The Sustainable Development Goals in the OKE Group

Between 2005 and 2020, we financed two children’s homes in the southern Indian region of Tamil Nadu with OKE Kinderhilfe. Thanks to our help, the girls and boys had safe accommodation, went to school and received healthy meals and clothing. All the children were orphans or half-orphans and would have had to work in the fields without our help. A total of over 500,000 euros was raised through employee donations.

We also offer our employees good food from the region to take away. Homemade jams and pestos from our company restaurant, honey from our beekeeping employees, eggs from a neighboring chicken farm, … No hunger is just an intermediate goal for us: we offer good products for a healthy and varied diet at many locations!

In 2020-2022, OKE Children’s Aid supported a children’s project in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia. The region is characterized by HIV, malaria and the effects of the past Ethiopian-Eritrean war. The area is also plagued by drought and a lack of food. We have supported 50 children between the ages of six and 13 from precarious family backgrounds, mostly half or full orphans, with basic care in the form of food, clothing, hygiene utensils, learning materials and psychosocial support.

Health is not only, but ALSO, about sport. That’s why we offer all employees individually tailored training plans. For strong backs, for not getting out of breath so quickly, for good posture and better muscles. Together or alone, in our training rooms or in the fresh air, during breaks or after work. For everyone, just the way they like it!

We not only maintain and service our machines and tools, but also offer all employees preventive medical check-ups. In addition to the legally prescribed standards, we have the opportunity to determine health parameters ourselves. What is the composition of muscle, water and fat in the body? What is the current stress and fitness level? We don’t leave anyone alone with the results. We give tips on nutrition and training and, if necessary, refer you to a doctor.

Sport during working hours? This is not an exception for our trainees, but a fixed part of their weekly routine. After all, the start to working life is strenuous and club sports are often neglected during this phase of life. That’s why all trainees are offered a variety of activities to integrate variety and exercise into their everyday lives.

Our working world is constantly changing. At OKE, we are digitalizing more and more, processes are changing, new materials, components and customers are being added. That’s why we offer training courses in our learning center that can be easily integrated into everyday life. We are currently expanding our e-learning platform here. Blended learning is also gradually being added.

We support girls and young women in Burkina Faso to train as plumbers. There is a great need for trained specialists here, but there are hardly any training places and the few that do exist are not affordable for the majority of the population. Due to the poor hygienic conditions, waterborne diseases are constantly spreading in the country. By training as plumbers, the women contribute to a better supply of water, they can gain a foothold in the local labor market as graduates, earn their own money and support their families.

Technical professions are still dominated by men. The National Pact for Women in STEM Professions brings together more than 100 companies. The aim of the project is to get women interested in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). As a supporter of the nationwide Komm, mach MINT initiative, we can also get women interested in these subjects, while at the same time remaining realistic and sincere. And indeed, there are many women in technical areas, in production and development across all countries in the OKE Group.

We live our Code of Conduct, have had female managing directors and plan managers for many years, but also support fathers who want to take parental leave or reduce their working hours. We are continuing to work on making the traditional distribution of roles more permeable overall and offering flexible models.

As you can imagine, our extrusion process accounts for the largest share of our water consumption. This is because a lot of water is required in the open circuit due to discharge, evaporation and cleaning of the filters. We also use a monitoring system to quickly identify deviations, peculiarities and reporting limits in overall consumption.

In Burkina Faso, 89 out of every 1,000 children die before they are five years old. In addition, there are all those children who do not develop well due to diarrheal diseases, for example, and adults are also affected by illnesses due to a lack of hygiene facilities.
Since 2022, we have been supporting the construction of sustainable composting latrines and hand-washing facilities in Samba, Burkina Faso, in a pilot project with OKE Kinderhilfe. All materials such as concrete slabs, bricks, iron, sheet metal, metal doors and individual components are sourced from small local companies in Samba. This also ensures a high level of local identification with the project.

Our e-fleet currently comprises 45 vehicles, which are mainly used for carpooling. As soon as five employees want to travel to work together, we provide them with an electric vehicle. This free service is available at all locations in Germany.

The best photovoltaic systems are where they do not take up any additional space. This is why we use the roofs of our company buildings to generate electricity. All German sites are in the process of being set up, and our buildings abroad are also gradually being included.

We attach great importance to good working conditions and collegial teamwork at all locations. Minimizing noise, plenty of daylight, but also the legally prescribed occupational safety are a matter of course for us. Everywhere.

With OKE Plus, we offer our employees a comprehensive range of additional benefits for which we have already received several awards. But we also want to continuously improve. That’s why we regularly ask about the wishes and challenges in everyday life. This results in many good, new approaches – such as the establishment of a care pilot who helps if an employee suddenly finds themselves caring for someone in need of care.

We promote sustainability and each work area is an expert in the potential for improvement in its own environment. As part of our company suggestion scheme, we therefore award prizes for practicable ideas that make us more efficient, more economical, greener and improve our carbon footprint!

