Governance – acting with values, steering sustainably
At ZWILLING, sustainability shapes every step. We set clear goals you can measure, assign responsibilities, and collect data with care. Our compliance system keeps each process transparent and straightforward. This creates a solid framework for value-led action, helps you handle risks, and builds trust that lasts.
Our areas of action in governance
Sustainable Corporate Governance
At ZWILLING, sustainability shapes our actions. Clear principles guide us as we create value with our brands for generations. We embed ecological, social, and ethical standards more deeply at every stage of our value chain, driving positive change in our industry.
Our Sustainability Strategy: We Care
We all face global ecological and social challenges. As an international consumer goods manufacturer and a family business with a long tradition, we take responsibility – for the climate, for careful use of resources, and for fair working conditions. Our We Care sustainability strategy brings this commitment together and focuses on real, measurable impact.
Our mission: We constantly develop our range – with durable, high-quality products that support a sustainable lifestyle. We firmly anchor environmental and social standards in our processes. We foster a diverse, global team and create a safe, inclusive workplace. We also engage in the communities where we live and work.
What Matters to Us: A New Look at Materiality
In 2024, we carried out a materiality analysis for the first time, following the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). This lays the groundwork for future, standardised reporting and confirms our sustainability priorities in a changing regulatory environment. ZWILLING does not have a separate reporting obligation – this is handled at group level by Werhahn – but we chose to follow the ESRS framework. In this way, we meet all requirements and sharpen our sustainability focus.
Setting Priorities Together with Stakeholders
The ESRS double materiality approach looks at how our actions touch the environment and society, and also at financial opportunities and risks from ecological and social factors. First, we identified key internal and external stakeholders – including ZWILLING teams, the Sustainability Council, Werhahn Holding, local institutions, and main suppliers.
Next, we carried out a pre-assessment to organise potential sustainability topics according to ESRS and set an initial framework for impacts, risks, and opportunities. The following stakeholder dialogue compared our first assessment with external perspectives, reflecting on and evaluating the importance of each topic. Finally, all feedback was brought together in the ZWILLING Sustainability Council for discussion and validation – and in November 2024, the ZWILLING Board approved the results.
Key Fields of Action
The materiality analysis confirms ZWILLING’s existing sustainability focus. Climate protection and CO₂ reduction stand out as central topics (ESRS E1).
Stakeholders also highlight durable, repairable products made from sustainable materials as essential (ESRS E5). Fair working conditions, protection of human rights, and a healthy, safe workplace are just as important (ESRS S1/S2).
Responsibility in the supply chain – especially regarding environmental and social risks – is also a priority (ESRS S21). Stakeholders attach great importance to honest, ethically guided corporate governance (ESRS G1). The circular economy is named as a new strategic area that ZWILLING will develop further (ESRS E5).
Our Sustainability Goals for 2030
The priorities from our materiality analysis confirm our direction. Our sustainability goals for 2030 remain our guiding framework for the coming years.
Responsibility for Our Employees
We encourage engagement and personal development – for a strong, diverse team.
Sustainable Products & Packaging
We think holistically – from product design to packaging.
- Reduce CO₂ footprint
- Improve repairability
- 100% FSC®-certified wood
- 100% recyclable packaging
- Avoid plastic wherever possible
Energy Efficiency & Environmental Protection
We systematically reduce emissions at our production and logistics sites. Target: 42% less CO₂ by 2030 (Scope 1 & 2, base year: 2021)
Sustainable Supply Chain
We take responsibility for our value chain. We expect suppliers to meet social and environmental standards – clearly and verifiably.
Responsibility for Society
With local initiatives, we strengthen community spirit at our locations worldwide.
Sustainability Management with Clear Responsibilities
Our sustainability organisation firmly anchors our goals and actions within the company and ensures real progress in every area. The Chief Operations Officer (COO) of ZWILLING J.A. Henckels AG leads the sustainable transformation, regularly coordinates strategy with the full board, and reports annually to the Supervisory Board.
The Sustainability Manager is responsible for day-to-day implementation, coordinates activities, builds a unified data management system, and prepares sustainability figures for ESRS reporting at group level. As the highest body, the ZWILLING Sustainability Council, led by the Sustainability Officer, steers all global sustainability activities, makes key decisions on strategy, and prepares proposals for the board.
A Transparent Data Foundation
Collecting and preparing reliable, consistent data along complex value chains is vital for steering our sustainability efforts. We focus especially on energy efficiency and environmental protection.
At all production and logistics sites worldwide, we record energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. Reliable Scope 1 and Scope 2 data allow us to set targeted reduction measures and track progress transparently. At the same time, we expand data collection in our supply chain to include more Scope 3 emissions.
We also gather more detailed information on materials, recycled content, and resource flows in our product range. This expanded data base helps us further develop product and packaging design in a sustainable way, optimise resource use, and close material cycles.
Sustainability: A Shared Responsibility for Politics, Society, and Business
Ariane Bischoff took part as a stakeholder in ZWILLING’s latest materiality analysis. In this interview, she shares her perspective on the responsibility of companies in climate and resource protection, the importance of sustainable consumption, and how business, city, and civil society work together – all key to achieving Solingen’s sustainability and climate goals.
“ZWILLING’s goal to cut absolute CO₂ emissions at production and logistics sites by 42 percent by 2030, compared to 2021, and to use 100 percent green electricity in Solingen, clearly supports Solingen’s climate targets.”
Ariane Bischoff, Head of the Mayor’s Office “Sustainability and Climate Protection”, City of Solingen
Ariane Bischoff: Solingen can only achieve its sustainability and climate goals when everyone participates – companies, associations, institutions, and households.
