Sustainability at Truma
Caravanning and a passion for nature belong together. This is why Truma thinks long-term and acts sustainably.
Sustainable action – now and in the future
To live up to our responsibilities as a company, we place great value on long-term, sustainable solutions.
The term ‘sustainability’ can be divided into the three topics Environmental, Social and Governance. The consideration of these ESG issues forms the basis of responsible corporate governance. This in turn gives rise to our aspiration to act in an ecologically sustainable, socially just, and economically efficient manner.
Below we present some examples of the successes we have already achieved and explain how we ensure continuous improvement in these areas – now and in the future!
Environmental
Energy demand
Solar energy
The Putzbrunn site has been generating electricity from solar power since 2005 thanks to the installation of photovoltaic systems. Photovoltaic systems are installed on almost every economically usable surface at the site, and the installation of photovoltaic systems is always part of the planning for new buildings.
E-mobility
To reduce the vehicle fleet’s CO2 emissions from fuel consumption, Truma has been focusing on electromobility since 2015. Around 10% of its vehicle fleet currently consists of fully electric or hybrid vehicles. This increases to 25% in the pool car fleet. Our employees also have access to e-charging stations to charge their private or company e-vehicles with 100% green electricity.
Emissions
Our site-based energy procurement is focussed on reducing direct (Scope 1) and indirect (Scope 2) CO2 emissions. Besides using energy as efficiently as possible with a correlating reduction in energy requirements, we focus on the use of renewable energies.
Green electricity
100% of Truma’s electricity requirements that exceed in-house generation are sourced from renewable energy. The majority of this is certified green electricity from hydropower.
District heating project
We want to use district heating in future so that we can also reduce our carbon emissions when generating heat at our Putzbrunn site. To this end, we are currently planning to connect to Munich public utilities’ south-east district heating network, which is fed by geothermal energy. Heat delivery is planned to commence by the end of 2026, and further information on the project can be found in this flyer. By switching from natural gas to district heating, we expect to save around 500 tonnes of CO2 equivalents every year.
Resource use
Rainwater harvesting
The rainwater that accumulates on site is collected in two large cisterns (4,000 litre and 5,000 litre capacity). Depending on the amount of rainfall, up to 250,000 litres of rainwater per year can be used as grey water for flushing the sanitary facilities, saving valuable drinking water.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
First and foremost, Truma always endeavours to reduce its own resource consumption and waste generation or, where possible, to reuse resources. Any waste that does occur is disposed of by certified waste management companies in accordance with the German Commercial Waste Ordinance and returned to the material cycle. We have also done away with most plastic packaging material. Instead, Truma relies predominantly on cardboard packaging, which in 2023, for example, accounted for around 90% by mass of the packaging waste put into circulation by Truma.
Service and repair
Truma is known for its excellent service and works with around 1,000 service partners in several countries. Furthermore, we offer our customers additional ways to bolster our products’ long service lives through our own service technicians and the repair department at our main site in Putzbrunn. We also help to conserve resources and minimise waste through our commitment to our products’ quality and durability.
Products
Approvals & product compliance
By having our products tested for conformity with the low-voltage directives (2014/35/EU) and EMC directives (2014/30/EU) by renowned institutes such as TÜV Süd, VDE, Intertek and SGS, we ensure that our products not only meet safety requirements in terms of electrical safety and electromagnetic compatibility, but also contribute to sustainability through their durability. At the same time, by certifying the components of our water systems in accordance with the Drinking Water Directive (EU) 2020/2184, we are making a significant contribution to protecting health by ensuring that the materials used do not contain any harmful substances that could otherwise enter the water circulation.
Reducing emissions from products
Truma considers various approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions during product development. For example, some of our new heaters achieve efficiency up to 10 percentage points above the normative requirements. Furthermore, when using the electric heating function with electricity from renewable energy sources, it is possible to heat with reduced emissions. In addition, Truma diesel heaters are also approved for operation with XtL/HVO fuel, provided the vehicle manufacturer has also approved the fuel. Another indirect source of greenhouse gases is synthetic refrigerants in air conditioning systems. In the event of defects in the refrigeration circuit or improper disposal, these can enter the environment and cause considerable damage. That is why we are one of the first manufacturers in the caravanning industry to use R290 in our Aventa 2nd generation, which is significantly more climate-friendly than other refrigerants and has a global warming potential (GWP) value of 3.
Electrification of heaters
Since the 1990s, the Truma product portfolio has offered hybrid heaters that can combine fossil fuels and electrical power as energy sources. We will continue to do so in the future, because we think e-mobility and camping go well together! We are therefore developing various heating concepts so that we are prepared for potential future applications and can further reduce fossil fuel use.
Product longevity
Another integral component of our product development is our “Design for Repairability”. In order to meet our own as well as the legal requirements for product repairability, an interdisciplinary team from our development, repair and service departments gets to work right from the product creation stage. After the market launch, we offer training for our specialist dealers and service partners through our own training department to enable product repairability in the field. Last but not least, we even ensure spare part availability for up to 20 years for certain products, over and above the legal requirements.Social
Employees
Take care health programme
Truma helps make its working environment and organisation conducive to good health through its occupational health management programme. It achieves this through various events and sporting activities as well as information on ergonomics in the workplace, stress, and the dangers of addiction. We also offer our employees a healthy diet with regional produce, outstanding quality and plenty of variety in our company restaurant.
Future Work concept
This work concept, which made it to the final round of the HR Excellence Awards 2022, demonstrates Truma’s future viability in the HR sector. The concept offers Truma employees the opportunity to use the most suitable working conditions for their individual needs, whether that is on site, remote or hybrid. This makes it even easier to combine work and family life, and employees can even take a ‘workation’ for up to 20 days within the EU.
TOP employer
Not least due to the measures described above, Truma has already been recognised several times as one of the TOP employers in the German SME sector. This is also reflected in the numbers: The average length of service is around 10 years and Truma employs people from over 30 different nationalities.
Truma foundation
The Truma owner family established the Renate Schimmer-Wottrich foundation in 2011. Since then, the foundation has supported charitable causes every year with a focus on helping children, young people and families in the greater Munich area. The aim is to provide socially disadvantaged families in particular with care, support and prospects for the future. Further information can be found on the foundation’s homepage.
Gouvernance
Corporate management
Code of Conduct
The Truma Code of Conduct sets out our expectations for all employees as well as our suppliers. In it, we lay down rules for ethical, legal and compliant behaviour and commit ourselves and those working with us to comply with these guidelines. In addition to many other measures, our Code of Conduct is a key element in fulfilling our responsibility in the supply chain.
EcoProfit (Ökoprofit) participation
Truma has been part of the Ökoprofit energy efficiency and climate protection network in Munich for many years. This facilitates regular discussions to share experiences, suggestions and measures around energy efficiency and climate protection.
Whistleblower Tool
The Whistleblower tool set up by Truma in accordance with the Whistleblower Protection Act gives employees, customers, suppliers and other affected parties a way to draw attention to grievances. This allows us to create even more transparency and to fulfil our corporate responsibility.
Management systems
The introduction and maintenance of various management systems is an important cornerstone for achieving continuous improvement in operations. At Truma, management systems have been certified and maintained for energy (DIN EN ISO 50001) and environment (DIN EN ISO 14001) since 2015/16, as well as for quality (DIN EN ISO 9001) and information security (DIN EN ISO 27001).
