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Environmental protection at our German site
The heart of the Adam Hall Group beats in Neu-Anspach, Hesse. Our company headquarters, consisting of a main building with a 10,000 m² logistics centre and the Experience Center built in 2018, reflects the DNA of our company in all its facets. We strive for agility, utilise the latest digital technologies, tailor our service to the needs of our customers and incorporate the concept of sustainability wherever possible.
Because we want to become a climate-neutral company from within, we have begun the transformation process at our German site and want to gradually make our company sites in Spain and North America more sustainable as well.
In order to achieve our goal of climate neutrality by 2045, we are guided by the "avoid – reduce – compensate" principle. To this end, we are already active in some areas and are implementing various measures.
We follow the "avoid – reduce – compensate" principle
In order to achieve our goal of climate neutrality by 2045, we are guided by the "avoid – reduce – compensate" principle. To this end, we are already active in some areas and are implementing various measures.
Avoid
Reduce
Compensate
Avoid
• Own production of electricity via our 10,000 m² photovoltaic system – the goal: to produce as much electricity as possible ourselves.
• Green electricity from certified providers – the goal: to cover the (remaining) electricity demand with electricity that does not cause any further emissions during production.
• Electric vehicle charging stations at the German site – the goal: to give our employees and customers the opportunity to charge their electric vehicle or bicycle on site and contribute to the transformation of the transport sector.
Reduce
• CO2 balancing – By measuring and analysing our CO2 footprint, we aim to identify energy-related weaknesses throughout the entire value chain and derive measures to reduce them in the future.
Compensate
Not all emissions can be avoided and effectively reduced. In order to still achieve our goal of climate neutrality as a company by 2045, we will offset non-reducible emissions with the help of selected, certified climate protection projects. We will address this issue as soon as explicit alternatives for action can be derived from the analyses of our carbon footprint.
100% renewable energies at our German site
Our 10,000 m² photovoltaic system on the roof of the logistics building at our company headquarters is a key component of our strategy for climate neutrality at our German site. In the spring of 2021, the existing 6,500 m² facility was expanded by 3,500 m² as part of the expansion of our logistics operations. With this expansion, we have created new storage capacity and are able to cover a large part of our energy requirements with our own electricity generation.
The PV system produces around 800,000 kWh of electricity per year. This amount covers around 70% of our electricity requirements during periods of high consumption. The remaining electricity required (approx. 30 %) has been sourced from certified green energy provider LichtBlick since January 2023. In the medium term, this will enable us to meet 100% of our electricity requirements using renewable sources and to avoid around 400 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Our responsibility for the environment
With this type of electricity supply and the connection to the local district heating network of the town of Neu-Anspach via a wood chip plant – as an alternative to fossil fuels – we ensure environmentally friendly energy consumption. As a renewable raw material, wood ensures a lower CO2 footprint compared to conventional fuels and is considered "climate-neutral" because the CO2 that is released during combustion was stored during plant growth.
Expansion of e-mobility at the Neu-Anspach site
Longevity and repairability as the basic concept behind many products in the event industry
If you look back at the history of the event industry, it becomes clear that many products have long been based on the idea of sustainability. For example, flight cases – our heritage – are extremely durable and sturdy wooden protective cases for equipment, musical instruments and much more, some of which have been in use for several decades. The motto "repair, don’t throw away" has always applied to amplifiers, loudspeakers and other audio tools. We remain true to this approach thanks to our repair and warranty service at Adam Hall Group.
For a more sustainable future, however, it is important that we as a company deal with ever more profound issues. These include technology issues such as improving the energy efficiency of spotlights and other electronic devices, new ideas for materials to increase the recyclability of individual components such as plastics and rare metals in products, as well as initial thoughts on new business models for the circular economy and leasing models.
Many small steps towards a big goal
The quote from Queen Elizabeth II. "It is often the small steps, not the big leaps, that bring about the most lasting change" describes our approach to sustainability very well. After all, big leaps are often associated with radical changes that can bring many challenges. However, if we gradually implement small projects that have a high impact in their own way, it is often easier to rethink and, in the end, a lot of good comes out of it. In the following, we provide a brief insight into individual measures that we are already implementing at our German site and for individual products:
Switch to the "Global Recycled Standard"
Anyone who sells products must also package them. Unpacking inevitably produces waste. In this context, we therefore focus on minimising packaging materials and using recycled materials. For example, we are gradually switching to plastic bags adhering to the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) for the packaging of individual and spare parts.
The GRS requirements include the correct specification of substances and materials used and compliance with fair labour conditions (in accordance with UN and ILO conventions). Ecological risks should also be minimised, for example by regulating the use of chemicals within the production process.In addition, a key criterion is that products bearing the label must demonstrate the use of at least 50% recycled material, which mostly comes from production and consumer waste. This contributes to achieving closed material cycles.
Recycled materials and initial steps towards the circular economy
At the product level, we are already moving towards a sustainable circular economy with the cable protectors of our Defender brand. DEFENDER cable protectors are manufactured in Germany and are free from toxic, environmentally harmful PVC. All products are made of extremely stable TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane), which is manufactured from 90% recycled plastics. The polyurethane is recycled and processed so that it can then be reused in the injection moulding process.
Event technology is inherently durable and repairable
Our products are generally designed to be energy-efficient, durable and repairable. For example, LEDs have long replaced halogen fixtures in spotlights. Loudspeaker cabinets are made from particularly durable materials or sealed with protective paints to make them more robust. For many of our products, we provide a guarantee and spare parts availability of up to 10 years. All of these aspects reduce the environmental impact of production, use, and disposal, but there are many other innovative approaches to making our products even more sustainable. In our development department, we keep a particularly close eye on these developments.
Further environmental projects at the German site – even the small deeds count
In addition to reducing CO2 emissions through our PV system and mobility services, we are implementing a number of other projects at our German site that are not directly related to climate neutrality, but which benefit the environment in the Neu-Anspach region.
Biodiversity through bees – our contribution to regional species conservation in the Taunus region
We have been home to around 30,000 busy bees at our site in Neu-Anspach since 2021. They live in several hives on a meadow behind our main building and make an important contribution to biodiversity in the region. Caring for our bees is the responsibility of three of our colleagues, enabling them to practise their hobby of bee-keeping on our premises for a good cause.
