Today marks the start of UN’s Climate Week. In this context FORVIA HELLA shows how climate protection is not just a strategy, but part of everyday life.

_{Monday 2025-09-22}

Climate protection is no longer a marginal issue at FORVIA HELLA. This year, the company launched its own CO₂ organization – a network of managers in each business group and experts in central functions such as purchasing, development, logistics, and environmental management. Their goal: to drive CO₂ reduction in those areas where the expertise lies. Quickly, purposefully, and practically.

“We are constantly looking at the carbon footprint of the company and its products to understand where we need to take concrete action. On this basis, we develop specific measures for CO₂ reduction and implement them,” says Anke Sommermeyer, Head of the Corporate Sustainability Office at FORVIA HELLA. "The whole thing is really picking up speed – also in close cooperation with FORVIA. It is important that climate protection is not run as a separate project, but is increasingly taken into account in everyday business." Examples of this include the optimization of transport routes and the introduction of new, sustainable packaging solutions.

Product design as a lever

A key lever is product design. With every new product, the question arises: Which materials will be used? How can energy consumption be reduced during product use? How can the product be designed to be repairable and resource-efficient?

“More and more RFQs are coming with stringent sustainability requirements,” explains Dr. Mathias Niedling, responsible for sustainability in the Business Group Lighting. The focus is on the use of recycled plastics and metals, lightweight construction, the use of green electricity, and improving repairability. “One example: We currently offer headlamps with removable front lenses, which makes repairs easier and extends the service life.”

The Power Beam product family from FORVIA HELLA also demonstrates how sustainable product design can be successful. Instead of a die-cast aluminum housing, an innovative, completely corrosion-resistant plastic housing is used. This reduces weight by 45%, lowers costs, and reduces CO₂ emissions by around 30%. Thanks to its compact design, the LED work lamp is versatile and makes it easier to switch from halogen to LED – a successful example of combining sustainability and cost-effectiveness.

FORVIA HELLA is also well ahead in terms of energy use: 100% of its production sites worldwide now run on green electricity, which is a major milestone.

Sustainability meets cost-effectiveness

Of course, there are also challenges. One of the biggest is how to implement sustainable solutions economically. “Recycled materials, for example, are not necessarily more expensive,” says Alexander Kuhr, responsible for plastics purchasing at FORVIA HELLA. “But we need to build an even better bridge between OEM requirements, our internal evaluation, and the involvement of suppliers.”

Suppliers in dialogue

Another key lies in communication with suppliers. Already during the quotation phase, FORVIA HELLA requests sustainability information in addition to the price breakdown: CO₂ balances and information on the proportion of sustainable materials or the use of green electricity are now systematically requested. "The degree of maturity of the suppliers varies greatly. With some suppliers, there is a partnership-based exchange on an equal footing. With others, including heavyweights in their industry, intensive explanations and close cooperation are still necessary. We are currently focusing on the core contributors to the CO₂ footprint of materials, including semiconductor manufacturers, for example," says Mary-Anne Krasemann, responsible for sustainability in FORVIA Purchasing. One challenge is that there is currently no industry standard for collecting and evaluating this data.

Climate protection as a joint task

The examples show that climate protection has long been part of FORVIA HELLA's corporate identity and is actively promoted by many committed colleagues. The challenges are great – but even greater is the will to find solutions together and anchor sustainable changes in day-to-day business. Every contribution counts, whether in product design, logistics, or in dialogue with our partners. In this way, we are not only shaping the mobility of tomorrow, but also taking responsibility for the world in which we live and work. Let's keep going – together for more climate protection at FORVIA HELLA!