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Sustainability Report2021Foreword by the Management Board
Now in its third edition, our global Sustainability
Report 2021 offers you insights into oursustainability strategy and the milestones we haveachieved. We demonstrate how we harmonise ourbusiness processes with the needs and requirementsof society and the environment, and show thatsustainability is possible in the chemical industry.
Responsible conduct forms an integral part of ourcorporate identity and is compulsory for all ouraffiliates and partners worldwide. Way back when
our company was founded in 1993, we made acommitment to the development of environmentallyfriendly products, and to the present day this has
not changed. On the contrary – in our decisionmaking we always pay particular attention to theissue of sustainability, so we always make surethat our business activities have the least possible
impact on the environment.
As an expert in tailor-made surface treatment
chemicals, the SurTec Group cultivates a culture
characterised by a spirit of research and the pursuitof innovative solutions that takes into account not
only the technological aspects of production, butalso the resulting long-term effects on people,
society and the ecosystems of our planet. Our
mission is to find solutions for the future that help
our customers to become more successful.

The goal of our strategy is to provide innovative
solutions that enable our customers to achieve theirgoals while conserving resources. Along the value
chain, this has an impact on our footprint, i.e. theeffects on the environment and resources associatedwith the procurement, processing and delivery of
our raw materials. It also influences the positiveeffects that our customers can achieve throughusing our products (our "handprint") and the disposalof our products.
This report documents the development of oursustainability programme to date. This also
includes our orientation towards the "Sustainable
Development Goals" of the United Nations. In 2018,
we set ourselves the additional goal of increasing
our share of electricity from renewable sources suchas wind and sun to 50 percent by 2025. In 2021,
as in previous years, we made significant progress
towards achieving our goal. When confronted bypolitical, pandemic and economic turbulence, wehave adopted a flexible approach, in order to ensurethat we can maintain our delivery capabilities asusual, while also pursuing our sustainability goals
with the urgency required.

Bensheim, July 2022

Dr. Karsten Grünke 				 Dr. Fulvio Lamberti				Chief Executive Officer
Chief Financial Officer
2021 Sustainability Report2

A responsible approach to doing business
The SurTec Group is a leading supplier of speciality
chemicals for surface treatment. We are unique
because we offer solutions for all areas of surface
treatment, namely Industrial Parts Cleaning, Metal
Pre-treatment and Electroplating, worldwide.

Specialised corporate functions collaborate closely
in order to address topics such as environmental
protection, occupational health and safety,
chemicals legislation, sustainability, quality andsocially responsible business, while at the sametime ensuring economically viable operations andoperational excellence.
We sell our products directly all over the world andoffer an excellent technical service. Our products
and processes guarantee economic advantages
based on excellent value for money and arecharacterised by minimal environmental impact.
Corporate policy and mission“We are convinced that economic performance,social responsibility, concern for the health andsafety of our employees and protection of theenvironment are all inextricably linked” (excerpt
from our HSEQ Mission & Policy Statement). We
are therefore committed to responsible corporate
governance, since we believe this forms the basis
for the entrepreneurial success and long-term
existence of the SurTec Group.
Likewise, all managers and employees at ourcompany are required, in the interests of ourcustomers and other stakeholders,Statement of the management on corporate policy and mission

Since SurTec was established nearly 30 years
ago, we have developed numerous high-quality
speciality chemicals and processes that meetthe requirements of our customers, are used formaterial and surface protection and make chemical
surface treatment processes simpler, more reliable
and more efficient. As a partner to our customers,
we strive for technical innovation, for developmentof advanced and sustainable processes and newtechnologies, but we also accept responsibility forour business approach.

	to work to a consistently high quality
with products that are as sustainable andenvironmentally friendly as possible	to ensure safe and sustainable transport andstorage	to reduce the consumption of resources such as
water, energy and auxiliary chemicals as far as
possible in the manufacture of products	to give top priority to the health and safety of
all colleagues in the workplace and to plantsafety.