There are Kaizen teams at several of our locations that are driving continuous improvement in our processes. What many people don’t know: The Japanese competitive strategy explicitly integrates all employees, who work in different teams on the improvements that affect their immediate working environment.

One of the most important motivating factors is fairness within the company. If a colleague receives a higher salary for the same work, is allowed to attend more training courses or the head of department position is once again given to a younger colleague, a feeling of disadvantage quickly sets in. Being fair means applying the same rules to everyone – but not treating everyone exactly the same. Because every person is unique! That’s why we talk to our employees and ask about their wishes and goals.

We process all plastics – and still standardize wherever possible. This is because we sort and recycle in-house, making a measurable contribution to the recycling of punched-out parts, sprues and start-up products.

Every employee knows best the processes that affect their own work. We therefore collect all suggestions for improvement and award prizes for the best ideas. We have already achieved a lot in terms of resource efficiency in particular!

We like to meet in person, but we can replace many short meetings with digital tools. With online meetings, VR applications and remote work, we save on travel and therefore CO₂.

Throughout the EU, heating and cooling buildings is one of the main sources of carbon dioxide emissions and accounts for half of total energy consumption. We are guided by the EU Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) and have adapted the settings for heating and cooling operation at our headquarters in Hörstel, among many other measures. The air conditioning can only be switched on from 22° C, while we can increase the temperature up to 20° C during the heating phase.

We are firmly committed to reducing marine pollution and littering caused by plastic waste. We collect all types of waste separately, recycle plastics as far as possible and dispose of them properly.

We protect hedges at the edges of our company premises or plant new ones. The dense shrubs bind fine dust and other pollutants, and they also provide a valuable habitat for numerous insect species. We also protect meadows – like here in Lübbecke – as ecological enhancement and small places of relaxation for our breaks. Our beekeeping employees use them as locations for their colonies. Solitary fruit trees provide shade, and we harvest fruit in late summer and fall.

With platforms such as our intranet and communication apps, we offer all employees information, the opportunity for interaction, feedback and access to services. In this way, we ensure transparency about the basis of decision-making and our organizational framework. These channels also provide us with opportunities for needs-oriented, inclusive, participatory offerings and representative feedback.

We are a member of the VEA initiative for climate-friendly SMEs. It supports SMEs in becoming more climate-friendly. The exchange of knowledge is a way of thinking outside the box and shows us where we can improve, why climate-friendly action makes sense, how to reduce costs and how to better meet the climate protection requirements of our customers.

Between 2005 and 2020, we financed two children’s homes in the southern Indian region of Tamil Nadu with OKE Kinderhilfe. Thanks to our help, the girls and boys had safe accommodation, went to school and received healthy meals and clothing. All the children were orphans or half-orphans and would have had to work in the fields without our help. A total of over 500,000 euros was raised through employee donations.

We also offer our employees good food from the region to take away. Homemade jams and pestos from our company restaurant, honey from our beekeeping employees, eggs from a neighboring chicken farm, … No hunger is just an intermediate goal for us: we offer good products for a healthy and varied diet at many locations!

In 2020-2022, OKE Children’s Aid supported a children’s project in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia. The region is characterized by HIV, malaria and the effects of the past Ethiopian-Eritrean war. The area is also plagued by drought and a lack of food. We have supported 50 children between the ages of six and 13 from precarious family backgrounds, mostly half or full orphans, with basic care in the form of food, clothing, hygiene utensils, learning materials and psychosocial support.

Health is not only, but ALSO, about sport. That’s why we offer all employees individually tailored training plans. For strong backs, for not getting out of breath so quickly, for good posture and better muscles. Together or alone, in our training rooms or in the fresh air, during breaks or after work. For everyone, just the way they like it!

We not only maintain and service our machines and tools, but also offer all employees preventive medical check-ups. In addition to the legally prescribed standards, we have the opportunity to determine health parameters ourselves. What is the composition of muscle, water and fat in the body? What is the current stress and fitness level? We don’t leave anyone alone with the results. We give tips on nutrition and training and, if necessary, refer you to a doctor.

Sport during working hours? This is not an exception for our trainees, but a fixed part of their weekly routine. After all, the start to working life is strenuous and club sports are often neglected during this phase of life. That’s why all trainees are offered a variety of activities to integrate variety and exercise into their everyday lives.

Our working world is constantly changing. At OKE, we are digitalizing more and more, processes are changing, new materials, components and customers are being added. That’s why we offer training courses in our learning center that can be easily integrated into everyday life. We are currently expanding our e-learning platform here. Blended learning is also gradually being added.

We support girls and young women in Burkina Faso to train as plumbers. There is a great need for trained specialists here, but there are hardly any training places and the few that do exist are not affordable for the majority of the population. Due to the poor hygienic conditions, waterborne diseases are constantly spreading in the country. By training as plumbers, the women contribute to a better supply of water, they can gain a foothold in the local labor market as graduates, earn their own money and support their families.

