Expertise and sophisticated technologies - that´s how we pave the way to sustainable farming!
At COMPO EXPERT, sustainability is a key pillar of our corporate strategy, shaping the way we do business and contribute to a better future. As a global leader in specialty fertilizers and biostimulants, we are committed to enhancing agricultural productivity while minimizing environmental impact. By developing innovative, efficient solutions, we help to ensure healthy crops, higher yields, and long-term soil fertility.
Our product portfolio is designed with sustainability in mind. Many of our product groups support a more sustainable fertilizer application through enhanced nutrient use efficiency, enhanced water use efficiency, or reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Take a look at our product finder and filter for these properties to learn more.
Learn about our targets, explore our initiatives and achievements, and discover how we are shaping the future of sustainable agriculture. Together, we can create lasting positive change for farmers, society, and the planet.
To turn this commitment into action, we have set ambitious and measurable targets for 2028 across the three key areas of sustainability: Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG). These targets focus on the most critical topics identified in our materiality assessment, ensuring that our efforts align with the needs of our industry, stakeholders, and the planet.
By continuously tracking our progress and refining our approach, we strive to make a meaningful impact – reducing our environmental footprint, promoting responsible business practices, and fostering positive social change. Our progress towards these targets is presented in our sustainability report.
Low-carbon Raw Materials
COMPO EXPERT is working intensively to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in plant cultivation. To this end, we consider the entire value chain from the raw materials to the application of our products.
We are striving to lower the carbon footprint of our products by purchasing additional sustainable raw materials of the usual quality. Building on our success with the introduction of low-carbon ammonia as nitrogen source for our products in 2024, we have expanded the scope of low-carbon raw materials to the next main nutrient: potassium. This enables us to reduce the carbon footprint of many products even further and expand our low-carbon portfolio with additioanl products. Compared to the production with conventional raw materials, these measures will save around 35,000 tons of CO2e - almost twice the amount of COMPO EXPERT´s direct greenhouse gas emissions.
COMPO EXPERT joins UN Global Compact
We are pleased to announce that COMPO EXPERT has joined the United Nations Global Compact, a voluntary leadership platform for the development, implementation, and disclosure of responsible business practices. With this announcement, we commit ourselves to the 10 principles and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). This reaffirms our commitment to sustainable and responsible business practices.
By becoming a participant in the UN Global Compact, we align ourselves with a global initiative that encourages businesses to adopt socially and environmentally responsible policies. This partnership reflects our dedication to fostering sustainable development, promoting human rights, labor standards, environmental stewardship, and anti-corruption efforts.
At COMPO EXPERT, we believe that sustainable business practices are integral to creating a positive impact on society and the environment. Joining the UN Global Compact is a significant step in our journey towards a more sustainable future. We look forward to collaborating with like-minded organizations, sharing best practices, and contributing to the collective effort to address global challenges.
IT Refurbishment
We are pleased to announce that we are now working with the certified IT refurbisher AfB social & green IT. Through this partnership, we are giving our company hardware a second life and making a joint contribution to environmental protection and inclusion.
In March 2024, the first disused notebooks, monitors and PCs from COMPO EXPERT GmbH were brought to the nearest AfB branch. There, the hardware is refurbished by the AfB Group, equipped with the latest operating system and resold. In this way, we give our hardware a second life and reduce emissions and conserve valuable resources by avoiding new production.
In addition to this ecological contribution, used hardware at AfB is not only "green", but also "social". This is because it is a non-profit inclusion company. Of the approximately 660 employees, around 48% are severely disabled.
AMPHORE
The R3-approach (reduce, reuse, recycle) is a further component of our sustainability strategy. In this sense, COMPO EXPERT is working on using locally produced phosphoric acid with phosphorous recycled from sewage sludge. By this means, we are making a multi-faceted environmental contribution to protect global resources.
The phosphoric share in sewage water and soil has increased over the past decades, resulting in too high acidification. To avoid further concentration, COMPO EXPERT participates as an associated partner in the AMPHORE-Project. This is a regional wastewater-treatment system aiming to recycle phosphorus out of the sludge. The image above shows the future loaction of the demonstration plant at Bottrop wastewater treatment plant operated by Emschergenossenschaft, nearby our production site in Krefeld, Germany. Using this phosphoric recyclate in our fertilizer production makes COMPO EXPERT a proud pioneer within this field. Applying this technique will reduce overexploitation from mining and will support the resilience of our supply chain, whilst reducing our carbon footprint. We are currently analyzing further opportunities to use similar methods with other raw materials.
Green Electricity
At COMPO EXPERT, we are dedicated to sustainable and environmentally responsible practices. One significant aspect of our sustainability initiatives is our commitment to green electricity.
In line with our dedication to reducing our carbon footprint, we have taken proactive steps by installing cutting-edge photovoltaic systems at our facilities in La Vall D’Uixó (Spain), and Deinze (Belgium). These solar power systems harness the abundant energy from the sun, converting it into clean and renewable electricity. By utilizing solar energy, we are not only reducing our reliance on conventional energy sources but also contributing to a greener and more sustainable future.
In addition to generating our own solar power, we purchase green electricity for our headquarter and facilities in Krefeld (Germany), La Vall D’Uixó, and Deinze. Through conscientious choices in our energy procurement, we ensure that the electricity we consume is sourced from renewable and environmentally friendly sources.
Our commitment avoids more than 10,000 t of CO2 emissions annually and aligns with our broader vision of promoting eco-friendly practices throughout our operations.
Sustainability Idea Contest
To make our sustainability strategy a success-story, it is essential for COMPO EXPERT, to incorporate the ideas, the knowledge, and the different perspectives from our >700 employees that are spread across the globe. Therefore, we kicked off a sustainability idea contest, where we asked everybody within the company to provide concrete measures supporting any of our Top5 SDGs. We were very happy that 120 well-elaborated and particularly interesting ideas reached us! The Top10-ideas were awarded with a personal gift for the idea-provider and a donation that could be made to a sustainable project of the employees’ choice.
We have then started to realize and implement not only the awarded but also other great ideas from our contest!
Our annual sustainability report highlights our commitment to environmental, social, and governance responsibility. It provides insights into our progress, key initiatives, and future goals as we strive for a more sustainable and responsible future.
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