2021 Sustainability Report3Group-wide sustainability goals
The Freudenberg Group and SurTec implement awide range of measures as part of the sustainability
strategy.
Specifically, the entire Freudenberg Group aims
to become climate-neutral by 2045. Therefore
an initial goal for SurTec and the Group is to
reduce relative CO2 emissions by 25 percent by
2025. This will be achieved through a mix ofenergy conservation and electrification, as wellas the purchase and in-house production of green
electricity (since early 2020, our largest production
site in Zwingenberg has been supplied with CO2neutral electricity from a hydroelectric power plantin Sweden) and the compensation of CO2 emissions.
This enables us to comply with the Greenhouse Gas
Protocols Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions.

SurTec Deutschland GmbH in Zwingenberg, ourlargest location worldwide, was built in 2000 to
the Passive House Standard. High-quality structural
thermal insulation, thermally insulating glass,ventilation with heat recovery, façades without
leaks and thermal bridges, as well as othermeasures have all significantly improved the energybalance while simultaneously reducing operating
costs. In addition, over the past few decades, wehave repeatedly succeeded in setting standards in
our industry by developing more environmentallyfriendly solutions for chemical surface treatment.
Recyclable cleaning agents or chromium(VI)-freepassivation processes are just a few examples.
We started in 1996 as a "trivalent" company that wasable to replace chromium(VI) with chromium(III) for
various applications using many patented processes.
Since then, we have come ever closer to our goalof becoming the market leader in sustainablespeciality chemicals for surface treatment.
For more examples of sustainability, please go to:https://www.freudenberg.com/company/
responsibility

2021 Sustainability Report

4

SurTec at a glance
SurTec develops, manufactures and distributes
speciality chemicals for surface treatment. With its
four fields of application – Industrial Parts Cleaning,
Metal Pre-treatment, Functional and Decorative
Electroplating – SurTec covers the entire spectrumof the portfolio in this area. SurTec is a supplier foralmost all branches of the surface treatment industry
with applications in the Automotive, Transport,
Construction, Electronics & Electrical and Healthcare& Lifestyle sectors.
The SurTec Group, headquartered in Bensheim,
Germany, is represented by its own affiliates inover 40 countries plus a global partner network.
Our approximately 400 employees worldwide areresponsible for successful research and development,
for manufacturing our products, for ensuring legal
compliance and supporting and supplying ourcustomers.
In order to ensure a consistently high product quality
irrespective of the place of manufacture, all plants
throughout the world work to the same internationallyrecognised standards. Quality controls are carried out
at every stage of the production process, starting withchecks of the raw materials, their further processing,inspection of the finished products through to loading
and delivery.

Certified quality, environmental and occupational
health and safety management
The close integration of in-house development andproduction enables SurTec to quickly transformnew technologies into market-ready products. We
demonstrate this competence time and again bydeveloping high-performance products for almost allareas of application in our industry.
SurTec's quality, environmental and occupational
health and safety management are certified
according to various standards, including DIN ISO
9001, DIN ISO 14001 and ISO 45001. This meansthat we are regularly audited by external bodies
to ensure that we are achieving our corporate
goals in terms of occupational health and safety,
minimisation of environmental impacts and resource
conservation.
Our customers and also our sales partners haveaccess to comprehensive documentation on
product safety and product features. Our Material
Compliance Management (MCM) ensures compliancewith all standards and legal requirements in thisarea.

SurTec is a division of Freudenberg Chemical
Specialities GmbH, Munich, Germany, which inturn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Freudenberg
SE, based in Weinheim, Germany. Freudenberg is a
global family-run enterprise founded over 170 years
ago by Carl Johann Freudenberg.

2021 Sustainability Report5Keeping an eye on global developments
Through the responsible use of raw and othermaterials, Freudenberg is able to demonstrateand compare its excellence and sustainability inquantifiable terms. Our success is also determinedby how sustainable we are. In this context, theFreudenberg Group monitors global crises extremely
closely and steps in to provide support; our sense of
responsibility extends far beyond our company sites.
Through our parent company Freudenberg, SurTec
is a signatory to the UN Global Compact and is thus
committed to protecting human rights, ensuring
freedom of association, eliminating forced and childlabour and other requirements.

