Sustainability at Kuhn Rikon

SUSTAINABILITY AT KUHN RIKON SAFEGUARDING THE JOY OF COOKING FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

Climate protection, health and fair working conditions have been a part of the Kuhn Rikon corporate culture for decades. For generations, we have been developing and producing our longlasting products with internationally renowned Swiss precision and the high quality standards of a traditional Swiss company. Around the world,

grandparents are still using the DUROMATIC® pressure cooker they purchased in their younger years. This is sustainability at its most effective. Because the longer a product is in use, the better its environmental footprint.

Kuhn Rikon wants to make its contribution to shaping a healthy and sustainable future for all.

THE FOUR PILLARS OF OUR SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY

Reducing our carbon footprint through elimination, reduction and offsetting of our CO2 emissions in all areas of our business and all our markets

Supporting a meaningful circular economy by recycling materials and products to reduce material and energy consumption as much as possible

Promoting the health of our customers through innovative products that enable a healthy diet, but also by minimising health risks through use of our products

Improving working conditions through active promotion, training and regular monitoring, both internally within the company and with our partners

REDUCING OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

CO2 is a vital gas. Plants breathe CO2 and convert it into oxygen. When the amount of CO2 and oxygen in our atmosphere are in balance, our climate is doing well.

Unfortunately, humans produce CO2 indirectly or directly with their activities in this world. Energy production, industrial combustion, transport or heating of buildings are the main sources of emissions. This puts too much CO2 into the atmosphere, creating an imbalance.

The CO2 in our atmosphere acts like a winter coat. It prevents enough heat generated on Earth from escaping into space. The Earth heats up slowly. Experts call this process "climate warming".

When Kuhn Rikon produces cookware, it uses metals that have been mined and refined somewhere in the world. These materials have to be transported to Switzerland, where they are processed into pans and pots in our factory. The machines we use consume energy. Our salespeople travel to different countries to present and sell our products. Customers drive their vehicles to different shops to find the right product or buy it online and have it sent to their home. The packaging has to be disposed of and ends up as waste in a waste incineration plant or landfill. And last but not least, the pan is put on a hob and heated - day after day, year after year. All these activities generate additional CO2 somewhere. Experts refer to the CO2 emissions caused in connection with the production of a pan as the "carbon footprint".

OUR GOAL: NET ZERO

It is part of our strategy to make this CO2 footprint of our products as small as possible. We will probably not be able to make it disappear completely.

Through innovative product development, clever material selection and continuous process optimisation, Kuhn Rikon aims to eliminate or at least reduce CO2 emissions wherever possible. Where no further reduction or elimination is possible, we will offset the amount of CO2 caused by our business activities.

By the time we celebrate our 100th anniversary, we want to be climate neutral in the sum of all our business activities. This means that Kuhn Rikon's entire CO2 footprint worldwide could either be reduced, eliminated or offset.

CO2 ELIMINATION

In elimination, the CO2 gas emitted during production is eliminated elsewhere. Various processes are under development or even already in use to actively remove CO2 from the atmosphere in order to reduce the greenhouse effect. Kuhn Rikon has entered into a partnership with the Eberhard company. Eberhard recycles concrete from building rubble into so-called circular concrete. In doing so, they have developed a process in which CO2 from the air can be stored in concrete. This CO2 is thus removed from the atmosphere forever.

This technology, developed in Switzerland, has the potential to extract over 70,000 tonnes of CO2 per year in Switzerland alone and store it in concrete.

Kuhn Rikon finances the removal of 21 tonnes of CO2 per year, which is released into the environment through its business activities. This CO2 elimination is confirmed by a certificate from the Eberhard. The financing of this certified reduction can be supported by our customers on a voluntary basis. By making a small contribution, the environmentally conscious customer of Kuhn Rikon can have the amount of CO2 caused by his purchased product eliminated by our partner, Eberhard.

Sustainable concrete with a low carbon footprint

Circular concrete (that is, concrete composed largely of recycled materials) is sustainably produced from construction rubble in a circular economy and has equivalent material properties to new concrete. Thanks to innovative processing technologies, circular concrete can be used for all components of new houses. With this processing technology, CO2 is also sequestered in the processed sand and gravel grains.

