By means of specifically defined aims for sustainable operation, Leiber is taking further steps towards sustainability.
Even the basic production idea of Leiber is sustainable, the refining of brewers’ yeast into innovative products for humans and animals. Beyond this upcycling, Leiber has identified concrete fields of action and defined targets for its supply chains, CO2 reduction, management culture and health.
“Specific aims are important in order for us to take and assess the right steps towards sustainability”, says Dietmar Vahle, Head of Quality Management and Sustainability Manager at Leiber. “They allow us to improve our development in line with the sustainability aims formulated by the United Nations so that it is measurable and transparent.”
This statement refers to the following fields of action and aims:
1. Code of Conduct
In 2021, Leiber gave itself a Code of Conduct regulating how to deal with corruption, forced labour and child labour as well as the principles of social responsibility, such as human rights, anti-discrimination and environmental protection. This is complemented by an anonymous reporting system for violations, as well as the obligation for colleagues and business partners to adhere to this Code of Conduct.
The aim is that, by the end of 2022, Leiber will have concluded agreements with 80% of its strategically important suppliers (those with an annual turnover exceeding €100,000) to bindingly adhere to this Code of Conduct. This can be fulfilled either by signing the Leiber Code of Conduct or by providing evidence that these requirements are fulfilled in an equivalent way.
2. CO2 reduction
In 2021, Leiber undertook its first carbon footprint calculation and thereby established the baseline for understanding future changes in a transparent way. In order to reduce CO2 emissions, concrete measures are planned, such as the construction of a biomass boiler. Untreated waste wood will be used in this, in particular for the generation of steam for drying brewers’ yeast.
The aim is for Leiber to become climate neutral at its Bramsche-Engter site in Germany by 2030. By 2024, the CO2 emissions there will already have been reduced by 50% thanks to the operation of the biomass boiler.
3. Management development
In 2021, Leiber defined the features of a successful management culture for interactions within the company. The competences of and requirements on managers were derived from these.
The aim is that all persons in leadership positions will be trained in the features of a successful management culture in the course of 2022.
4. Company health management
In order to support the health and well-being of its employees, Leiber will, introduce a health management system in 2022. Components of the company health management are in particular, ergonomic workplaces, returner interviews after long illnesses, vaccinations, company reintegration measures, occupational health examinations, refunds for workplace spectacles or business bicycles.
The aim is that, 50% of employees will have accepted at least one of the offers relating to preventative health care during 2022.
In 2021, Leiber decided to have its German production sites certified according to the ZNU standard for sustainable management in the future. The purpose of this is the conservation of resources, the efficient use of energy, and the consideration of economic, ecological and social aspects in a balanced manner. The ZNU standard supports companies and requires them to develop an individual, integrated management system for sustainable operation. This standard was established by the Center for Sustainable Leadership at the Witten/Herdecke University. It is regularly reviewed by independent auditors.
About Leiber:
Leiber refines brewers’ yeast to produce innovative products for humans and animals. For our customers we carry out research in our own laboratories and develop tailor-made product solutions for healthy nutrition, biotechnology and agricultural applications. We reliably supply excellent products – and have been upcycling at world-market level since 1954.
Leiber strives for ZNU Standard for 2022
Sustainability is one of the core concepts behind production at Leiber: refining brewers’ yeast into innovative products for people and animals. To continue this upcycling into the future, Leiber has decided to have its German production sites certified according to the ZNU Standard for Driving Sustainable Change in the future. The decision is aimed at preserving resources, using energy efficiently and taking economic, ecological and social aspects into account in equal measure.
The ZNU Standard encourages and requires companies to develop an individual, integrated management system for sustainable business management. The standard was established by the Centre for Sustainable Leadership at the University of Witten/Herdecke and undergoes regular review by independent auditors.
The practical and integrated approach has inspired Leiber to use the standard for its own production and begin external certification for 2022. To this end, the medium-sized enterprise has set up an in-house sustainability team and brought Fjol GmbH on board to support it on its journey to certification.
One milestone has already been achieved: the first corporate carbon footprint for 2020, which records the company’s current CO2 emissions for inventory purposes. In future, changes such as the use of renewable energy for production will be able to be measured on this standardised basis.