We consistently apply our own code of conduct
and a dedicated supplier selection system withclear guidelines for ethical and legal compliance.
Compliance with the regulatory requirements
applicable to our industry is compulsory for us – asare basic ethical values.
Strong focus on safety
For us, safety is a key concept in the design of ourprocesses and the development of our products.
Safety refers to the protection of the people working
for SurTec or with SurTec products or those who usethem subsequently.
However, safety also refers to the possible
environmental effects that arise during the
manufacture or use of our products. Therefore we
examine our entire value chain in order to be able
to improve processes that contribute, for example,
to the conservation of resources or minimisation ofenvironmental impacts.
The same applies when it comes to our customers. Our
goal is to help them achieve their own sustainability
goals through using our products and processes: bysaving energy, reducing emissions, reducing waste,
optimising the life of galvanic baths or cleaning
equipment, increasing productivity and improving
resource efficiency, etc.

Freudenberg – and thus SurTec too – has made a commitment to
the principles of the United Nations Global Compact

2021 Sustainability Report6

Sustainability at SurTec

In our business activities, we always focus on two
things: on reducing our "footprint", in other words
using as few resources as possible in our operations,and on increasing our "handprint", i.e. offering ourcustomers solutions which enable them to use fewer
resources in their manufacturing processes, thus
making them efficient and sustainable.
We have defined a total of six categories, for which
we regularly collect data and derive corresponding
targets: energy, emissions, waste, materials,
water and health. Within these six areas, wehave identified four specific fields of activity withthe greatest potential for optimisation: material
efficiency, energy efficiency, emissions and waste
reduction. We record relevant developments
to measure relevant changes and also notify
Freudenberg about these for Group-wide reporting.

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Material efficiency
Recycled, renewable and alternative materials

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MIWhat we strive for:
Reducing our footprint & maximising our handprintCEC

Our sustainability concept is based on thesustainability strategy of our parent company,
the Freudenberg Group. It defines sustainability
in the context of its corporate culture and aligns
its values and principles accordingly, taking into
account the essential factors in the economic andsocial environment, including the value chain.
Within our direct sphere of influence, we recognise
the demands of all relevant stakeholders, suchas employees, shareholders, customers, society,neighbours and others. Our focus is on the values
and principles of the Freudenberg Group: added
value for the customer, innovation, leadership,people, long-term orientation, with the key
message, in the context of greater sustainability,
being: responsibility.

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End-of-Life (EOL) handling of products

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Waste treatment

Energy

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Renewable energy

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Emissions
Air pollution/air emissions

Water
Water pollution
Water consumption

2021 Sustainability Report7Commitment to and support for the UN Sustainable
Development Goals
In order to design, manage and report on our
strategies, goals and activities and thus reap the
associated benefits, SurTec will employ the UN
Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs) and theprinciples of the European Green Deal over the next
few years

aspects of sustainability in the management ofour portfolio, we will meet the needs of themarket for products and services that improve
the handprint as well as the lives of users	to contribute to increased use of recyclable
packaging materials through careful evaluationof the options	to improve our position in the “war for talent”

	to identify future business opportunities	to utilise innovative technologies such as AI anddigitalisation to increase efficiency
	to continuously strive to replace hazardousand particularly concerning substances in our
products. By paying increasing attention to	to strengthen our relationships with stakeholders
and keep pace with political developments	to utilise new laws, regulations or pricemechanisms to support our strategy.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals

2021 Sustainability Report8For SurTec, the following ten Sustainability
Development Goals out of a total of 17 are at theheart of our corporate activities. For each of thesegoals, we have defined the contribution we are
striving to make in our everyday work.

Health and well-being

Health services are provided to our employees asa matter of course. In addition to the preventionof common ailments, healthy nutrition and themental health of our employees are also of utmost
importance to us. Our activities include vaccination
campaigns, the provision of masks and a reductionin the use of critical substances.

