Ms Kuhn, which aspects are summarized under the keyword 'sustainability'?

Isabell Kuhn : When it comes to sustainability, the ZVEI focuses not only on ecological but also economic and social aspects. We are interested in maintaining an open dialog with stakeholders from politics, science and society. The focus is on the following areas: Green electrification, energy efficiency, diversity, shortage of skilled workers and social responsibility, i.e. calculating the CO2 footprint, supply chains, recyclability. The aim is to tackle topics in which the industry is already strong, as well as issues that are currently still challenging.

How exactly is the German electrical and digital industry contributing to greater sustainability?

Isabell Kuhn : The industry's technologies make a significant contribution to achieving national and European climate protection targets. The innovative automation industry plays a key role on the road to a sustainable economy. Many devices that are used for the energy transition are based on modern automation technology: electric drives in wind turbines, relays in solar systems, energy-efficient pumps or modern measurement technology in energy-intensive chemical plants. Artificial intelligence is also increasingly ensuring greater energy and resource efficiency in industry.

The circular economy is right at the top of the EU Commission's political agenda. How can this be achieved?

Isabell Kuhn : The drive towards a circular economy is rightly at the top of the political agenda. For the upcoming transformation, we need a balance between competitiveness, environmental and climate protection and social responsibility. Products from the electrical and digital industry are already making a very important contribution to the realization of the circular economy in their field of application. In the B2B sector in particular, products are durable and are used for decades. However, the opportunities offered by digitalization must also be exploited in order to achieve a holistic circular economy. One example is the digital twin, which is a digital image of a product or process.

If a company from the electrical and digital industry wants to tackle and implement this topic, how exactly does it proceed? Are there guidelines or a checklist?

Isabell Kuhn: The ZVEI has specific committees, from the political to the technical level, that have taken on this topic. The committees and task forces are dedicated to topics such as sustainable finance, reporting obligations, diversity and due diligence obligations and present the results in webinars with experts, for example. Together with the VDMA, the ZVEI has also been publishing a cross-industry Code of Conduct (CoC) since 2008, which is available to member companies, their suppliers and interested parties. The Code of Conduct describes relevant principles of conduct and standards for sustainability requirements.

ZVEI at the SPS 2022: Hall 3, Stand 450