Sustainability @ PAJUNK®
Our contribution to a better future
It is our firm conviction that the medical technology industry in particular must assume a special responsibility for sustainability. An industry committed to health should also ensure that the environment remains healthy, that people are treated humanely, and that sustainable decisions are made.
When Horst and Heinrich founded PAJUNK six decades ago, they were way ahead of their time with their pioneering spirit. Their foresight and proactive corporate management have since shaped and guaranteed the long-term survival of PAJUNK, and will continue to do so in the future.
For us, sustainability means not only environmental awareness, but also responsible corporate governance and social commitment.
Environmental awareness
For UK only: › Carbon Reduction Plan
We want to use natural resources responsibly and have a positive impact on climate change. We pay attention to any possible environmental impact along production chains and the entire life cycle of our products. We rely on environmentally friendly and sustainable construction methods for new buildings. Our goal for the future is to continue improving the environmental friendliness of our buildings, production facilities, packaging, and products. With sustainable products, we can also help our customers to operate their healthcare facilities more sustainably.
Our goal is to achieve net CO2 neutrality by offsetting scope 1 and scope 2 emissions. This means offsetting direct emissions of climate-relevant gases within our own company (scope 1) and offsetting indirect emissions of climate-relevant gases by energy suppliers (scope 2). By 2032, we want to reduce these scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by 40%; this mainly relates to the use of company vehicles and energy consumption in production and administration. The target is monitored through a greenhouse gas balance according to GHG Protocol and ISO 14064-1. This balance is audited and certified by GUTcert and was created for PAJUNK for the first time in 2024 for the year 2022.
› Our Certificate.
In terms of packaging, we use the RESY (recycling system) symbol, which guarantees complete disposal and recycling of all transport and outer packaging made of paper and cardboard and marked with the RESY symbol. Applying the RESY symbol fulfills the requirements of the German Packaging Ordinance for transport packaging. Our paper or cardboard outer packaging is made from at least 80% recycled material and is almost 100% recyclable. In addition, we buy our cardboard boxes locally to keep CO2 emissions as low as possible.
When shipping, we not only prioritize sustainable shipping cartons, but also recycled protective packaging to secure the goods within the outer packaging. We mostly use filler in the form of recycled paper bubble strip. The use of air cushion pads made of thin, also recycled plastic therefore only occurs in exceptional cases.
In addition, we use not only regular stretch film, but also a perforated film (stretch film with holes, also called stretch net) to secure the ready-packed boxes and the entire load unit. We primarily use it to better sterilize the goods through it. However, it also has a green advantage. The holes in the surface mean that significantly less plastic is required overall, which in turn means that less packaging waste is produced. Perforated film is therefore, despite the higher price, just like very thin stretch film, a good alternative to normal stretch film.
By participating in the dual system, introduced in Germany by the company “Der Grüne Punkt” for the recycling of sales packaging, we were able, in 2023, to avoid an amount of CO2 in 2023 equivalent to that absorbed by 3 hectares of forest in one year.
› Our Certificate.
In order to continuously optimize energy savings, we voluntarily comply with ISO 50001 and are certified annually.
› Our Certificate.
So far, we have already achieved significant successes:
In 2023, we were able to save around 550,000 kWh of electricity (= annual consumption of 130 single-family homes with four people) compared to 2022, and we are currently at this lower level. In addition, we already cover 9% of our electricity requirements with photovoltaics, which equated to more than 200 MWh in 2023. In 2024, we have already quadrupled the number of solar panels and will significantly increase our capacity for generating renewable energy. We also made progress in reducing heating oil consumption, with savings of 15,000 liters in 2023 compared to the previous year and additional expected savings of 10,000 liters by connecting new buildings to the heat pump network in 2024 and shutting down oil heating systems. Furthermore, we saved 170 MWh of thermal energy in 2023 compared to the previous year, which corresponds to the annual requirements of seven single-family homes.
We have planned further measures for the future to achieve our sustainability goals. These include, for example, using greener packaging made from bio-based materials and increasing the proportion of recycled outer packaging.
We are also aiming to switch completely to electronic instructions for use and are planning to increase digitization of administrative work in order to make our processes more efficient and environmentally friendly.
Through targeted monitoring, we want to ensure effective implementation of our measures and the achievement of our ambitious goals. We are also considering ideas such as implementing a water treatment plant, rainwater harvesting, and battery storage systems for PV electricity.
Responsible corporate governance
Our responsible corporate governance is reflected in the successful history of our company, family-run since 1965 and now being managed by the second generation.
Today, PAJUNK is a global market leader in regional anesthesia and one of only a few market players that have remained following regulatory changes. We are therefore even more committed to quality, reliability, and innovation in order to ensure our company's long-term survival. In addition, we are building up further pillars in the areas of pain therapy and neurology/neurorehabilitation.
As a pioneer in the field of NRFit for greater patient safety, we have already converted over 500 facilities and work closely with our customers to obtain feedback and create impetus for innovation. This is also reflected in our very low customer complaint rate of 0.017%. Our innovation rate is very high compared to the rest of the industry, which has been recognized by being awarded as one of 450 “Global Market Leader Champions 2024” by the German business magazine WirtschaftsWoche.
We have also increased our production capacity at the Geisingen site and established a second site in the USA to guarantee our reliability in times of growth. These strategic decisions underline our commitment to excellent leadership and sustainable corporate growth.