Local businesses play a key role. They account for around 38 percent of Solingen’s energy use and 40 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions. Their commitment is crucial for the city’s economic strength and for securing jobs and training.
Over the past decades, companies have helped reduce the city’s total energy and resource consumption by about 37 percent since 1990, as shown in Solingen’s 2023 greenhouse gas balance. This progress also brings direct economic benefits.
Solingen’s climate neutrality roadmap, adopted by the council in 2024, shows that switching fully to renewable energy – alongside saving energy – offers great potential. By moving electricity and heating to renewables, as planned in Solingen, nearly half (47 percent) of citywide greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced.
ZWILLING’s goal to reduce absolute CO₂ emissions at production and logistics sites by 42 percent by 2030, compared to 2021, and to use 100 percent green electricity in Solingen, clearly contributes to the city’s climate targets. Lowering the CO₂ footprint of products is challenging, especially with energy-intensive, fossil-based steel processes. With a new knife made from emissions-reduced steel that cuts the CO₂ footprint by 50 percent compared to conventional knife steel, ZWILLING shows that solutions are possible. These solutions need to reach more people, and for that, consumers need to recognise and choose these valuable products.
A key part of Solingen’s climate neutrality plan is to minimise raw material use and waste by encouraging everyone to create and use durable, circular materials and products. Advancing innovative solutions means rethinking production, supply chains, and business models. In this spirit, ZWILLING’s project to return steel offcuts from its production back into the steelmaking process is a scalable, circular approach.
Ariane Bischoff: Many people are open to sustainable, resource-saving habits when they see the benefits and can easily put them into practice. However, for many, how food and products are made has become distant. Often, people do not see the effort behind healthy, durable, high-value products and may choose seemingly cheaper, less sustainable items – even if they could afford sustainable ones. Companies, retailers, and education providers need to make the advantages clear and tangible.
ZWILLING shows how long its products last and offers repair and resharpening services, reaching conscious consumers. It is important to apply sustainability principles visibly and consistently – for example, by designing products with FSC®-certified, preferably regional wood for handles, or using minimal, recycled packaging, as ZWILLING already does for certain product lines. The company’s vacuum system, which keeps food fresh longer and helps reduce food waste, is another example of how innovative products can make sustainable living easier.
In Solingen, the “Gläserne Werkstatt” (Transparent Workshop) is a place for quality and sustainability, aiming to become a marketplace for sustainable products from Solingen and the region. As a city lab and creative space, it brings resource-saving habits closer to people of all ages with cooking workshops, do-it-yourself sessions, and repair cafés.
Solingen’s broad-based climate and sustainability education – now established in many nurseries, primary schools, secondary schools, youth centres, and even sports clubs – helps children, young people, and families embrace sustainable lifestyles.
Ariane Bischoff: Decent living and working conditions, fair pay, and standards for health, social care, and education are essential for us – but worldwide, they remain a major challenge and are crucial for achieving universal human rights and sustainability goals. Solingen is working to make its own procurement socially and environmentally responsible. International companies need to implement the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act step by step, using risk analysis, prevention, and controls along the value chain.
ZWILLING applies a code of conduct for suppliers with binding ecological and social standards, conducts training and audits worldwide, and provides disadvantaged children and young people with access to education and health care at its international sites. This shows responsibility and social commitment.
Implementing human rights and environmental standards throughout the entire value chain, especially in complex supply chains, is a long-term task, especially as global changes continue. ZWILLING’s use of BSCI audits to identify supply chain risks demonstrates its commitment to solutions.
Those responsible at company sites need to identify and resolve any issues in the supply chain. At the same time, it is important to involve consumers and show how social and environmental standards are put into practice in product lines. Since 2018, Solingen – the “City of Blades” – has been a certified “Fairtrade Town”, joining over 900 communities worldwide that promote sustainable procurement and fair trade through public activities. Solingen works with partners from retail, churches, civil society, and education. Practical examples from Solingen companies are always welcome.
Corporate Governance and Compliance
ZWILLING stands for leadership grounded in values. You combine sustainable value creation with transparent, lawful actions. Our global compliance management system secures every legal requirement and internal guideline. This gives you a clear path for decisions and strategies – in every ZWILLING company, at every location.
Compliance Management System
Our global compliance management system sits at the heart of our corporate governance. This system helps you spot risks early, take action, and protect ZWILLING’s reputation. The Head of Compliance & ICS and 16 local compliance officers in our subsidiaries drive this work. The system connects you directly with the Werhahn Group network and works closely with the internal audit team at Wilh. Werhahn KG. Your focus: follow the law, act with integrity, especially in antitrust, anti-corruption, fraud prevention, and corporate due diligence.
Group-wide Whistleblower System
At ZWILLING, you have a voice. Every employee and external partner can report possible compliance concerns – always confidentially and anonymously, using an external web platform or a free hotline. An independent ombudsperson receives and checks your report, and passes it on for further review if needed. Alongside direct contact with your supervisor or local compliance officer, this gives you a simple, accessible way to speak up.
Compliance Training for Employees
ZWILLING helps you follow the rules and act with care. Regular training gives you the tools to understand compliance and spot risks in your daily work. You can access digital courses on the Werhahn Code of Conduct, antitrust law, and anti-discrimination through our group-wide Moodle platform. We also offer training on data protection and IT security. We keep our content fresh and relevant, so you always learn what matters now – with practical examples. Our goal: everyone joins in, we track participation, and we move forward together.
"Respect for human rights is a core part of our responsibility at ZWILLING. We weave human rights due diligence into our processes – and take action wherever risks appear or people need protection."
Tim Decken, Human Rights Officer of the ZWILLING Group
