Ecology

A tradition that sows the seeds of the future: our commitment to the environment

The environment and sustainability are of great importance to us. Our company founder, Rudolf Brugger, grew up on a Black Forest farm specialising in forestry. There, one learns from a young age what sustainability means: following the principle of ‘harvesting responsibly and consciously only what has been sown’.

We continue to run our company in this tradition today. More than ever, the responsible use of resources, the optimal use of materials and consistent recycling chains are an important part of our work. We humans live off our planet – protecting this foundation of life is therefore a matter of course for us, and there is no alternative. At Brugger, we act accordingly – for our future and that of our children and grandchildren.

What makes us a carbon-neutral company?

The effects of climate change are now clearly being felt. The obligation on politicians and businesses to take action is growing ever greater. As a company, we therefore see it as our responsibility to create a world in which global warming is minimised. This can only be achieved to a significant extent by reducing_{CO2 emissions} from the economy in industrialised countries.

Our aim is to operate with a low_{carbon footprint}: for example, we source electricity generated from renewable sources, and our heating systems are powered by heat recovery, district heating using wood chips and wood pellets.

Thanks to these efforts, we achieved a figure of 54.3 tonnes_{of CO₂} in 2022 – which is very good for a company of our size. To put this into perspective: the average German generates around 11.6 tonnes_{of CO₂} annually through their lifestyle.

The greenhouse gas emissions caused by our company’s activities and upstream products are calculated by Fokus Zukunft GmbH & Co. KG. We take full responsibility for our own emissions and those caused by the transport of our products, and offset these accordingly by purchasing carbon credits.

Climate-neutral company certificate

Our energy balance: harnessing the power of the sun

At Brugger, we are firmly committed to generating our own electricity: with our three photovoltaic systems, we now cover almost 30% of our total electricity requirements ourselves. But that’s not all: we also feed a further 15% of the electricity we generate into the public grid as clean energy.

Efficiency knows no boundaries

You often hear that photovoltaics on north-facing roofs don’t make sense – we’re proving the opposite! Our system on the north-facing roof (120 kWp) delivers an impressive 80% of the yield of a comparable south-facing system over the course of a year.

Background check: To put this into perspective: 1 kWp of installed capacity on a south-facing roof generates around 1,000 kWh of electricity per year in the Black Forest.

Live insight: Our energy flows

The following chart makes our energy transition transparent. Here is an overview of the data from the last 24 hours:

Orange: Our current building power consumption (our current usage).
Green: The solar yield from our three systems.
Blue (net): The ratio between grid consumption and solar yield.

A look at the blue line: as soon as it drops below the zero line, we are generating more electricity than we are consuming and feeding the surplus energy directly into the grid.
(To view the solar data, you must accept all cookies on the website.)

Best Practice: Measurable data for climate protection

A current project on our premises demonstrates how we put this responsibility into practice in our day-to-day operations:

To better understand the challenges of climate change, precise local data is essential. On the field behind our company building, a modern weather station has been providing detailed measurements of regional weather dynamics since May 2024.

The benefit: This data helps to create a reliable foundation for planners, cities and businesses to be better prepared for climate change.
Local commitment: A special thank you goes to Jan Hagnberger, who operates and maintains this station privately with great passion.

For us, this project is a wonderful example of how private commitment and entrepreneurial initiative come together to make a valuable contribution to the wider community.

BRUGGER operates in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol

As greenhouse gases are evenly distributed in the atmosphere, they do not necessarily have to be offset where they are produced. For emerging and developing countries, emissions trading is a key driver for the transfer of clean technologies and sustainable economic development. It therefore makes sense to support projects in emerging and developing countries aimed at improving the economic, social and environmental situation.

The greenhouse gas inventory compiled for Brugger provides a transparent overview of all greenhouse gas emissions from our company. Emissions are divided into three so-called ‘scopes’: Scope 1 – direct emissions from operations, Scope 2 – indirect emissions from purchased energy, and Scope 3 – other indirect emissions.
Based on the figures calculated for us and through the purchase of twice the amount of carbon credits, our company has achieved greenhouse gas neutrality. We have received the “climate-neutral company” award for offsetting our greenhouse gas emissions.

This makes our company one of the first in our industry to voluntarily offset its emissions in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol.

Magnet recycling: professional disposal, safe recovery, sustainable circular economy.

As a responsible company, we place great importance on sustainability and the conservation of resources. A key component of our environmental strategy is the recycling of magnetic materials in collaboration with our partner Rocklink.

Why we recycle magnetic material

In our production processes, it is impossible to completely avoid the generation of magnetic waste, defective magnets and surplus raw magnets. These contain valuable raw materials such as rare earths, the extraction of which is often associated with significant environmental impacts. We do not want to leave these resources unused and, through recycling, actively contribute to protecting the environment.

Our recycling process with Rocklink

We use the specialised magnet take-back and recycling system Magcycle to recycle our magnetic material professionally and efficiently:

Return by the pallet: We collect our magnetic waste on pallets.
Simple logistics: Rocklink takes care of collecting the pallets.
Analysis & evaluation: At the recycling centre, the material is weighed and analysed in detail using X-ray fluorescence analysis. We receive a transparent evaluation of the scrap’s composition.
Reintroduction into the cycle: The recovered raw material is reintroduced into the production cycle, thereby reducing the demand for primary raw materials.

You can find information about Magcycle at: www.magnetrecycling.de

Our goals

Resource conservation: Minimising waste and maximising the reuse of valuable raw materials.
Environmental protection: Reducing environmental impact by avoiding new mining.
Sustainable supply chains: Strengthening the European circular economy for magnetic products.

By recycling magnetic materials, we are making our contribution to a resource-efficient economy.

Brugger GmbH Magnetic Systems: Outstanding resource conservation

As a forward-looking company, we at BRUGGER take responsibility for our environmental footprint.

We are therefore delighted to have received the latest ‘resources SAVED’ certificate from Interzero for the year 2025. Through the professional recycling of our recyclable materials, we were able to save 148 kilograms of primary resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 12 kilograms last year.

We greatly appreciate having found a partner who is working with us to drive the transition to a resource-efficient circular economy.

For your information: Interzero is one of the leading full-service environmental service providers and supports us in avoiding waste, securing raw materials and significantly improving our sustainability performance. The efficient recycling of raw materials offers enormous opportunities – for the environment, the economy and society alike.
Interzero is one of the pioneers of recycling and has more than 30 years’ experience in developing and implementing tailored solutions for waste prevention and recovery.