Our Responsibility
Sustainability
“What we do today determines what the world of tomorrow will look like”
Freifrau Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach
Efficient resource management, ecological product design and a sustainable location policy are decisive success factors for our company and reflect our responsibility for future generations. In our economic activities, we have both a direct and indirect influence on the environment and on society.
Sustainable Quality
Our fields of action for sustainability
Environment
Quality
People
Suppliers and Partners
Certification
Our quality and environmental management, i.e. all processes for quality assurance, environmentally conscious economic activity and occupational safety, are tested and certified in accordance with the international standards for the evaluation of management systems.
Our products are low-emission and suitable for use in the home or office environment without any health risks. The wood-based materials used are sourced from sustainable forestry.
Our products and product services fulfil the quality criteria for office workstations, which have been jointly published by the German Institute for Standardisation (DIN), the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV), the Industrieverband für Büro- und Arbeitswelt e. V. (German Interior Business Association) (IBA), the Deutsches Netzwerk Büro e. V. and the Handelsverband Büro und Schreibkultur (HBS).
Our products fulfil the requirements of the highest achievable level for sustainable products of the sustainability standard for indoor office and contract furniture of the European Office Furniture Federation (FEMB). Criteria such as materials used, including chemicals, energy consumption, impact on the environment and social factors are audited and assessed.
Our environmental management fulfils the requirements of the European EMAS regulation, which demands continuous improvement in environmental performance in addition to compliance with the requirements of DIN EN ISO 14001. This involves regular audits and assessments of environmental indicators such as energy consumption, material efficiency and CO2 emissions by independent experts. We publish the environmental indicators annually in our environmental statement.
The wood for the chipboard used in our products comes from sustainably managed forests. It is produced, harvested and traded under eco-friendly and socially responsible conditions.
Environment
“The major threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” Robert Swan
For us, responsible, ecologically sustainable action means continuously improving our operational environmental performance and involving our partners in the development of more sustainable processes or the optimisation of materials. In addition, we provide an undisturbed natural area at our Plant 2 site for the bees of REISS Zweck e.V., which contribute to biodiversity and provide us with delicious honey from time to time.
Preventive environmental protection at REISS:
- Reduction of resource consumption – material, energy, water, etc. – through continuous evaluation of the technologies, procedures and materials used and the optimisation of processes
- Use of environmentally friendly, reusable and recyclable materials and PEFC™-certified wood-based materials
- Products can be separated by type at the end of their life cycle
- Long service life thanks to functional product design and long-term supply of spare parts – 10-year subsequent delivery guarantee
- Reduction and proper disposal of waste
- Assessment of emissions into the atmosphere (dust, gas, noise) and determination of measures
- Regional procurement
Quality
"Producing quality requires the involvement of everyone." REISS quality principle
We REISSians work every day to deliver high-quality products and first-class performance and to become better and better at what we do. The REISS brand guarantees excellent performance and reliability of our office furniture systems as well as good service.
Our modern production facilities and efficient process and resource management ensure REISS quality at a fair price. For us, quality also means offering sustainable products. They are designed for a long service life and are maintenance-free. They can be easily upgraded and repaired if necessary. We also provide original spare parts or parts with an equivalent function for a period of 10 years after a product or series has been discontinued.
- Certified quality management DIN ISO 9001
- Product certifications, such as Quality Office, GS "tested for safety" or FEMB level
- We manufacture at our sites in Bad Liebenwerda
People
“We are not only responsible for what we do, but also for what we don’t do.” Molière
We see the key approaches to socially sustainable action in the satisfaction of our employees, the promotion of participation and our commitment to the region.
Our employees are the foundation for all the services we provide as a company.
Occupational safety and health promotion are therefore just as important as continuously improving the work quality. Flexibility in the organisation of working hours and the involvement of our employees in company processes, their promotion and further development as well as their deployment according to their abilities are the basis for increased work quality and satisfaction.
You can learn more about the role that inclusion plays at REISS under "Participation through inclusion".
Within the realms of our possibilities, we take responsibility for local projects. Promoting education, sport and culture is a matter close to our hearts and benefits not least the families of our employees. You can find out more about our commitment in the Bad Liebenwerda region under "Social Engagement".
Socially sustainable behaviour means taking responsibility for employees in the company, for the region and also within our supply chain. Find out more under "Suppliers and Partners" and in our "Compliance Guidelines".
For us, inclusion is not just a buzzword, but a corporate culture that we live by. We are actively committed to ensuring that people with disabilities have the same opportunities on the labour market as everyone else. Through our measures and offers, we want to contribute to every employee feeling valued and integrated. In our company we employ about 5 % disabled employees, mainly in the field of assembly and as helpers. Our REISS representative for the severely disabled takes care of the concerns of our affected employees. We are proud that we offer people with disabilities the opportunity to work in our company and to develop professionally.
In addition, we work in cooperation with the ELSTER WERKE gGmbH a non-profit institution for adults who, due to the nature and severity of their disability, cannot, or not yet, return to work in the general labour market.
Furthermore, it is important to us to reintegrate employees who have been ill for a long time into everyday working life. To achieve this, we work closely with the employment agency. Together we develop individual measures to facilitate reintegration.
Locally, we work closely with ELSTER WERKE gGmbH, a non-profit organisation for adults who, due to the nature and severity of their cognitive or physical impairment, are not able to work in the general labour market. In this way, we also contribute to the social integration and occupational rehabilitation of these people. ELSTER gWERKE GmbH has a wide range of services and for example carries out orders for us in wood and metal processing and produces the majority of our print products. Find out more about their profile and services on their website.
Supporting and promoting young people in the areas of sport, culture and education as well as supporting social institutions are particularly important in a structurally weak region and a matter of the heart for us. Among others, we support the following organisations and initiatives:
- Robert REISS primary and secondary school Bad Liebenwerda
- Primary school Erich-Schindler Wahrenbrück
- FC Bad Liebenwerda
- BigBand Bad Liebenwerda
- Südbrandenburgische Orgelakademie e.V. (South Brandenburg Organ Academy)
- HausLeben Kurstadtregion Elbe-Elster e.V.
- Training initiatives with regional schools
Suppliers and Partners
“Sustainability is about persistence, not perfection.” – unknown
The behaviour of our suppliers and partners with regard to the environment and sustainability, as well as the environmentally friendly quality of the materials and products supplied, significantly determine our own environmental performance and the sustainability of our business activities. We therefore select our partners according to defined criteria and work together in partnership to continuously improve our performance. For example, we consider:
- Certification according to DIN EN ISO 9001 and DIN EN ISO 14001
- Certification according to PEFC (COC)
- Compliance with our “Code of Conduct” for suppliers
- Reduction of transport routes – regional before international procurement
