Sustainability
The Conrad Plastic-Free Initiative
In 2018, we made a bold decision here at Conrad: To declare war on
plastic packaging for our private label products. Instead, we are opting
for environmentally friendly alternatives such as cardboard packaging
and thus starting a journey towards more sustainability in our product
range.
The starting point of our Plastic Free initiative was a decision by our
then CEO and now Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dr. Werner
Conrad, who, considering increasing amounts of plastic waste and
pollution worldwide, was striving for a new approach in his own
company. From that point on, things changed quickly.
Within the first year 2019/2020, we already managed to reduce the
amount of packaging plastic used by 40%. By 2025, more than 60%
of our articles in the private label sector are already packaged plasticfree. The impressive interim balance: around 160 tons of plastic saved
compared to 2019.
Our goal: 0% plastic packaging
Our goal is to eliminate packaging plastic from our strong brands.1
To achieve this, we are gradually switching existing products to
plastic-free packaging, always in line with their product life cycles. We
engage intensely with our suppliers and work together on
innovative solutions. The use of any plastic elements in packaging
must be approved as an exception.
Some articles are not yet completely plastic-free due to their nature –
be it for ESD protection, display protection or due to EU regulations
for the protection of children, as in the case of button cell batteries.
But even in these cases, we are striving to minimize the plastics more
and more.
As Europe‘s leading sourcing platform, we are committed to working
with our partners for a plastic-free future.
“Fair working conditions and the protection of the environment and climate have shaped our entrepreneurial actions at Conrad Electronic for many years. Sustainability is a central part of our success.”
Ralf Bühler, CEO Conrad Electronic