Furthermore, employees are able to make an active contribution with their own suggestions for improvements through Leiber’s new internal suggestion scheme. ‘The many knowledgeable suggestions made by our colleagues show just how important sustainability is internally,’ says Dietmar Vahle, Head of Quality Management and Sustainability Manager at Leiber. ‘We look forward to implementing the first very good suggestions for improvement immediately – for us, our customers and suppliers.’
The next goal is to obtain the ZNU Standard at the start of 2022 as part of external certification. Afterwards, it will remain the company’s task to implement further improvements on an ongoing basis.
About Leiber:
Leiber refines brewers’ yeast into innovative products for humans and animals. For our cus-tomers we conduct research in our own laboratories and develop tailor-made solutions for healthy nutrition, biotechnology and agricultural applications. We reliably supply excellent products – and have been upcycling at world-market level since 1954.
A fresh, new logo and website for the brewers’ yeast specialist
Modern, emotional and open – these are the words we would use to describe the new Leiber logo. We have carefully refreshed our word/image logo to represent the modern positioning of the medium-sized specialist in brewers’ yeast: continuity, innovation and sustainability.
In addition to the logo, Leiber’s online presence has also been given a fresh, new update. The new website www.leibergmbh.de offers customers, business partners and those who are just curious an easy overview, transparent navigation and an in-depth insight into the company, career opportunities, markets and solutions: biotechnology, food, nutraceuticals, livestock and pets.
The new website is relaunching in parallel with the Food Ingredients Europe trade fair, which takes place from 30 November to 2 December 2021 in combination with the Health Ingredients trade fair, both in Frankfurt am Main. Leiber will attend for the first time with an exhibition stand in the new design and present its product solutions for life sciences – in the fields of biotechnology, food and nutraceuticals. A focus will be on the latest developments in protein concentrates, which offer innovative potential uses for current food trends.
Brochures, packaging and other materials will gradually appear in the new design, but first the old stock will be used to ensure the most sustainable use.
Malting barley is the basis of brewers’ yeast as a raw material, from which Leiber develops tailored product solutions for its customers in the fields of healthy nutrition, biotechnology and agriculture. Until now, this malting barley was depicted in the company’s word/image logo.
The new logo features a seedling, simultaneously intended to represent yeast and renewable raw materials in general. After all, sustainability forms part of the core concept of the company, which has been upcycling brewers’ yeast from the brewing process from as early as 1954. Leiber has chosen to focus on sustainable processes, from purchasing, production and administration to logistics.
Compared with the old logo, the core elements have been preserved and given a modern interpretation: the diamond around the seedling is no longer completely orange, but is highlighted with a thin line to show transparency and openness. This impression is also reinforced by the gap in the diamond’s outline. We have adjusted the font and colours slightly to maintain the connection to the previous presence, The overall result successfully combines our origins with our future.
About Leiber:
Leiber refines brewers’ yeast into innovative products for humans and animals. For our cus-tomers we conduct research in our own laboratories and develop tailor-made solutions for healthy nutrition, biotechnology and agricultural applications. We reliably supply excellent products – and have been upcycling at world-market level since 1954.
Since 2003, Leiber has operated a plant in Krośniewice, Poland, where about 30 employees extract various good quality yeasts for human and animal consumption. From April 2022, a new spray tower will be provided for this purpose, in which the liquid brewers’ yeast – the starting material for product solutions – can be dried efficiently.
The spray tower is Leiber’s largest investment in Krośniewice. ‘With this new spray tower, Leiber is making a clear commitment to the Krośniewice location. I would like to thank everyone involved for their dedication,’ said Bernd Schmidt-Ankum, Managing Director of Leiber GmbH, to attendees at the initial ground-breaking.
This took place as part of a special ceremony together with Katarzyna Erdman, Mayor of Krośniewice, on 16 September. The Director of the Polish subsidiary Leiber Sp.zo.o., Piotr Ostaszewski, also picked up the shovel, along with Lieber Managing Directors of Leiber, Bernd Schmidt-Ankum and Gilbert Klausmeyer, who had travelled from Bramsche, and project managers Oliver Beckmann and Johannes Huiras.
This investment is aimed at expanding the plant’s capacity and improving the quality of the end products. Despite the current global shortage of construction materials, production is expected to start in April 2022.