Social commitment
Our strong commitment to social responsibility is reflected in various aspects of our work culture. We are proud of an extremely low staff turnover rate and our employees' lengths of service, which are important indicators of job satisfaction. We also offer a large number of apprenticeships and work closely with regional universities to provide young people with excellent educational opportunities.
Diversity and equal opportunities are integral parts of our corporate culture. People from 34 nations with different religions are working hand in hand at PAJUNK, creating an enriching and inclusive working environment. We strive for a balanced gender split at all hierarchical levels, which promotes gender equality in our company.
We offer various working time models to allow our employees to combine family and career. Attaching great importance to our employees' health, we support them through our health management system that includes sports and vaccination programs, preventive medical check-ups, and healthy meals.
Promoting individual potential is important to us and we therefore conduct regular employee appraisals. Extensive occupational safety precautions also ensure a safe working environment.
Our social commitment is not limited to local boundaries but extends globally. We are committed to fair working conditions at our sites and regularly audit our subcontractors to ensure our high standards. A company-wide leadership model for management staff ensures that our values and standards are practiced at all levels.
As one of the few market leaders in the field of regional anesthesia, we feel obligated to pass on our knowledge internally and externally in order to ensure continuation and further development of optimal patient care for future generations.
We are not yet where we want to be, but we have set clear goals and defined measures to get there. Join us on our journey. Subscribe to our social media channels and our newsletter to follow our progress in the three areas of responsible, sustainable corporate governance, environmental awareness, and social commitment.
Sustainability News
Olympic Fire with PAJUNK®
Professional athletes from all over the world gather there and enjoy the perfect conditions of the track. Even Kaitlyn McGregor, Vera Güntert, Nadja Wenger and Ramona Härdi, the most successful Swiss women's team, train mainly during the summer months in PAJUNK's home town. Their goal: the Winter Olympics which are currently taking place in Beijing. We are happy to be part of their success story and to accompany them as their sponsoring partner.
From speed to strength, endurance and quickness. Speed skating requires a high degree of tactical skill and a certain willingness to take risks. It is a sport about which we generally know and learn very little. So does the enjoyment of sport depend on whether it is popular? Or can athletes succeed in disciplines that have a shadowy existence?
If you take a look at the media presence of sports in Germany, you will quickly realise that almost everything in this country is, to exaggerate, a marginal sport. Except for football. This phenomenon can also be observed in our neighbouring countries. It hardly matters whether the sport is Olympic or not. Olympic disciplines are at least 'lucky' enough to be briefly in the public focus through TV broadcasts every four years.
Countless marginalized athletes pursue their passion every week in clubs, train hard, travel to competitions and maintain social contacts within their sport. We at PAJUNK believe that even fringe sports should be given a chance in form of attention and financial support they deserve. This is how we got to know the likeable quartet of ladies from Switzerland. Their motivation and fighting spirit convinced us straight away.
Of course, we wanted to get to know these four better and learn everything about them and their sport, especially how young people get into speed skating. The personal stories have impressed us.
Except for Kaitlyn, all of them started with inline speed skating and then switched to speed skating (on ice). Nadja did this only three years ago. Kaitlyn's home, on the other hand, has always been the ice, although at that time she was equipped with a stick and a puck. As a member of the U18 women's national ice hockey team in Zurich, she noticed that the high speeds on the ice suited her even more and so she changed discipline.
Sadly, there are no professional skating or speed skating facilities in Switzerland. This is one of the main reasons why Germany, with its cities of Geisingen and Inzell, has become the second home of the Swiss women. The Geisingen location offers them the best training opportunities in summer, as the covered track in the arena ensures independence from weather.
Also, the landscape and surroundings are made for them. Due to the travel restrictions and contact limitations of the pandemic, they spent even more time in Germany and have met many people from Geisingen and all over the world.
For three years now, the young women have been training together almost every day. Their only rest day is on Sundays, when regeneration, relaxation and 'just living' are on the agenda. The team then likes to go out for dinner together or plan day trips to Munich or Salzburg. In general, they find it very important to maintain a balance with sport. That's why Vera and Nadja decided to study by distance learning, which challenges their minds.
Motivating each other every day a new for training and dealing with each other professionally even on bad days isn’t always that easy. But in the meantime, they know how to push each other or cheer each other up when things are not that easy for one or the other. Ups and downs are quite normal in sport and each of them also has their own strengths and weaknesses. The most important thing for them is to look after each other, support each other and thus grow together as a team.
Qualifying for the Olympics was anything but easy. Out of a total of 16 teams, only eight were able to qualify. With China as the host country, there were de facto only seven places left, some of which had already been given to the top favourites such as Russia, Canada and the Netherlands. The World Cups in December 2021 went extremely well: new record times and a lot of expertise.
Unfortunately, it was not enough for a team pursuit, but Nadja was able to get a starting place in the mass start category.
Many smiled at them for their training philosophy and their plans for the future, but in the meantime, they feel that the attention from outside is growing bit by bit: 'The nice thing is that there is no pressure on us yet. Nobody expects anything from us except ourselves. We are keeping our fingers crossed and are looking forward to exciting reporting from Beijing.'
Proud of you!
On January 19, Nadja competed in the women's speed skating mass start and finished 10th in the semifinals.
Unfortunately, she did not qualify for the final. However, she can look back on a very good performance and is happy about this incredible time in Beijing.
We are proud to have supported these young talents on their way to the Olympics.
