Kistler’s Sustainability Report Demonstrates Measurable Progress

Summary

More electricity from renewable sources, expansion of e-mobility, and the company’s own photovoltaic systems: in its latest Sustainability report, the Kistler Group guides readers through all the areas where the company is working to achieve its target of CO₂ neutrality by 2030. These include the Group’s long-term commitment to its own workforce as well as responsible corporate governance. Kistler is also helping its customers to achieve their sustainability targets by providing measurement solutions to ensure resource-efficient production processes, safe infrastructures, and efficient motors and engines.

When it comes to sustainability, Kistler has set itself ambitious targets: the entire Group is set to become CO₂-neutral by 2030, and its six largest production sites in Germany should achieve carbon neutrality as early as next year–with overall emissions already reduced by half. On the path to these targets, Kistler reduced its total emissions by around 1,135 metric tons of CO₂ in 2023. “We have made huge progress towards our goal, and now we’re continuing our work in line with our strategy. In particular, electricity and e-mobility are our biggest cornerstones,” said Franziska Kunz, Sustainability & CSR manager at the Kistler Group.

The company's commitment has taken it all the way into the final round of the German Sustainability Award 2025, and three of its products have also been nominated for honors. Thanks to precise data collected with these products and other measurement solutions from Kistler, users can optimize process steps, protect transport infrastructure against overloading, and develop efficient engines and motors for mobility in tomorrow’s world.

Effective reduction measures for energy, buildings and mobility

By the end of 2022, all production sites in Germany were already obtaining their electricity exclusively from renewable energy sources–and all other German sites had followed suit by the end of 2023. Green electricity certificates have been obtained for them, and also for Kistler’s branches in Switzerland, China, Japan, the USA, and Slovakia. At the start of 2023, the photovoltaic system on the roof of the Straubenhardt plant began operating–and it now meets up to 40 percent of the site’s electricity requirement. Since June 2023, the team in Bratislava has been working in Slovakia’s greenest building, where award-winning spatial design concepts have been implemented to promote dialog and collaboration among employees.

E-mobility is another area where Kistler reports progress: noticeable expansion has now brought the total of active charging points to 28. “We have also aligned our guidelines for procurement and use of company vehicles in Germany towards e-mobility and minimal CO₂ emissions; in the background, moreover, we have established the processes needed for long-term implementation,” Kunz noted.

Stepping up interdisciplinary exchange and social engagement

Kistler has yet more successes to report in terms of social engagement: thanks to a new international exchange program for management, the company is building a network of colleagues who give each other mutual support. To complement its own range of health management services, Kistler supports external initiatives, forms partnerships, and helps individuals and institutions by giving donations in cash and in kind. Beneficiaries include young people in their career search phase, research institutions with young talents in the engineering sector, the para-cycling athlete Sandra Stöckli, and Kistler employees in need.

Next steps already in view

Now, the focus is on the future: “In view of the regulatory requirements, we are also analyzing our Scope 3: this comprises the company’s indirect emissions,” Kunz explains. For this purpose, Kistler is recording detailed data about its processes and products. “As well as showing us the specific emissions, this data highlights our opportunities for economic optimization,” Kunz commented. “At the same time, new avenues are opening up for us in the direction of the circular economy–entailing new perspectives on business models and resource efficiency, both for ourselves and for our customers.”

To this end, Kistler is stepping up its investments in QHSE (Quality, Health and Safety, Environment) processes. The Winterthur site is also expected to obtain ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certifications in 2025.

About the Kistler Group

Kistler is the global market leader for dynamic pressure, force, torque and acceleration measurement technology. Cutting-edge technologies provide the basis for Kistler’s modular solutions. Customers in industry and scientific research benefit from Kistler’s experience as a development partner, enabling them to optimize their products and processes so as to secure sustainable competitive edge. Unique sensor technology from this owner-managed Swiss corporation helps to shape future innovations not only in automotive development and industrial automation but also in many newly emerging sectors. Drawing on our extensive application expertise, and always with an absolute commitment to quality, Kistler plays a key part in the ongoing development of the latest megatrends. The focus is on issues such as electrified drive technology, autonomous driving, emission reduction and Industry 4.0. Some 2,200 employees at more than 60 facilities across the globe are dedicated to the development of new solutions, and they offer application-specific services at the local level. Ever since it was founded in 1959, the Kistler Group has grown hand-in-hand with its customers and in 2023, it posted sales of CHF 465 million. About 9% of this figure is reinvested in research and technology–with the aim of delivering better results for customers.

_{Photo courtesy of Kistler}