Traton : Emission-free under everyday conditions

Germany: when the boss goes green

With a wave, Stephan Potthoff-Wenner cycles on to the company premises on his e-bike. Entrepreneur Potthoff-Wenner is the third generation to head the Friedrich Wenner Versmolder Vollpappen-Verarbeitungswerk family business in East Westphalia, which manufactures cardboard packaging boxes. He is passionate about testing sustainable future technologies himself and leads by example when it comes to making processes eco-friendly. The company's numerous measures include, for instance, sustainable waste management and the optimization of energy efficiency in production. In the words of Potthoff-Wenner: "Our children, too, should be able to admire the beauty of nature. This is the most valuable gift we can pass on to them."

Potthoff-Wenner is reducing the carbon footprint of his own ever-growing enterprise by means of photovoltaic installations and a combined heat and power plant, which allows the company to generate 40 percent of its energy needs in-house. Recently, the firm also started using green electricity to charge its new MAN eTGM, which acts as an on-site shuttle, transporting the boxes to the next stage of the production process. "The vehicle fits in well with our workflows," explains Warehouse Manager Matthias Paul. Its battery is charged overnight, when no work is being done, and thanks to a range of 190 kilometers, a single charge is enough for several days. In the future, the firm's entire vehicle fleet is intended to run on electricity, and then the boss's e-bike and the MAN eTGM will have plenty of company.