Economic Sustainability
At the CEWE Group, we view sustainability as an investment in our company’s future viability. Strong brands, innovations, efficient processes, and sustainable practices help us remain productive and competitive in the long term. Sustainability is therefore firmly anchored in our corporate strategy and is being further developed across all relevant areas of the CEWE Group.
Systematically Managing Sustainability
To achieve our sustainability goals and implement the associated measures, we have established appropriate organizational structures. Sustainability management is an integral part of corporate governance and falls under the responsibility of our CEO and the Sustainability Department. The Finance Department is responsible for overseeing CSRD reporting, which has been in effect for the CEWE Group since 2024. As the Executive Board member in charge, Sirka Hintze is responsible for Finance and Controlling.
Sustainability remains a strategic priority for us. We focus on the issues that are truly essential to our business—the ones where we, as the CEWE Group, can make a real difference.
Thomas Mehls, CEO of the CEWE Group
Our goal: a solid data foundation, realistic assumptions, clear lines of responsibility, and a transparent implementation roadmap.
Sirka Hintze, CFO of the CEWE Group
Collaborating Across Departments
The Sustainability Group coordinates the content of the CEWE Group’s sustainability strategy across departments. Participants from various functional areas are represented on this group. This team ensures a coordinated approach to addressing and implementing sustainability issues, supports the preparation of Executive Board resolutions, and advises on relevant sustainability topics at the Executive Board level.
Central Goals, Local Implementation
At the CEWE Group, we have embedded sustainability as a strategic priority across all locations and business units. Our ambassador program links the central sustainability strategy with its implementation on the ground. Sustainability ambassadors foster communication between locations, share knowledge, and ensure transparency regarding relevant developments and requirements within the CEWE Group. They contribute perspectives and experiences from their respective divisions, support the achievement of shared goals, and help identify opportunities for improvement at an early stage. In this way, we build a shared understanding of sustainability and strengthen collaboration across national, location, and divisional boundaries.
Environmental and Energy Management
To support improvements in social, environmental, and economic areas, the CEWE Group has implemented corresponding management systems. At CEWE’s four German production sites in Oldenburg, Germering, Mönchengladbach, and Freiburg, an environmental management system in accordance with DIN EN ISO 14001 was established and put into practice as early as 2011. All major CEWE production sites and DeinDesign now have a certified environmental management system. In addition, all German CEWE sites operate an energy management system in accordance with DIN EN ISO 50001.
These management systems support the implementation of social, environmental, and economic considerations and actively promote climate protection. Both systems undergo regular external reviews and audits.
Stakeholder Management
Transparent and ongoing dialogue with stakeholders is an integral part of the CEWE Group’s sustainability management. Through this dialogue, we as a corporate group aim, for example, to gauge the importance of and understanding regarding sustainability and key issues, and to address awareness of our commitment, the status of our sustainability management, and challenges in implementation.
Our definition of stakeholder engagement is based on the OECD Guidelines. We systematically engage with stakeholder groups to ensure responsible and long-term cooperation.
Further information on this topic can be found in the 2025 Annual Report starting on page 116.
Our Five Dimensions of Sustainability
We are committed to continuously improving our sustainability performance and to systematically refining and clarifying our management approach in this regard. We have anchored this strategy in five dimensions of sustainability.
