At Erich Keller, sustainability is not an isolated project. It has grown over decades: out of environmental management, material decisions, energy efficiency, social responsibility and durable products. The milestones do not only show successes. They show an attitude: measure, review, improve – where the impact is greatest. Today the most important levers lie in energy, materials, the supply chain and service life. The path there began more than 30 years ago.
1992
Erich Keller records its first environmental and operating indicators. At the same time the targeted development of production begins – with water-based lacquers, more environmentally friendly finishes, a lacquer coagulation plant and a company site designed close to nature.
1997
Erich Keller introduces environmental management to ISO 14001 and has it certified. Sustainability thus becomes not only an attitude but a verifiable management process.
1999
Ecological responsibility is anchored in the mission statement. In the same year the company site designed close to nature receives an award – an early sign of responsibility beyond production.
2006
The company site is certified by “Nature & Economy”. More than 90 native plant species, a biotope, a flower meadow and habitats for insects make ecological responsibility directly visible in Sulgen.
2010
Erich Keller switches to low-formaldehyde MDF panels and has its energy efficiency externally audited. The energy check confirms that the obvious measures have largely been exhausted and implemented.
2013
With central vacuum processing, server room cooling and the Swisscom Businesspark Ittigen, Erich Keller shows that energy efficiency counts not only within its own operations but also delivers results in complex customer projects.
2018
The cantonal requirement of at least 15 % electricity savings is exceeded at 20.9 %. At the same time waste volumes fall significantly over a 10-year comparison.
2021
Erich Keller begins building a corporate CO₂ balance in line with ISO 14064-1 and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. The climate impact is thus recorded systematically and made manageable.
2023
Swiss Climate, EcoVadis, a code of conduct, photovoltaics, supplier responsibility and the collaboration with Valida broaden the sustainability work. Ecological, social and economic responsibility interlock more closely.
2024
The CO₂ balance becomes more precise. It shows that the greatest impact lies in raw materials, materials, the supply chain, energy and durable products. Clearer targets for reduction, operations and procurement emerge from this.
2026
By purchasing the property and the land, Erich Keller creates the basis for developing the Sulgen site further over the long term.
This includes investments in energy optimisation, resource-efficient building services and more energy-efficient climate control.
