SDG 12: Sustainable production

We process recyclable materials and work to ensure that materials used in buildings are recovered and recycled.

Unsustainable consumption and production patterns are the main cause of the triple planetary crisis: climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Our resources are limited. This also applies to the materials processed by SOMMER: steel, aluminium and glass. In order to continue to live well and to enable future generations to do so, we need to change our consumption patterns and production processes.

As an industrial company, we strive for a consistent circular economy in which our products and materials circulate in the technosphere according to the Cradle to Cradle model.

Our measures to improve sustainability in the area of operating technology

Conversion of paint shop to dry extraction system

Decommissioning of petrol station

SOMMER is a member of A|U|F e.V.

We use the light and versatile material aluminium for a large number of our products. This can be recycled as often as required for the same product application without any loss of quality. Even analytically, it is not possible to prove whether an aluminium bolt was made from primary or secondary material. To produce secondary aluminium from recycled material, only about 5 % of the energy used for primary production is required. The recycling process produces half a kilogram ofCO2 per kilogram of aluminium (as opposed to 10 kg per 1 kg of primary aluminium). Furthermore, the demand for aluminium is so high that it is economically and ecologically absolutely necessary to recycle this valuable material.

In order to enable an environmentally sound and resource-saving recyclable material cycle, the aluminium used must be collected and processed. Since about 76.5 % of mineral waste comes from the building industry, A|U|F e.V. has set itself the goal of promoting the responsible disposal and reprocessing of dismantled building elements/building profiles of windows, doors and façades made of aluminium for the purpose of material reuse. The association, which is supported by German metal construction companies, system houses and other companies, also strengthens the European economic area, as the material remains within the European Community and its recycling system; there is no export outside Europe.

As a certified A|U|F member, SOMMER participates in a closed loop and fulfils the requirements of the Recycling Management Act and the Resource Efficiency Programme (ProgRess) of the German government.

Certificate 2024

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Certifications/LEED/DGNB

One of SOMMER's goals is to continuously improve the sustainability of our construction projects by complying with the specifications of sustainability system certificates such as LEED, DGNB during planning, production, assembly and deconstruction. That is why we have been a member of DGNB e.V. since 2019.

founded in 2007, the DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council) is now Europe's largest network for sustainable building with around 1,200 member organisations. The aim of the association is to promote sustainability in the construction and real estate industry and to anchor it in the consciousness of the general public. With the DGNB certification system, the non-profit organisation has developed a planning and optimisation tool for assessing sustainable buildings, interiors and neighbourhoods, which helps to increase real sustainability in construction projects.

These sustainability certifications of building projects are available in different gradations: certified or bronze, silver, gold and platinum. At the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB e.V.), a diamond award for special design quality can be achieved in addition to the gold or platinum certificate. Particularly outstanding with this award is the high degree of fulfilment of the ecological quality of 94.7 %.
The headquarters of the electricity transmission grid operator 50Hertz Transmission GmbH is the first building in the world to receive the DGNB Diamond Award - of course, SOMMER was significantly involved with the façade! The central role of sustainable construction in our activities is played by the building products, which are decisive for the overall performance of the building. This begins with the responsible extraction of raw materials, the environmental impact during production, emissions from the products when installed and extends to the recycling issue at the end of the product life cycle - can they be reused, recycled or disposed of safely without any problems? In order to document this transparently, comprehensive, product-specific verifications are necessary. Ecological construction guarantees reduced pollutant emissions, improved energy efficiency and resource conservation. Long-lasting buildings and low maintenance costs due to high-quality products as well as deconstructability and recycling are thus promoted. Photo: HGEsch
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Bauen im Bestand

The building sector plays a key role in a closed-loop circular economy because it is one of the most resource-intensive economic sectors and is responsible for around 14 per cent of Germany's total CO2 emissions.* Natural resources for traditional building materials are finite. In addition, construction and demolition waste accounts for the largest part of the German waste generation. Therefore, it is not only important to build in a resource-saving manner, but also to keep buildings in use for a long time.

SOMMER is not only involved in new buildings, but also in renovation projects:

Pöhlmann Schaffer Nürnberg

Seehofhallen Memmelsdorf

R+V Allgemeine Versicherung München (previous Riesstraße München)

EVO training workshop

Castle Gallery Bayreuth

Sandler Schwarzenbach/S.