High-quality education

Demographic change in Europe makes shortages ofskilled workers likely in the future.
Other continents have predominantly young
populations. To address both situations, we rely on
viable training opportunities. We promote lifelong
learning for our employees by providing numerous
educational and training courses.

Gender equality

At SurTec, we care about equal treatment of thegenders and gender identities both in legal terms
and with regard to personal and professional
development potential (equal opportunities). Our
goal is to enable our employees to fulfil their own
individual life choices.

Clean water and sanitation

The water used in SurTec's special chemical
products requires high purity and low hardness.
In order to be able to use the local municipal tap
water, we operate efficient filtration and softening
units. In this way, we avoid the transportation ofdemineralised water by truck, which is detrimental
from an ecological and economic point of view.

Affordable and clean energy

We aim to secure access to reliable, modern andaffordable energy for all our sites. The conditions
for procuring clean energy vary widely around theworld. Where possible, we enter into long-term
contracts that guarantee us a supply of clean
energy.

2021 Sustainability Report9Humane working conditions
and economic growth
We have a social obligation to all our employees.
However, this also depends on the laws, customs,
needs and opportunities available in the countries
concerned. Discrimination and the marginalisationof vulnerable persons have no place anywhere in
the company.

Sustainable consumption andproduction
In our business, we limit our use of resources sothat they remain available for future generations.
The use of recycled materials and recyclable raw
and other materials takes priority, as does theelimination of plastic packaging. In our companies,
employees are trained to internalise sustainable
work practices and assess them based on key
performance indicators.

Industry, innovation and infrastructure
The value of a resilient infrastructure to an industrial
company is obvious. We promote sustainableindustrialisation with ongoing investments in existingand new plants. Our products are used in large
infrastructure projects.

Less inequality

Climate action

The industrial sector accounts for a high proportionof global greenhouse gas emissions. SurTec is in theprocess of reducing its CO2 emissions relative tosales by 25 percent by 2025. By 2045 at the latest,
we would like to be climate-neutral in terms of
Scope 1 and 2, and we are adopting key measuresto achieve this: Firstly, we are maximising energy
efficiency and reducing our energy consumption.
Secondly, we are electrifying our energy supply.
Thirdly, we are using green electricity. Fourthly,
we are offsetting the CO2 emissions that remain
unavoidable.

Diversity is anchored in the Group’s values andprinciples. Through a range of initiatives, SurTec
promotes a working environment where everyone isvalued, respected and heard. Particular attention
is paid to achieving a balanced gender distribution,in which women can pursue targeted careerdevelopment leading to top leadership positions.

2021 Sustainability Report10Reducing our footprint over the long-term
The SurTec Group examines as many of the factors
relevant to value creation as possible, not just interms of their economic impact but also in termsof sustainability aspects. Even aspects that are
currently outside our direct sphere of influence will becovered over the medium term by our sustainability
programme and in collaboration with our suppliers.
However, the reliable data available is used todetermine our footprint. This includes data on theuse of raw materials, water consumption, energy
consumption, waste, emissions, etc. – all of which
are closely related to our value creation. In 2020,
we increased the share of renewable energy in ourconsumption from 14% to 33%. We also reduced energy
consumption by 7% compared with 2019. SurTec hasachieved an important reduction in its CO2 emissions
by 366 t CO2, a 40% decrease from 2019. The amountof CMR substances* was reduced by 28% from 2014
to 2021. Despite an increase in the number of SVHC
substances** defined in legislation, the number of
SVHC substances used in SurTec products decreased byabout 10% over the last 5 years.

Further initiatives to reduce our own footprint – insome cases involving significant investment – focus on:	reducing emissions through closed production
processes and exhaust air purification using
efficient filter systems
	reducing process waste water through improved,
water-saving cleaning processes	pre-treatment of the waste water by special
treatment systems, some of which have beendeveloped in-house	reducing waste and strict separation of
production waste	efficient insulation of buildings	monitoring production sites according to GRI
standards (GRI = Global Reporting Initiative,
a globally recognised system for monitoringsustainability)	local procurement, where possible, to shortentransport distances.

