Climate-conscious acting is meanwhile an important topic in all areas of life, not least for companies such as the BLANK-Group in Riedlingen. "Especially regarding packaging we are regulated by law as far as packaging waste is concerned," reports Mr. Widik who is responsible for logistics and customs in the company, "But it has also long been a question of corporate philosophy to avoid waste.“

An important topic in the field of logistics is container management. Customer-specific agreements are made regarding the packaging of the finished investment casting parts. "Many of our products, especially in the automotive sector, are shipped as piece goods, i.e. in specially manufactured plastic devices, so-called blisters, which prevent the parts from colliding and causing damage," says Widik. In the case of an international delivery  this packaging often ends up in the rubbish. "We are all the more pleased that we have been able to reach a sustainable agreement with our customers throughout Europe: The blisters are returned to Riedlingen, inspected for damage and contamination and then reused."

However, this examination requires an enormous amount of time which could not be covered internally. Therefore, Widik looked around for alternative possibilities and found one right in the neighbourhood: as a branch of their Bad Schussenried site, the ZfP Südwürttemberg has been running a workshop for disabled people in Riedlingen since March this year which offers up to 25 jobs close to home for people with mental illnesses. "The examination of the plastic blisters is suitable as a work activity for this facility and the handling can be done locally in Riedlingen which has advantages for both BLANK and ZfP Südwürttemberg."

"Beside the already mentioned win-win situation the social aspect and the topic of inclusion are of course also very important to us," explains Hubert Deutsch, managing director of the BLANK-Group, "We already buy the food for our company canteen from the kitchen of the ZfP Südwürttemberg at the Zwiefalten site and are pleased to have found another possibility of cooperation and support for this important institution.“