1. Old concrete is brought to the processing plant, broken up and sorted.

2. The sorted concrete fragments replace the sand and gravel in the concrete as a secondary raw material.

3. The secondary raw material is treated with pure CO2. A chemical reaction occurs in the pores of the concrete granules, producing natural limestone. The CO2 then remains permanently sequestered in the treated concrete granulate.

4. The carbon-containing concrete granules are mixed with cement and water in the concrete plant to create circular concrete.

CO2 COMPENSATION

If neither a reduction nor an elimination of CO2 is possible in one's own sphere of influence, the CO2 footprint must be reduced or eliminated in another area (another sector or another country). We then speak of CO2 compensation. Such compensation projects are mediated and also accompanied by reputable organisations from the field of environmental and climate protection.

Kuhn Rikon works with ClimatePartner to determine its CO2 footprint and to reduce and offset it. We distinguish between a corporate CO2 footprint (CO2 footprint of the entire company, internationally) and the individual product CO2 footprint (CO2 footprint of a specific product in our range).

The successive reduction of the CO2 footprint at Kuhn Rikon is certified by ClimatePartner.

Kuhn Rikon currently offsets the entire CO2 footprint of all transport to and from our distribution centres. Together with ClimatePartner, we support a climate protection project in Rwanda.

SUPPORTING A MEANINGFUL CIRCULAR ECONOMY

THE NEW LIFE PRODUCT LINE RECYCLED FOR A NEW LIFE

Our New Life pans, saucepans and frying pans are good for the environment, deliver top results and are excellent value for money – a veritable hat trick. Here you can find out the reason why aluminium cans have earned a second life.

RECYCLING ALUMINIUM

NEW LIFE - A SECOND LIFE FOR ALUMINIUM CANS

New Life cookware and frying pans are made 100% of recycled aluminium, sourced in Europe, and are manufactured using up to 95 % less energy than conventional aluminium pans. To manufacture one frying pan, aluminium from around 30 cans is recycled (for the 24 cm New Life frying pan). It is therefore worth collecting aluminium cans and disposing of them correctly. As who knows - perhaps they will soon be granted a second life.

CO2 REDUCTION THROUGH RECYCLING

RECYCLED ALUMINIUM

• is produced with up to 95 % less energy.

• saves around 9 kg CO2 per kilogram of aluminium,

• is more hardwearing and durable than normal aluminium.

• has less impact on the environment.

THIS IS HOW ALUMINIUM IS RECYCLED

The compacted aluminium scrap (cans, window frames, etc.) that arrives at the recycling plant, is first crushed again and placed on the conveyor belt. Once the impurities and the coatings have been removed, the aluminium is remelted into blocks and then hotand cold rolled to its final thickness. Finally, the disks are blanked from the coil, and can now be transformed into a pan body.

RESPONSIBLY MANUFACTURED NON-STICK COATING

Manufactured in Switzerland by ILAG, to Maximising Green standards. That means guaranteed pollutant-free, CO₂ offsetting, water and heat recovery, healthy working environments and a better and longer lasting nonstick effect to ensure that New Life® Pro will give years of faithful service.

COOKWARE AND FRYING PANS THAT CAN HANDLE EVERYTHING

Fancy trying out the latest food trend (Japanese Okonomiyaki pancakes – need we say more?!)? Or perhaps you just quickly want to conjure up a vitamin-rich meal? No problem – our NEW LIFE® cookware and frying pans are ready to accompany you on any and every culinary adventure. Moreover, their contemporary designs make a clear statement in any and every kitchen.

RECYCLED BODY

RECYCLED HANDLES

RECYCLED PACKAGING

The whole story is covered for a credible, sustainable product. On top of that, New Life Pro performs as good as it looks on any heat source. The extra-thick 8mm base along with thick body sides ensure efficient yet gentle all around cooking.

NO VACUUM

The lid is made of glass so that you can watch your food as it cooks without wasting heat, and features an integrated steam outlet to prevent a vacuum from forming as food cools down.

SAFE POURING

An all-round pouring rim has been added for your convenience and allows you to transfer food cleanly and safely.