* CMR substances are substances classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic
to reproduction (teratogenic).
** SVHC stands for Substances of Very High Concern and refers to substancesthat are harmful to health, etc.

SurTec has developed a well-founded and far-reaching catalogueof measures to permanently reduce its footprint
2021 Sustainability Report11metals and aromatic or halogenated organic
compounds. In recent years, SurTec has developed
an impressive product portfolio that also meets theincreasing demands for greater sustainability.
When it comes to our products, synthetic raw
materials are often essential for performance.
Nevertheless, we are pursuing a strategy of resource
efficiency in order to find alternatives or reduce useof these synthetic materials. We pursue this goal invarious ways:	reduced use of resources, e.g. through new
product formulations that significantly reduce
the amount of a required ingredient
Cornerstones on the road to success
Gradual elimination of substances of concern fromour products
In chemical surface treatment, numerous materials
are used which are subject to mandatory labelling
and/or are considered hazardous substances. For
decades, we have consistently pressed ahead withthe avoidance of hazardous raw materials andingredients in our products in order to improve
the protection of our employees as well as thatof the applicators and their employees. We arealso working on a strategic product portfolio
analysis, which will serve as a guideline for thedevelopment of new product formulations. We pay
particular attention to questionable raw materials
and auxiliary materials, which we aim to graduallyeliminate from our products. These include heavy	saving energy in operational processes throughenergy-efficient systems and machines	conservation of resources through the use ofrenewable raw materials
	use of water instead of organic or other solvents	production of concentrates for the reduction ofwater consumption.
This results in a reduction of our own footprint,
but at the same time brings advantages for the
handprint too – i.e. the sustainability goals of ourcustomers.

2021 Sustainability Report12Optimising the handprint – increasing customer
benefits
Conservation of resources is positive not onlyin terms of our own footprint, but also when it
comes to that of our customers. The use of waterinstead of organic solvents as a carrier substanceor the use of products that prolong their service
life reduces the user's ecological footprint. If we
extend the service life of surface treatment baths,
this not only reduces the amount of raw materials
used, but also brings tangible economic benefits: A
longer operating time also means less frequent bathchanges, less material consumption and less waste
and waste water. In some cases, our high quality
product formulations/technologies can increase
bath lifetimes multiple times over.
With our recyclable, modular cleaning processes, we
make a significant contribution to higher resourceand production efficiency and reduce process
costs by up to 25%. Through special formulations,
we have also succeeded in significantly reducing
sludge formation in baths for treatment technology
in certain areas of application. This ensures morestable processes, as well as lower disposal costs forthe customer.
Below, we show you some examples of how we canpositively influence the handprint of our customers.

Sustainable cleaning systems - recyclable,
biodegradable and energy-efficient
Many of our cleaning systems are recyclable, whichsignificantly reduces the amount of materials used.
These include recyclable surfactant components or
surfactants for spray and immersion applications.
At SurTec, low-temperature cleaners always achieve
the same cleaning effect as standard processes thatrun at much higher temperatures. The energy costsavings are significant.
In order to avoid critical ingredients, we
supply MEA-free cleaning systems (MEA =monoethanolamines), which enable a higher degreeof application safety and simplified disposal. The
same applies to our chloride-free demulsifiers.
Our alkaline, water-based and modular cleaners
provide a significantly extended service lifeof the cleaning baths with correspondingly
optimised production cycles, reduced maintenancerequirements and significantly reduced waste water
volumes, which results in turn in lower process
costs, including reductions of up to 25% per year.
SurTec has developed a special cleaner for recycling
PET flakes. This is used to remove adhesive andlabel residues from the flakes and to separate themaccording to the type of plastic.
We also provide biodegradable defoamers.

