
Your contact:
Thomas Keßeler
E-mail
t.kesseler@klueh.de
Sustainability is part of our company’s DNA and one aspect of our long-term corporate focus. Klüh is a labour-intensive service provider with a long tradition that is committed to acting in the interest of people and to sustainably preserving the value of their environment. To us as a multiservice provider, sustainability in our business operations means creating value for our clients, maintaining a culture of innovation, being an attractive employer and preserving resources – both within our company and in the services we provide to our clients (see Klüh materiality matrix).
Initiated in 2022, our sustainability strategy provides us with the direction to achieve this. Our focus is always on ensuring our clients’ satisfaction because, without them, Klüh would not have enjoyed the success it has for more than 100 years. We see ourselves as the ‘#zukunftsleister’ – the service innovator – demonstrating our deep awareness for the future with services we are already introducing today. The following extracts from our sustainability targets highlight specific achievements.
Thanks to innovation by our divisions, with key contributions from our Center of Digital Excellence, we are pressing ahead when it comes to the future issues of sustainability and digital transformation. On the basis of data, we can achieve a great deal such as reducing the use of cleaning agents, avoiding food waste and safeguarding critical infrastructure.
One key step in our strategic development was the company-wide introduction of a sustainability management software. This facilitates precise and systematic data collection, supporting preparation for the new CSRD reporting requirements.
Through certification to the ‘ZNU Standard – driving sustainable change’ we achieved a key milestone on our sustainability pathway.
In an era of growing digitalisation, innovation in this area especially will ensure our company’s future viability. That is why we are strengthening our focus on digital transformation – both for our clients and within our own company. Established in 2018, the Center of Digital Excellence is our in-house digital hub that works closely with our divisions to develop digital solutions. We identify innovative opportunities and pilot the use of digital technologies such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, robotics and assistance systems. In this way, we create new digital services and solutions which contribute to preserving resources and drive the industry’s sustainable development.
We utilise resources as sparingly and ecologically as possible. The highest priority in all our divisions is reducing CO2 emissions. To this end, we are developing a fleet strategy aimed at transitioning to electric vehicles and use green electricity.
The Cleaning division deploys sustainable carbon-free building cleaning processes. We are reducing the use of cleaning agents, choose chemical-free alternatives wherever possible and deploy biodegradable cleaning processes and recycled materials.
In our Catering division, our innovative AI Waste Management process is an innovative approach to reducing food waste. We also avoid packaging waste and use non-animal products to a growing extent.
One core focus at Klüh is social responsibility in all its many facets. We do everything we can to be an attractive employer and work continuously to improve our employer branding. And we are successful in this. Last year, we received recognition for our recruiting measures. In addition, our employees expressed their appreciation for the training and development opportunities provided by our in-house Klüh Academy.
Equal opportunities and diversity also play an important role for us as an international company. Employees from 122 nations contribute their origins, religions, world views and values to our daily work and collaborate in arespectful and prejudice-free working environment in line with the requirements of Germany’s General Act on Equal Treatment.
Our company has been firmly rooted in Düsseldorf since 1911 and has a long tradition of commitment to a wide range of sports, art and cultural projects within the region and across Germany. Each year, for example, the ‘Wir für Düsseldorf’ initiative established by Josef Klüh supports selected associations and projects. The Klüh Foundation sponsors innovation in science and research on an annual basis, providing both practical and financial support. Many of our employees are involved in volunteering – either as examiners for the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, as volunteer fire fighters, as disaster relief volunteers or as trainers in sports clubs.
Corporate responsibility, value-based business practices and the consistent high quality of our services are important to us. In order to sustain this approach every day, we set ourselves high standards that go beyond what is required by law. For Klüh, regular internal and external audits are essential to ensuring transparency. Below please find our operating and management principles and various reports about the sustainable quality management of our services.
Management Principles | Download PDF |
Klüh Code of Conduct | Download PDF |
Quality Mission Statement | Download PDF |
Occupational Health and Safety Policy | Download PDF |
Environmental and Energy Policy | Download PDF |
Purchasing terms and conditions | Download PDF |
Supplier Code of Conduct | Download PDF |
Certification according ZNU standard for sustainable management | Download PDF |
Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) | Download PDF |
Corporate data protection | Download PDF |
Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG) | Download PDF |
International Labour Organization (ILO) | Download PDF |
Information security | Download PDF |
The Supply Chain Due Dilligence Act (SCDDA) | Download PDF |
Reporting on sustainabilty | Download PDF |
Rating agencies at a glance | Download PDF |
The Catering division made a significant contribution to climate change mitigation in 2024. This was achieved through the consistent introduction of at least two climate-friendly dishes each week in all company canteens. These vegetarian and vegan dishes are part of the WE LOVE GREEN product line and were complemented by creative annual promotions. Compared with conventional dishes, these sustainable alternatives reduced emissions by around 243 tonnes of CO2 equivalents – underscoring the significance of environmentally friendly mass catering that does not compromise on taste.
With our new employer branding campaign under the motto ‘I won’t work for everyone – but for Klüh’, launched in June 2024, we focus on our employees and highlight the value of their work. The campaign aims to present an authentic image of our corporate culture and sustainably increase our attractiveness as an employer.
Our renewed recognition as a ‘Top Company’ with a Kununu score of 4.3 (March 2025) confirms our positive corporate culture and our employees’ high level of satisfaction This is achieved by only 5% of the companies rated and underscores our ambition to be a leading employer.
Successful certification for occupational health management highlights our commitment to ensuring our employees’ health and well-being. It is evidence that we have established sustainable structures for a healthy working environment that fosters performance.
With the introduction of our two-year ‘Making champions’ management development programme, we are investing specifically in our talents. In this way, we are strengthening leadership skills and creating a more forward-looking corporate culture.
By digitalising our training catalogue in November 2024, we simplified access to the Klüh Academy’s broad training portfolio, giving our employees the flexibility to learn wherever they want.
The Catering division is pursuing ambitious sustainability targets for 2025 that are specifically geared towards the milk and banana product categories.
In 2024, Klüh Cleaning used 65.02% (9,285,095 pieces) of all the bin liners it purchased that were climate-neutral. Some of these consist of up to 99% recycled material (including post-consumer recyclate), are produced with 100% green electricity and use high-performance polymers, which saves up to 30% plastic. Remaining emissions are offset by investments in certified Deiss climate protection projects. The goal for 2025 is to increase the proportion of climate-neutral bin liners to around 75%.
The use of washable bin liners to reduce plastic consumption was further expanded and stood at 2,006 at the end of April 2025. The aim is to increase this number to 3,000 by the end of 2025 - with a potential saving of over 30,000 kg of single-use plastic and more than 18,000 kg of CO₂ in 2025.
Klüh Cleaning aims to acquire at least 20 customers in 2025 to implement the innovation of the sustainable cleaning service EcoServ to reduce 613g CO2 / working hour and 21% less CO2 consumption compared to conventional cleaning as well as saving resources in the areas of cleaning agents, water and electricity.
At the level of social sustainability, the goal for 2025 is to receive at least one award in a main or special category at a renowned employer branding or brand award (e.g. German Brand Award) by submitting the employer branding campaign.
Furthermore, at the career development level, at least 10% of open management positions are to be filled by internal talent by 2025.
An increase in the use of health-related benefits (e.g. Jobrad, FitX, health-related workshops) by at least 5% in 2025 compared to the previous year 2024 is also planned for health benefits.