Ecological responsibility
When caravanning, the beauty of nature takes centre stage. We are therefore aware of our ecological responsibility to protect and preserve the environment for the long term. In 2006, we implemented various measures to make our production processes more resource-efficient and to achieve our environmental goals. We measure this through our environmental management system. Our overarching goal is to be climate-neutral by 2050.
One key project in vehicle development is electromobility. We aim to offer our customers sustainable travel companions, which is why we are driving forward the development of our electric vehicle concepts.
Our path to a more sustainable future
The biomass heating system in our factory serves a dual purpose: wood waste from the cutting process is used to heat the factory halls, generate process heat and provide hot water. This has reduced our consumption of fossil fuels to zero, saving around 4,300,000 kilowatt hours of energy per year, or around 400,000 litres of oil. A DeNox system in the heating system reduces the nitrogen load.
Our efforts in recent years have been highly successful. Our energy consumption per vehicle produced has been reduced by around 40%. Water consumption has decreased by 13%, and compared to the previous year, 13% less waste was generated per vehicle produced.
With the aid of our lean management process, we minimise waste throughout the company in all its forms. We continuously optimise our processes to reduce overproduction, stock levels, transport and unnecessary movements. This means we use fewer raw materials, consume less energy and produce less waste.
The LED lights throughout our factory are switched off automatically during breaks and in the evening to save energy. To prevent energy losses in our factory’s compressed air network, Dethleffs has installed a leak-detection system.
At Dethleffs, all employees are asked to contribute ideas to promote sustainability. Through the ideas portal, they can submit suggestions in areas such as environmental protection, work processes and sustainability. One example is the idea of using special mirrors in quality control to simplify workflows.
Bees make a major contribution to the preservation of biodiversity on our planet.
At Dethleffs, two bee colonies have found a home on our factory premises, where they are cared for in partnership with BeeFuture.
We see it as our duty to reduce CO2 emissions, conserve resources and do our part in meeting the targets established by the Paris Climate Agreement. We will reduce our CO2 emissions by 25% by 2030 (using 2022 as a baseline). By 2050 at the latest, we aim to achieve a fully climate-neutral value chain as a company. As a company, we are aiming for a completely climate-neutral value chain by 2050 at the latest.
Sustainable products
The fully electric caravan E.HOME Caravan from Dethleffs
What was once a vision is now within reach. After many months of hard work, we unveiled a fully functional prototype of a self-powered, fully electric caravan in 2019 – one that even successfully completed an Alpine crossing.
Our innovation team is now fully committed to turning the vision of a self-powered caravan into reality.
Dethleffs E.HOME Motorhome
At the 2017 Caravan Salon, Dethleffs became the first major manufacturer to present a concept for a fully electric motorhome. We are certain that electric propulsion for motorhomes is on its way.
However, there is more to it than simply placing an electrically powered chassis underneath the conversion. The transition to an all-electric drivetrain presents new challenges and opportunities for the overall vehicle concept. Especially in the interior.
The sustainable future of travel: The “e.home ECO” from Dethleffs
An ambitious idea is taking shape: with the presentation of the e.home ECO, we want to show what environmentally friendly travel could look like in the future. After intensive development work, we are presenting this study, which uses innovative materials and technologies to point the way to a new era of mobility.
Our development team is determined to realize this vision of a motorhome with sustainable energy use and forward-looking materials by 2028.