2021 Sustainability Report13Win-win scenarios for economy and ecology inMetal Pre-treatment
In the field of Metal Pre-treatment, we pursue
similar goals for the benefit of our customers:
avoidance of critical substances and increased
profitability. We have thus succeeded in developing
phosphate-free products that eliminate theoften undesirable ingredient phosphate fromthe wastewater stream while maintaining thesame level of effectiveness. The quenching baths
used in hot-dip galvanising usually contain toxic
chromium(VI), which can lead to health risks during
application. SurTec has succeeded in replacing thetoxic chromium(VI) with the more environmentallyfriendly chromium(III) – a major contribution, notjust when it comes to occupational health andsafety. SurTec also develops "low-temperature"
products, where the application temperature canbe significantly reduced compared to the standard
process, thus reducing energy and process costs.

Pioneering work in the field of Decorative andFunctional Electroplating
SurTec introduced the world's first chromium(III)based thick layer passivation in 1996 and has been
the market leader in this field ever since. SurTec thus
pioneered the avoidance of hexavalent chromium
for decorative and functional electroplating. Our
trivalent chromium technologies were the first to
be ready for the market and have become standard
processes in many areas of electroplating.
As chromium(III) is non-toxic, this makes asignificant contribution to occupational health andsafety for both us and the applicators, as well as
for the environment. The customer also saves up to
20% of wastewater treatment costs and 30 to 50%
of electricity costs for the rectifier compared withchromium(VI)-based processes, due to lower current
densities. SurTec made the strategic decision to nolonger market products containing chromium(VI)worldwide from 2017 onwards. We have better
alternatives!
Other key areas in electroplating are the eliminationof certain metals that were previously indispensable
and are considered critical from a health orenvironmental perspective. For example, SurTec
has developed various high-performance passivation
processes that contain no cobalt salts, which arehazardous to health.

Insight into SurTec's largest production site worldwide (Zwingenberg, Germany)
SurTec 650 in combination with a gasket optimally
prevents the corrosive infiltration of moisture intoa battery compartment and ensures low electricalcontact resistance. This technology also provides
electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and is therefore
the perfect solution for surface treatment of battery
housings and electronic control unit (ECU) housings,
for example. Due to its best-in-class bare metal
corrosion protection, additional e-coating applicationsof the battery casing can be considered unnecessary.

We are happy to list some more examples from ourdaily practices:	Rinsing water recycling: In the field of functional
electroplating, SurTec relies on closed systems
that allow the rinsing water to be fed back into
the process. An electroplating process consists of
up to 10 rinsing steps. In conventional processes,
the water used in these steps is disposed of after
just one rinse. However, in a closed system,
rinsing water is treated if necessary and fed
back into the process, i.e. used multiple times.
This significantly reduces the customer's water
consumption.

2021 Sustainability Report14	Nickel is the most common contact allergen andis also carcinogenic, especially when inhaled.
This is why SurTec is increasingly replacing
nickel with high-alloy zinc/iron coatings, forexample, thus enabling the substitution of nickel
in galvanic applications.

	We offer alternatives to processes involving
ammonium and ammonia, thus limiting
the health risks for our employees and ourcustomers.

	To protect the health of employees - on thecustomer's premises as well as at our in-houseproduction facilities - SurTec is replacing
chromium(VI) with chromium(III) in thedecorative field. This means that the process
is 100% chromium(VI)-free - even during pretreatment.

2021 Sustainability Report

15

SurTec's key figures
Total solid hazardous waste

Solid hazardous waste [t]Solid hazardous waste [t] / tonne of product [t]Despite continuous technical improvements, thequantities of hazardous waste have increased inrecent years. This is due to the following factors:	Since 2018, hazardous packaging waste must also
be reported and included in internal reporting.
	In parallel, the amount of returned packaging
waste has increased significantly in recent
years. As a responsible market participant,
SurTec has made a commitment to maximise
the sustainability of the return process, which
has in turn maximised the amount of packaging
material that is recycled.

	Finally, increased necessary substitutions of raw
materials due to changes in the supply chain
as well as legislative requirements also led toincreased amounts of solid waste, especiallyin 2020. With regard to the tonnage produced,
a positive trend towards proportionately lesswaste has emerged in 2021 due to larger
production batches and thus the procurement of
raw materials in larger containers.

2021 Sustainability Report16

Energy consumption

Energy consumption of the Group[MWh].

