Quality and sustainability
Sustainability at GEALAN means to produce high quality that is committed to environmental protection.
GEALAN is a partner of VinylPlus®
With VinylPlus® , the European PVC industry has adopted a programme in the form of a Voluntary Commitment to initiate sustainable development and achieve long-term recycling targets.
The initiative was established in 2000 for the European PVC industry. In the meantime, 28 EU countries, Norway and Switzerland are participating to ensure a common value chain for PVC. These are over 200 companies from the PVC industry, non-governmental organisations and over 170 recycling companies. The challenges that determine our actions are based on the natural building blocks for a sustainable society:
- Controlled management loop
- Reduction of chlorinated hydrocarbons
- Sustainable use of additives
- Sustainable energy and climate stability
These are some of our successes so far:
- 740,000 tonnes of PVC recycled in 2018 (planned for 2020: 800,000 tonnes).
- The industry has invested 110 million euros in PCV recycling since 2000.
- 5 million tonnes of PVC recycled since 2000.
- The VinylPlus® brand was established in 2018.
GEALAN Quality Certificate
Our quality standard applies not only at GEALAN itself, but also for our processors. This means that we give our customers specifications relating to window production and how to handle profiles, such as the best ways to drain, vent, brace, and store profiles. During regular quality checks, we review compliance with these quality specifications and award qualified window construction companies our GEALAN Qualitäts-Zertifikat (GEALAN Quality Certificate, GQZ) – because the premium nature of GEALAN products does not end at profile manufacture, but only when the high-quality window is fully installed!
ISO 9001:2008
On the other hand, it means that the company is continuously being developed to meet the requirements and expectations of our customers, partners and employees as well as regularly audited both internally and externally.
GEALAN's quality guidelines:
- Our quality principles apply throughout the company to all employees and suppliers as well as our products, processes and services.
- Quality is the key for us to customer satisfaction and long-term success.
- Quality is constantly being advanced.
- Our quality requirements are determined by our customers and the needs of the market.
- Our quality objectives are planned, measured, reviewed and regularly questioned.
- The achievement of quality objectives is ensured through information and instruction as well as basic and further training for employees.
ISO 14001:2015
The decision to seek further certification came about as a result of the company's activities outside of Europe and in the neighbouring countries to the East. While it is difficult to explain the benefits of the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme to customers in countries outside the European Union, ISO 14001 is as accepted as ISO 9000 series is in quality assurance.
Following the successful certification of the quality management systems of GEALAN BALTIC in Vilnius (Lithuania) and GEALAN ROMANIA in Bucharest (Romania) to ISO 9001:2000, their production facilities were also successfully certified to ISO 14001. Recertification was achieved in July 2011.
ISO 50001:2011
The core philosophy of a systematic energy management system to ISO 50001 consists of strategic and organisational management approaches. The main objective of the standard is to continually improve our energy performance and energy efficiency, as well as to save energy.
This is done by means of a systematic approach that gives employees – and especially those at management level – an awareness of linear and long-term energy management. This enables the company to exploit potential savings as well as gain competitive advantages and a substantial boost to its image. The new standard behind this has only been in force since April 2012 and replaces the European standard EN 16001 that had been valid up to then. All the more remarkable is the fact that GEALAN managed to integrate an energy management system to ISO 50001 within just four months.
EMAS – Eco-Management and Audit Scheme
The EC Eco-Audit Directive was replaced in 2001 by the new EMAS Regulation, which integrated ISO 14001, stronger participation by employees and an evaluation of environmental aspects (production and products).
Sustainability report
Sustainability at GEALAN
An environmentally sustainable approach to product manufacturing is a central pillar in how the GEALAN Group sees itself. From the outset, the company focused on close cooperation with customers, suppliers and other companies within the industry. A sense of responsibility towards employees and society as well as the continuous refinement of products, processes and services have been key factors in the company's success.
The GEALAN Group has always regarded changing market conditions or new legal requirements as a business challenge: for example, when PVC became a topic of public discussion in the mid-90s, the decision was made to become involved in the recycling of old PVC windows. Following independent investigations, GEALAN started to offer a recycling concept for these products in 1994.
Our voluntary commitments
We belong to the following organisations
GEALAN works with several partners to promote environmental protection and sustainable development. In order to achieve our objectives and exchange knowledge and experiences, we are members of the following organisations:
Umweltpakt Bayern – Nachhaltiges Wirtschaften im 21. Jahrhundert (Bavarian Environmental Pact – Sustainable Business in the 21st Century)
Sustainability agreement, Thuringia
The Nachhaltigkeitsabkommen Thüringen (Thuringia Sustainability Accord) is a voluntary agreement between Thuringian industry and the Thuringian State Government. Its aim is to continuously improve cooperation between the state and industry in the area of sustainable development.
Rewindo GmbH Fenster-Recycling-Service
Together with other leading German vinyl profile manufacturers, GEALAN co-founded Rewindo as the successor to FREI, the previous window recycling association. The young company is made up of the former members of FREI and the company VEKA AG. It thus covers approx. 80% of the German vinyl window market.
VinylPlus
With VinylPlus, the European PVC industry has entered into a voluntary commitment to encourage sustainable development and to realise its recycling goals in the long term.
AgPU
The Working Cooperative for PVC and the Environment has made it their task "to bring PVC and all environmental protection concerns into harmony". Among other things, this has resulted in the founding of several PVC recycling programmes.
ÖAKF
ÖAKF is a platform made up of the most important system providers in the Austrian market. Its remit is to provide manufacturer-independent information about vinyl windows. It promotes the recycling of old windows and thus the fulfilment of the voluntary commitment of the European industry.
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The GEALAN corporate group is of Europe's leading manufacturers of vinyl profiles for windows and doors.