Sustainability

Hela has been producing and processing seasoning products for four generations. This would have been inconceivable if the company had not always used resources with foresight and consciousness. Openness and honesty, as well as sustainable thinking in the sense of the following generations is an essential part of our corporate culture. In this way, we combine economic goals with social and ecological responsibility towards people and nature.

• Our refrigeration technology is operated with CFC-free refrigerants.
• In our production and buildings, we use water from our own sources.
• In our production- and storage processes we use floor vehicles with energy-saving lithium-ion technology.
• We avoid unnecessary waste by using recyclable materials more efficiently
• We generate part of the energy for hot water and electricity for production and operating buildings from our own block-type thermal power station.
• 50% of our pool vehicles are already equipped with an electric drive. Hela is also a participant in the "e-Drive Hamburg 2018" electric mobility partnership project between Volkswagen AG and the Hanseatic City of Hamburg.
• Intensive training of our employees ensures the careful use of resources
• We plan the transport of our raw materials and products very carefully. Optimized utilization and loading of the vehicles are always in the spotlight. In 2018 there were 12 electric high-platform trucks; since 2019 we have had 13 electric high-platform trucks and a double-deck high-platform truck with a fixed ride-on platform in operation.
• Hela is a certified member of the RSPO (rspo.org/members/all) and thus supports the promotion of environmentally friendly, sustainable palm oil cultivation.
• We continuously optimize our packaging so that, for example, the plastic content is reduced without compromising the safety of the contents. For cardboard packaging, we rely on recycled material. By the way, our red Hela bottle made of HDPE is already 100% recyclable.
• Our goal is to continuously improve energy-related services, which is why systematic energy management is so important to us. This is why we are ISO 50001 certified.

For us, sustainable action means not only looking to the outside, but also, and in particular, looking inside of our company. Our employees are the heart and potential of our family business. They are of fundamental importance for the production and marketing of our high-quality Hela products. Motivation, satisfaction, respectful interaction and trust are an essential part of Hela's daily work.  As an internationally oriented company with offices all over the world, diversity management is one of our growth factors. Naturally, through sustainable safety management and company health campaigns, we also ensure that potential accident risks at the workplace are minimized and the well-being of our employees at the workplace is promoted.
Our responsible approach to social and ethical sustainability is regularly confirmed by the Sedex/SMETA 4-Pillar Audit. Hela's length of service speaks for itself: 25 % of our employees have worked for our company for at least 20 years, many of whom have already been with us since their training. The average length of service of the more than 400 employees in Ahrensburg is 13 years.

Speaking of training: every year Hela offers young people interesting commercial, technical and industrial training positions in a wide variety of company divisions. Further and advanced training measures also ensure that product quality and occupational safety are guaranteed and that the individual development of our employees is promoted.