Sustainability and social responsibility

Sustainable thinking and action are of central importance to us.

We pay attention to the careful use of resources in all our corporate processes, from production to distribution. 

Reduced CO2 emissions through regional suppliers

We attach great importance to using regional suppliers to reduce our CO2 emissions. 
 
Wherever possible, we favour nearby companies which guarantee short delivery routes. We also increasingly place collective orders, in order to avoid unnecessary journeys.
 

Charging points for electric vehicles

GIFAS supports the use of electric and hybrid vehicles. Our visitors have access to charging stations at the main entrance for this purpose.
 
As of today, we are also offering three charging points in the car park for our employees. We will be pleased to extend this service if demand increases. 

Recycling points

We can all make an important contribution with simple means by systematically separating waste and having all recyclable materials processed in line with good professional practice by appropriate waste disposal contractors.
 
We are an ISO 14001:2015 certified company, and the environmental management system is applied consistently. Amongst other things, various disposal points are available in all locations.

Reduce paper consumption

The paper industry swallows up valuable raw materials such as wood and water and consumes a great deal of energy. For example, it takes as much energy to produce one tonne of virgin-fibre copy paper as it does to produce one tonne of steel. In addition, precious rain forest is cut down for this purpose in many countries. At GIFAS, we strive to reduce paper consumption to a minimum by making workflows as digital as possible.
 
We also use QR codes in our product brochures to refer to further information on our website, which has enabled us to significantly reduce the content of the printed material. 

Workplaces with energy-efficient light sources

LED lighting offers various advantages, including electricity savings of up to 70%. At our Rheineck location, free-standing LED luminaires with symmetrical light sources and prismatic glass distribute the light evenly in the office and at the workplaces.
 
The high-quality LEDs reproduce colours in a natural way, do not strain the eyes unnecessarily and do not dazzle.

Certified energy management system

ISO 50001 defines the requirements for systematic, data- and fact-based energy management at the international level. It calls for continuous improvement of the energy management system and energy-related performance, including an improvement in energy use, energy consumption and energy efficiency.
 
At GIFAS, we can verify that we meet these requirements, increase our energy efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of our energy use.
We can demonstrate that our activities are based on our own initiative and commitment and that the legal requirements are taken into account.

Social responsibility

Our entire operational approach is communicated in ethical, ecological and social principles and substantiated by means of sustainable actions.

The following is a selection of projects and organisations that GIFAS supports out of conviction.

SolidarAndhra

Médecins Sans Frontières

CF Rorschach

Foundation Switzerland ForAfrika

Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital Foundation

HPV Rorschach - Outsourced production

We have maintained a valuable partnership with HPV Rorschach for many years. As a regionally rooted institution, it supports people with disabilities.

We have outsourced part of our production there - a win-win situation for both parties.

HPV Rorschach supports people with disabilities from childhood to old age in a comprehensive sense. Meaningful employment is extremely important. Because work means making an active contribution to society and to one's own livelihood, HPV offers a wide range of activities in its own large production and service department. With the production of GIFAS socket distributors, HPV can offer sheltered jobs and enable employees to lead a valuable life.

Find out more about the valuable work of HPV employees and their everyday lives in our video.