THE NEW LIFE® PRO RANGE

PROMOTING THE HEALTH OF OUR CUSTOMERS

WE TAKE AN INTERGENERATIONAL APPROACH TO KEEPING PEOPLE STRONG AND HEALTHY WE PROMOTE HEALTHY COOKING

We care about our customers and our employees, and want them to enjoy good health. That’s why we’ve developed products like the DUROMATIC® , DUROTHERM® and HOTPAN®. These all cook food in ways that preserve as many nutrients as possible, because a healthy diet is an important building block for good health. Another important building block is customer safety. If a product includes a substance that’s potentially hazardous to health, we won’t sell it unless the amount contained is at least 50% under the legal threshold. Last but not least, our extensive corporate health programme includes targeted activities that focus on keeping our employees happy and healthy.

FAST COOKING WITH THE DUROMATIC®

Cooking with a DUROMATIC® can save up to 70% of the time required by conventional cookware. Vitamins and nutrients are subjected to the high temperatures for a considerably shorter space of time, which in turn means that they are preserved and contribute to a healthier diet. The sieve insert on the base of the DUROMATIC® also helps separate food from the water and reinforces the above effect.

By way of example: when you cook food in a pressure cooker instead of a conventional pan, you preserve twice the amount of vitamin C*. In addition, you use up to 70% less energy when you use a pressure cooker.

* Tested by SQTS (Swiss Quality Testing Services) 08/2020

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COOK SO MUCH FASTER

By pressure-cooking in the DUROMATIC® foodstuffs are cooked through much faster than when cooking in ordinary cookware. If, for example, you usually have to cook carrots for 15 minutes, the DUROMATIC® only takes 4 minutes. On average you cook up to 70% quicker this way. That’s how easy pressure-cooking is.

COOK IN A SO MUCH MORE ENVIRONMENTALLYFRIENDLY WAY

By pressure-cooking in the DUROMATIC®, energy-consumption is much lower than when cooking in ordinary cookware. In comparison with cooking in ordinary cookware with a lid, the DUROMATIC® consumes 69% less energy. If one compares it with cooking in ordinary cookware without a lid, then the DUROMATIC® even uses 279% less energy. That’s how easy it is to spare the environment with a DUROMATIC®.

IMPROVING WORKING CONDITIONS

WE TAKE AN INTERGENERATIONAL APPROACH TO ENSURING FAIR WORKING CONDITIONS

OUR EMPLOYEES ARE OUR GREATEST

ASSET

We want people to enjoy working with and for Kuhn Rikon. This principle is anchored in our sustainability strategy.

FRIENDLY WORKSPACE

Not only do we focus on physical health aspects, for example by designing ergonomic workplaces, but we also seek to promote good mental health by conducting regular surveys on employee stress levels.

In 2009, we were the first employer in the canton of Zurich to be awarded the “Friendly Workspace” quality label, which is reviewed and renewed regularly to ensure Kuhn Rikon systematically implements its CHM (corporate health management) strategies.

BUSINESS SOCIAL COMPLIANCE INITIATIVE

In January 2022 we became members, via Amfori, of the BSCI - Business Social Compliance Initiative. Amongst other things, the BSCI audits our suppliers to check that their local working conditions and social policies are up to standard. The audit also identifies potential for improvement. We communicate regularly with our partners to discuss the findings of these audits, and base decisionmaking processes in our procurement strategy on the results.

Assessment criteria

•Social management system

•Employee involvement and protection

•The right to unionise and negotiate collectively

•No discrimination

•Fair wages

•Respectable working hours

•Workplace health and safety

•No child labour

•Special protection for young employees

•Adequate workplace safety

•No forced labour

•Environmental protection

•Ethical business conduct

In 1961, Switzerland was one of the first countries in the West that allowed Tibetan refugees to settle in large numbers. Henri and Jacques Kuhn, owners of Kuhn Rikon AG offered work and accommodation to a group of refugees. They helped found a monastic Tibet Institute for spiritual and cultural care of Tibetan people in Switzerland, which would also preserve and maintain the Tibetan culture for future generations.

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