Energy consumption [MWh] / tonne of product [t]SurTec generally has a very low energy consumption(0.14 MWh/tonne of product produced), which
depends heavily on local climate factors andseasonal conditions. Potential improvements arecontinuously evaluated in the project “Harvesting
low hanging fruit” (LEDs, motion detectors, etc.).

Additional measures will follow based on theinsights from audits at affiliated companies. Evenas we strive to reduce energy consumption, we
also evaluate the potential for procuring renewableenergy.

2021 Sustainability Report17CO2 emissions

CO2 emissions of the SurTec Group [t]CO2 emissions [t] / tonne of product [t]In addition to identifying weaknesses in energy
management and reducing energy consumption,
SurTec has begun switching over to the procurementof renewable energy. With the support of the
Freudenberg Group, SurTec signed a PPA (purchasepower agreement) to procure hydropower and solar
energy for SurTec Deutschland GmbH, reducing ourfootprint in the year 2020 by 237 tonnes of CO2
emissions.

Thanks to this agreement, SurTec increased theshare of renewable energy in its global consumption
by 14% to reach a total of 33% worldwide. Heretoo, the ratio to tonnage produced improved once
again in 2021 due to a higher proportion of in-houseproduction and an increased average batch size.

2021 Sustainability Report18

Quantity of technical wastewaterTechnical wastewater [t]Technical wastewater [t] / tonne of product [t]Due to owning and continuously improving our own
wastewater treatment plants and by optimising
the rinsing process in our production facilities,
laboratories and pilot plants, we have been able
to reduce the amount of chemically contaminatedtechnical wastewater in recent years. Large
reductions have been achieved in the last two years
in Brazil and China.

In 2021, the installation of an evaporation-based
wastewater treatment plant was planned at ourfactory in China, and this will be completed by mid2022, resulting in a further reduction in technicalwaste water in 2022 and the years to follow.

2021 Sustainability Report19Health and safety at work in the context of ourcorporate culture
Diversity & inclusion
Commonalities and differences between people arepart of our daily life. We at SurTec tolerate, supportand value diversity in a work environment where all
employees are respected and appreciated regardlessof their ethnic and cultural background, nationality,
gender, religion, age, health/disability or sexual
orientation.
For many years, we have maintained a distinctive
HSE culture (HSE = Health, Safety & Environment)for occupational health and safety as well as greater
environmental compatibility of our operational
processes and our products. Technical andorganisational measures for safe working conditions
and environmental protection form an integral
part of our corporate culture and are continuously
being developed through extensive investment
programmes. These focus on modern, closed
manufacturing processes, supplemented by thelatest safety equipment for our employees. This also
includes raising awareness and, above all, training
managers and employees in HSE issues. We do not
see this as a temporary or occasional task, but as
an ongoing process – HSE is part of our culture, ourvalues and our DNA as a company.

are committed to social responsibility. Since then,
SurTec has regularly participated in the Freudenberg
initiative, with numerous successful projects.
Our "Zero Accident" initiative sets an ambitious
goal: to completely avoid accidents at work.
Our employees’ workstations are designed withergonomic aspects in mind and are inspected
regularly, also with regard to the safety of machines
and plants. All these measures contribute to an
exemplary low accident rate compared with the restof the industry.
Occupational health management
Following the exceptional “One-Team-One-Globe”
project in 2018, in which over 60% of the employees
in the global SurTec family walked around the globe
together in six weeks, SurTec launched a special
programme for Occupational Health Management(OHM) at the end of 2019, based on a clear
framework with many examples. Local OHM teams
will collaborate in a global network to initiate andcoordinate local actions.

Since its launch in 2002, the global "We all takecare" initiative has recognised those employees
who go the extra mile to make their work safer,
healthier and more environmentally friendly, or who

2021 Sustainability Report20Tel.: +49 6251 8622-200
Fax: +49 6251 8622-227
info@SurTec.com
www.SurTec.com

Picture credits: SurTec, Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, iStockpoto

SurTec International GmbH
Neuhofstrasse 964625 Bensheim
Germany