How important is sustainability to your business?

The fact that sustainability is now part of our mission statement shows that we care about this issue and that we really want to make a difference. Our mission statement has been and remains the foundation of our success. Sustainability is a complex issue that affects the entire company. That's why we need a good plan of what to do first, where we can make the most difference. To this end, we have developed a sustainability strategy that sets out the issues we will address first.

RATIONAL aims to be greenhouse gas neutral by 2050. How does this fit in with a growing company?

The first step is to understand the system. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) calculates greenhouse gases in CO2 equivalents (CO2e). This standard distinguishes between three scopes. Scope 1 and 2 refer to emissions that occur in the immediate vicinity of our operations. Scope 3 includes emissions from our supply chain and from the use of our cooking systems. As a first step, we aim to achieve a 42% absolute reduction in CO2e for Scopes 1 and 2 by 2030, compared to the 2023 baseline. By 2050, we aim to have reduced our CO2e by 90 per cent, with the remaining 10 per cent covered by high quality carbon offset projects for CO2 storage. This also applies to Scope 3. But we must always remember that we are not the only ones who need raw materials and energy to manufacture our cooking systems. Our customers, who account for the majority of our GHG Protocol emissions, use energy to prepare their food using our cooking systems. That is why we are working to reduce the carbon footprint of commercial kitchens. With almost every software update and every new generation of cooking systems, we are getting closer to this goal. But commercial kitchens can also make a difference, for example by switching to green energy.

What specific measures is RATIONAL taking to achieve this goal?

Our current environmental focus is on climate change and resource conservation. It is important for us to make greater use of circular economy approaches. This means, for example, using recycled materials wherever possible and ensuring that cooking systems are easy to repair right from the design stage. We also need to look at what happens to our cooking systems at the end of their life cycle. Nor should we be afraid to consider new business models. Overall, these are complex issues that we need to understand better. But we know we have more to do.

I would also like to emphasise that the concept of sustainability has always been built into our products, even if we have not emphasised it. It is part of our DNA. For every kitchen that switches to multi-functional, intelligent cooking systems, we reduce that kitchen's CO2 emissions. Compared to conventional kitchen technology, our cooking systems can save up to 30% energy, up to 50% water and up to 30% space. This will make a significant contribution to making commercial and industrial kitchens more sustainable.

Do you also implement environmental protection measures at these sites?

Climate protection is also important to us at our sites. For example, we have a modern building structure and use geothermal energy and photovoltaics. We buy green electricity and use environmentally friendly materials, for example in our carpets. Workplaces are also important to us. This means that daylight is also a given in the production halls, which ultimately contributes to a sense of well-being. In addition, it goes without saying that we eat good, healthy food in the company restaurants.

Back to the topic of strategy. What are the key points of the sustainability strategy?

The key phrase is: We aim to be the company that people want us to be The sustainability strategy consists of three areas of action: Environment, Community and Responsibility.

What is the intention behind this?

We want to be at the forefront of sustainability. We take our responsibilities seriously, set clear and realistic goals and report transparently on how we achieve them. We want to constantly question ourselves and see how we can actively shape sustainability. This means taking sustainability into account in our business decisions and measuring and tracking non-financial metrics in the same way as financial metrics, such as customer and employee satisfaction.

How important are partnerships?

Partnerships are essential for achieving sustainability goals. Because this is not a competition, we can only improve together. We need to look at the entire value chain together with our partners and, most importantly, our customers. It is also important to learn from each other.

Sustainability encompasses more than just the environment. What else does RATIONAL do?

RATIONAL has always been an ethical company and an employer with a strong sense of social responsibility. If an U.i.U. - an entrepreneur within a company - champions the company, the company will champion them in return. We offer excellent working conditions, workplaces and a great working environment and culture. We encourage the development of our U.i.U. employees. We respect the diversity of the people who work for us. We want to see differences as opportunities, to use different talents, to bring different possibilities together - always with the aim and promise of serving our customers in the best possible way. This includes recognising that we are becoming more diverse, as are our customers and their employees. For example, we are growing with new employees in our sales subsidiaries, with very different cultures, ethnicities and religions. We summed it all up in a single sentence for our 50th anniversary: “When it tastes great, we all speak the same language.”

Does this mean that being a good employer is also part of sustainability for you?

Absolutely. We had already defined the nature of the collaboration in our mission statement. The U.i.U., with their rights and obligations, play a central role for us. I am particularly pleased that we have received an award for this from the UK's Investors in People organisation. And in the USA, we have won the 'Best & Brightest Companies to Work For' award for years.

Training, skills shortages, work-life balance - all important issues. And RATIONAL is no exception?

We address the issue of training and skills shortages in two ways: On the one hand, we train ourselves, have an integration programme for people with a migrant background, dual students, a junior staff programme and promote lifelong learning with our RATIONAL Campus. On the other hand, we help our customers meet these challenges. We provide teaching materials, teacher training and sometimes a RATIONAL cooking system for vocational and cookery schools.

What does sustainability mean for you personally?

For me, sustainability means thinking beyond one's own lifetime or term of office or service. Or in other words, to make the right decisions today to ensure a good future for us as people, as customers, as employees and as a company. The sustainability journey is an expedition into uncharted territory. We won't always know exactly which way to go. There will be ups and downs. But that won't stop us from doing our best when it comes to sustainability.

Have you been sustainable today, and if so, how?

We are planning a weekend trip to Vienna and will take the train.