because we are also an employer and a stakeholder in the economy of our particular region. By designing our products environmentally-friendly, aesthetically attractive, needs-oriented and durable, we want to raise people‘s awareness of the advan­ tages of a more sustainable lifestyle and more sus- tainable consumerism. By cooperating with regional partners and suppliers, we strengthen economic cohesion and sensible growth. As an employer, it is our goal to retain our employ- ees long-term, to explore appropriate individual career paths for our employees, and to ensure that we look after their health in the best possible way. For ex- ample, we managed to reduce the harmful substances (e.g. adhesives) associated with the manufacturing process to such an extent that they are now less than one per cent of the legal limit, and are therefore hardly detectable. Beyond such measures, the design of the workplaces throughout the entire factory also meets high aesthetic and occupational health standards, for instance. Material selection All of the materials used by brühl – the different kinds of wood, upholstery materials, textiles, leathers and so on – are chosen in accordance with strict ecological aspects. We source our wood from certified, sustainably managed forests, for example, preferably regionally located. The upholstery materials we use are particularly environmentally-friendly and, due to the high material density, extremely durable. In the area of fabrics, we mostly use textiles that comply with the Oeko-Tex® standard or bear the EU-Flower eco-certificate. Beyond this, we also offer covers made of completely untreated, pure new wool. The skilled craftsmanship with which our exclusive saddler-grade leather covers are finished guarantees a long life-span and long-lasting value. Our carefully selected leather suppliers use salt-free and therefore water-friendly preservation methods or even offer skins tanned with a plant-based agent only, olive leaf extracts. Logistics Our furniture is delivered in our company‘s own lorries, and we ensure that we fully optimise the vehicles‘ capacity. The entire fleet has been changed to Euro 6 lorries. In combination with annual driver training, this has allowed us to reduce the fuel consumption and our transport-related carbon emissions by more than 25 per cent. Beyond this, we also regularly update the public about our activities in the area of sustainability, and invite our authorised retail partners to visit our factory and also our show- rooms in person. 239