Technical professions are still dominated by men. The National Pact for Women in STEM Professions brings together more than 100 companies. The aim of the project is to get women interested in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). As a supporter of the nationwide Komm, mach MINT initiative, we can also get women interested in these subjects, while at the same time remaining realistic and sincere. And indeed, there are many women in technical areas, in production and development across all countries in the OKE Group.

We live our Code of Conduct, have had female managing directors and plan managers for many years, but also support fathers who want to take parental leave or reduce their working hours. We are continuing to work on making the traditional distribution of roles more permeable overall and offering flexible models.

As you can imagine, our extrusion process accounts for the largest share of our water consumption. This is because a lot of water is required in the open circuit due to discharge, evaporation and cleaning of the filters. We also use a monitoring system to quickly identify deviations, peculiarities and reporting limits in overall consumption.

In Burkina Faso, 89 out of every 1,000 children die before they are five years old. In addition, there are all those children who do not develop well due to diarrheal diseases, for example, and adults are also affected by illnesses due to a lack of hygiene facilities.
Since 2022, we have been supporting the construction of sustainable composting latrines and hand-washing facilities in Samba, Burkina Faso, in a pilot project with OKE Kinderhilfe. All materials such as concrete slabs, bricks, iron, sheet metal, metal doors and individual components are sourced from small local companies in Samba. This also ensures a high level of local identification with the project.

Our e-fleet currently comprises 45 vehicles, which are mainly used for carpooling. As soon as five employees want to travel to work together, we provide them with an electric vehicle. This free service is available at all locations in Germany.

The best photovoltaic systems are where they do not take up any additional space. This is why we use the roofs of our company buildings to generate electricity. All German sites are in the process of being set up, and our buildings abroad are also gradually being included.

We attach great importance to good working conditions and collegial teamwork at all locations. Minimizing noise, plenty of daylight, but also the legally prescribed occupational safety are a matter of course for us. Everywhere.

With OKE Plus, we offer our employees a comprehensive range of additional benefits for which we have already received several awards. But we also want to continuously improve. That’s why we regularly ask about the wishes and challenges in everyday life. This results in many good, new approaches – such as the establishment of a care pilot who helps if an employee suddenly finds themselves caring for someone in need of care.

We promote sustainability and each work area is an expert in the potential for improvement in its own environment. As part of our company suggestion scheme, we therefore award prizes for practicable ideas that make us more efficient, more economical, greener and improve our carbon footprint!

There are Kaizen teams at several of our locations that are driving continuous improvement in our processes. What many people don’t know: The Japanese competitive strategy explicitly integrates all employees, who work in different teams on the improvements that affect their immediate working environment.

One of the most important motivating factors is fairness within the company. If a colleague receives a higher salary for the same work, is allowed to attend more training courses or the head of department position is once again given to a younger colleague, a feeling of disadvantage quickly sets in. Being fair means applying the same rules to everyone – but not treating everyone exactly the same. Because every person is unique! That’s why we talk to our employees and ask about their wishes and goals.

We process all plastics – and still standardize wherever possible. This is because we sort and recycle in-house, making a measurable contribution to the recycling of punched-out parts, sprues and start-up products.

Every employee knows best the processes that affect their own work. We therefore collect all suggestions for improvement and award prizes for the best ideas. We have already achieved a lot in terms of resource efficiency in particular!

We like to meet in person, but we can replace many short meetings with digital tools. With online meetings, VR applications and remote work, we save on travel and therefore CO₂.

Throughout the EU, heating and cooling buildings is one of the main sources of carbon dioxide emissions and accounts for half of total energy consumption. We are guided by the EU Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) and have adapted the settings for heating and cooling operation at our headquarters in Hörstel, among many other measures. The air conditioning can only be switched on from 22° C, while we can increase the temperature up to 20° C during the heating phase.

We are firmly committed to reducing marine pollution and littering caused by plastic waste. We collect all types of waste separately, recycle plastics as far as possible and dispose of them properly.

We protect hedges at the edges of our company premises or plant new ones. The dense shrubs bind fine dust and other pollutants, and they also provide a valuable habitat for numerous insect species. We also protect meadows – like here in Lübbecke – as ecological enhancement and small places of relaxation for our breaks. Our beekeeping employees use them as locations for their colonies. Solitary fruit trees provide shade, and we harvest fruit in late summer and fall.

With platforms such as our intranet and communication apps, we offer all employees information, the opportunity for interaction, feedback and access to services. In this way, we ensure transparency about the basis of decision-making and our organizational framework. These channels also provide us with opportunities for needs-oriented, inclusive, participatory offerings and representative feedback.

We are a member of the VEA initiative for climate-friendly SMEs. It supports SMEs in becoming more climate-friendly. The exchange of knowledge is a way of thinking outside the box and shows us where we can improve, why climate-friendly action makes sense, how to reduce costs and how to better meet the climate protection requirements of our customers.