Rothe Erde
Rothe Erde
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Earth Day 2025 - Interview with Natallia Schönnagel
Since 1970, Earth Day has been celebrated every year on April 22. It is a global event dedicated to supporting environmental protection. Since it began, the movement has inspired over a billion people around the world each year to take action and help protect our planet.
To highlight this day, we spoke with Natallia Schönnagel, Head of Technical Coordination, Operational Excellence & ESG, about environmental protection measures at Rothe Erde.
Environmental protection is not just a trend at Rothe Erde - it has been part of our daily practice for many years. What measures have been implemented at Rothe Erde recently in terms of environmental protection?
We have taken a close look at the issue of hazardous substances. Our system was reviewed to ensure that all hazardous substances used in our company are properly recorded and that the correct measures are being taken when handling them. We aim to replace substances of very high concern with better alternatives as quickly as possible. This initiative contributes to environmental and health protection and helps us comply with the new reporting requirements of the European Union.
What specific environmental protection projects are currently being implemented?
We're always working on a variety of projects, including those focused on energy efficiency. At our largest plant in Germany, colleagues are working on optimizing the parameters for stress-relief annealing in production. At our Chinese site, the team has planned furnace usage in a way that allows us to achieve a significantly higher production tonnage with the same energy consumption.
Are there any standout “lighthouse projects” in this context with particularly strong impact?
I'm always excited when we launch a new project in the field of renewable energies at one of our sites. We already have several photovoltaic systems at different locations. Recently, we added plants in Italy and China, and at our headquarters in Dortmund, the existing system is currently being expanded.
You work in ESG for a global company. What special challenges and opportunities does that bring?
We are represented worldwide, and each location must comply with local laws. In addition to these, we as a corporate group must also meet European or other international regulations that do not necessarily apply to our local competitors. Some of these regulations involve a considerable amount of administrative effort. Nevertheless, we see this as a major opportunity because it enables us to meet the requirements of our globally operating customers and use sustainability as a competitive advantage. In addition, we benefit from the expertise of our local ESG representatives. We regularly exchange ideas on these topics, learn from each other, and benefit from shared experiences. We are convinced that the sustainable orientation of our company will pay off in the long term.
Is environmental protection handled differently in other countries? If so, in what way, and how do you deal with that?
We definitely have to navigate different environmental regulations in other countries. But when you look more closely, there are actually a lot of similarities among them. Moreover, all our plants are certified according to the ISO 14001 environmental management standard, which ensures that we follow globally valid environmental protection standards. This is also part of our company group's holistic success story. For us, sustainability is not a burden, but rather a success factor for our company and our products.