We look back on around three years of sustainable development in our purchasing pool and in our network. Three years after our project “Sustainable supplier management in accordance with the DNK standard – a purchasing pool on the way to a sustainability report”, we asked about the successes and results that our partners have achieved in the meantime.
Even if the discussion about sustainable business is currently somewhat sluggish and the regulatory requirements are dynamic: We at NIRO have been pursuing sustainable topics for more than three years.
It all started with our NaLiMa project. Since then, we have also had our N-chen, our little mascot, a symbol of sustainability in the network.
Three years later, we asked: What has happened since then?
Three suppliers reported on their progress in more detail.
RÖCO GmbH, our framework agreement partner and specialist for drive, sealing and fluid technology, has strategically developed sustainability within the company. RÖCO used NaLiMa as the basis for supplementing the existing environmental management system in accordance with ISO 14001 with a comprehensive sustainability strategy.
The DNK report served as an important structuring tool. It led to clear progress, including in the areas of occupational health and safety, ergonomics, work-life balance and the expansion of electromobility.
Kurt Müller GmbH, a wholesaler for hygiene supplies and washroom specialist, impressively demonstrates how project goals can be turned into impact.
The company has not only met the goals set in the project, but has significantly exceeded them.
Based on the Sustainability Code reports, Kurt Müller has been nominated for the German Sustainability Award three times in a row, twice as a finalist. Since April 2025, the company has been awarded gold in the EcoVadis ranking (previously silver). In addition, Kurt Müller was nominated for the EU GREEN BRANDS label in 2025 and passed the validation process.
Our partner demonstrates on many levels how consistent commitment and clear objectives lead to real impact and how it is possible to offer customers sustainable added value at the same time.
The Dressel EGU Group, our framework agreement partner for electrical materials, has also taken part in our NaLiMa project and has begun to systematically embed sustainability in the company in order to further develop structures, processes and responsibility within the company.
This includes the establishment of integrated management systems, sustainable product selection and transparent supply chains, significant CO₂ reduction and expansion of electromobility, a focus on employee motivation and health and the introduction of continuous reporting. Dressel EGU will submit a DNK report again this year, underlining its commitment to responsibility, transparency and the continuous development of its sustainability activities.
These are just three examples from our partners that show how relevant the topic of sustainability has become in our purchasing pool.
All suppliers have taken up sustainable impulses and turned them into real, measurable progress.
Since NaLiMa, new suppliers for our purchasing pool have been checked in advance for their sustainable activities.
Three years after our project, we are thus still on a path in our network that aims for an efficient, responsible and sustainable industry.
The N-chen is happy.
