“Sustainability is not a goal, but an attitude.”
Interview on sustainability with Finstral Managing Director, Joachim Oberrauch.
As second-generation head of Finstral AG, Joachim Oberrauch knows that the company would probably not exist in its present form if sustainability had not been given high priority from the very start.
Mr Oberrauch, what does sustainability mean to you personally?
For me, sustainability means creating something that lasts and offers benefits over a long period – which is basically the same as consuming ever fewer resources. As I see it, sustainability is not a goal, but an attitude – a mindful one.
In what way does Finstral act sustainably?
By being mindful of all issues across the board. Our products have a service life of 30 to 40 years or even longer. Performance and aesthetics should thus endure for as long as possible. At the same time, energy use for manufacturing should be rationalised and minimised. The fact that we produce almost everything ourselves sets us apart from many other companies in the industry. This also gives us the power, from the very outset, to fashion top-performing products. From the early development stages, we carefully consider which materials to use and how to combine these in the best possible way.
Finstral’s product range now offers immense variety. How do you manage to ensure that every product model is sustainably designed?
This can be achieved with the help of consistent modularity. As a result, almost everything in the Finstral range is combinable with everything else. Yet, modularity also saves us the considerable effort – plus energy and resources – needed for the production and storage of product variants. Another key aspect concerns our intelligent installation solutions. Even today, on-site assembly is often every bit as complicated as it was 30 years ago. With mounting frames for new-builds and slide-on systems for refurbishment, we offer smart alternatives that consume significantly less energy and material.
How does Finstral promote sustainability?
By constantly scrutinising and single-mindedly optimising all its processes. For production, for example, we operate an energy management system to ISO 50001 and an environmental management system to ISO 14001 to verify processes, continuously improve our energy performance and systematically identify weak points. Year after year, we invest in improvements to our systems and processes – from the deployment of state-of-the-art, energy-efficient machinery and switchover to LED lighting to the installation of photovoltaic panels on the factory rooftops. We now use 100 % green electricity at our Italian and German plants. The manufacture of our uPVC product components is completely waste-free as all production residue is collected, separated into pure components and reused to make new profiles. Our new recycling facility at Kurtatsch (South Tyrol/Italy) came into operation in May 2021. We are currently working towards reducing packaging: for consignments that we receive from our suppliers and that we send to our customers.
Finstral has existed since 1969. What did sustainability mean back then?
To understand that, we first need to talk about wood as a construction material. Wood is a top-quality and highly emotive material with a strong feel-good factor. Its downside is that it weathers over time. And it was out of this very dilemma that Finstral was born: my father, a joiner by trade, set about looking for a durable, easy-care alternative and his attention was drawn to uPVC as a colour-fast and extremely weather-resistant material. He was so convinced that he decided to break new ground. It can be said with hindsight that even Finstral’s foundation was prompted by sustainability awareness.
Mr Oberrauch, what does sustainability mean to you personally?
For me, sustainability means creating something that lasts and offers benefits over a long period – which is basically the same as consuming ever fewer resources. As I see it, sustainability is not a goal, but an attitude – a mindful one.
In what way does Finstral act sustainably?
By being mindful of all issues across the board. Our products have a service life of 30 to 40 years or even longer. Performance and aesthetics should thus endure for as long as possible. At the same time, energy use for manufacturing should be rationalised and minimised. The fact that we produce almost everything ourselves sets us apart from many other companies in the industry. This also gives us the power, from the very outset, to fashion top-performing products. From the early development stages, we carefully consider which materials to use and how to combine these in the best possible way.
Finstral’s product range now offers immense variety. How do you manage to ensure that every product model is sustainably designed?
This can be achieved with the help of consistent modularity. As a result, almost everything in the Finstral range is combinable with everything else. Yet, modularity also saves us the considerable effort – plus energy and resources – needed for the production and storage of product variants. Another key aspect concerns our intelligent installation solutions. Even today, on-site assembly is often every bit as complicated as it was 30 years ago. With mounting frames for new-builds and slide-on systems for refurbishment, we offer smart alternatives that consume significantly less energy and material.
How does Finstral promote sustainability?
By constantly scrutinising and single-mindedly optimising all its processes. For production, for example, we operate an energy management system to ISO 50001 and an environmental management system to ISO 14001 to verify processes, continuously improve our energy performance and systematically identify weak points. Year after year, we invest in improvements to our systems and processes – from the deployment of state-of-the-art, energy-efficient machinery and switchover to LED lighting to the installation of photovoltaic panels on the factory rooftops. We now use 100 % green electricity at our Italian and German plants. The manufacture of our uPVC product components is completely waste-free as all production residue is collected, separated into pure components and reused to make new profiles. Our new recycling facility at Kurtatsch (South Tyrol/Italy) came into operation in May 2021. We are currently working towards reducing packaging: for consignments that we receive from our suppliers and that we send to our customers.
Finstral has existed since 1969. What did sustainability mean back then?
To understand that, we first need to talk about wood as a construction material. Wood is a top-quality and highly emotive material with a strong feel-good factor. Its downside is that it weathers over time. And it was out of this very dilemma that Finstral was born: my father, a joiner by trade, set about looking for a durable, easy-care alternative and his attention was drawn to uPVC as a colour-fast and extremely weather-resistant material. He was so convinced that he decided to break new ground. It can be said with hindsight that even Finstral’s foundation was prompted by sustainability awareness.
The modern recycling plant ensures the inhouse reuse of all reject bars and offcut from the uPVC profiles produced by the company.
As second-generation President of the Board of Directors, Joachim Oberrauch benefits from the sustainable decision-making of his father and his uncle that targeted consistently supreme quality standards. That is why Finstral single-mindedly follows this path.
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