At IWC, environmental protection and awareness are leading priorities in our day-to-day business. A perfect example of this, among other things, is our use of resources, including energy, water, paper and packaging. We actively manage our energy consumption to ensure the efficient use of resources. To reduce our footprint, we use renewable energy sources to meet 100 per cent of our headquarters’ electricity needs, including the generation of nearly 300 MWh annually from solar photovoltaic installations at IWC premises in the Kanton of Schaffhausen. Remaining carbon emissions are offset. On top of this, we use groundwater as a heat source and reuse waste and rainwater as alternative water sources. Our efficient use of paper and packaging products guides innovation in this area, as does our reliance on sustainably sourced products.

For emissions that cannot be eliminated, IWC purchases voluntary carbon reduction credits to support environmental projects in developing and emerging countries. Thanks to this commitment, IWC is regarded as a pioneer in the industry and has held certified CO2-neutral status since 2007. 

We also encourage our employees to reduce their own carbon footprints by offering financial incentives to use public transport and buy low-emission vehicles.

Wherever possible, IWC uses rainwater rather than mains water and makes the most of ground- and wastewater as alternative sources of energy. Rainwater is captured in retention reservoirs and used in sanitary installations, saving 255,000 litres of valuable drinking water every year, while the energy recovered from ground- and wastewater generates more than 1 GWh of energy every year. This amounts to almost a quarter of all the energy consumed at our facilities in Schaffhausen and Neuhausen.