The aim of all the sustainability activities at Villeroy & Boch is to combine ecology and economy successfully. They are concentrated on improving energy and raw material efficiency, conserving resources by optimizing production processes, and reducing the pollutant content in effluent wastes, CO2 emissions and other waste gases.

A centralized environment management supervises all the environmentally relevant processes of the Group and is responsible for the transfer of knowledge to the individual locations. The commitment to environmental protection and to occupational health and safety is deeply embedded in the company management, who, in turn, brings its influence to bear on environmentally relevant processes. Another of its duties is to raise employee awareness on environmental protection and occupational health and safety issues. Employees are encouraged to exploit in their respective areas any potential which is ecologically conducive and economically expedient

Consumer interest is mainly focussed on environment-friendly products, which allow the individual to contribute actively to environmental protection. The conservation of resources and energy efficiency or saving are of utmost importance to consumers.

Certifications
In many areas Villeroy & Boch has already surpassed the environmental standards required by law. For example, the Swedish factory Vargada and the sanitaryware factory Mettlach have fulfilled the stringent European criteria to achieve the EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) environment standard and have also been certified according to ISO 14001, a standard which is recognized worldwide.

Projects/Campaigns
Protection of the environment is a commitment which Villeroy & Boch has taken on at many levels. The company has launched a number of widely differing projects, some in collaboration with partner companies, in the fields of science and art as well as at fairs and exhibitions.