Our global ZEISS Sustainability goals

2022

Full green power supply worldwide

2025

Globally carbon-neutral in all ZEISS activities

Responsible Use of Resources

Water reduction in lens manufacturing

For binoculars, spotting scopes, riflescopes, and lenses

Water is a valuable and essential resource for our planet. Manufacturing, cleaning and cooling systems – Without water, industry simply cannot function. That makes it even more important for ZEISS to conserve this resource through numerous initiatives.

A broad mix of measures such as investing in new cooling systems, reusing wastewater from production for toilet flushing and establishing employee ideas like using the concept of drip irrigation for lens production, have already resulted in major improvements, and already saved over 10,000m3 water per year.

"In Germany, we already produce exclusively with electricity from renewable sources and continue to expand our measures to achieve CO2 neutrality in our own operations worldwide by 2025." - Dr. Anja Christmann, Head of Production

Energy saving initiatives

To become carbon neutral along the whole value chain

With own production facilities in Germany and abroad, ZEISS is not only in control of manufacturing quality, but can also influence the sustainability of all processes in the company.

In addition, we are creating more awareness and sensitivity around the responsible use of energies with a wide variety of employee projects. Even many small initiatives, such as switching to LEDs, or decisive measures, such as the exclusive use of electricity from renewable sources in production, have an impact and lead to continuous energy savings.

Sustainable Engineering and Product Development

Additive manufacturing reduces CO2 emissions

Saving energy by switching to 3D printing technology in tooling design

To be able to manufacture a wide range of ZEISS products, various special tools are required in production and assembly. By switching to 3D printing processes to manufacture these tools in-house, not only highly energy-intensive aluminum can be replaced, but the processing and reduced transport routes also have a positive effect on the energy consumption.

With our new packaging concept, we were able to reuse over 16,000 PET bottles last year, thus contributing our small part to a successful circular economy. - Tammo Lueken, Head of Category Management Hunting

Sustainable packaging for ZEISS products

Made of recycled materials

As part of our commitment to use sustainable and recycled materials, ZEISS has developed a new packaging concept. New products are now compactly packaged in standardized and fully recyclable cardboard boxes. However, ZEISS does not just focus on the recyclability of packaging, but already uses 100% recycled material from old PET bottles for product bags.

Sustainable due to durability and repairability

Thanks to ZEISS customer service

A durable and high-quality product is the most sustainable product. ZEISS binoculars, lenses and riflescopes stand for precisely these characteristics and accompany customers for generations. Already during product development, ZEISS focuses on a sustainable product and service concept with extensive laboratory and field tests on durability, material use and reparability. With our in-house ZEISS Customer Service, we offer a range of services from maintenance and repair to numerous spare parts and are thus saving important materials and resources.

ZEISS Nature Conservation Initiatives

ZEISS products allow customers to observe unique moments with brilliant images and convey a very personal experience of nature. Together with various cooperation partners, ZEISS is very committed to sustainability and environmental protection. With numerous nature conservation and social responsibility initiatives we want to contribute that nature and habitats for countless species remain in place over a long period of time and let people also in the future experience the beauty of our nature. Get an insight into our latest projects.

United States
Inclusive Birdwatching

ZEISS sponsorship with Birdability

ZEISS announces partnership with Birdability, a non-profit organization based in the U.S.. Birdability’s vision is that birding is truly for everybody and their mission is to share the joys of birding with people who have disabilities, and to ensure birding is accessible for everyone.

Young Birders

The next generation of conservationists

ZEISS is partnering with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to foster the next generation of ornithologists. Young Birders Weekend brings together young people who want to share and deepen their enthusiasm for birding.

Thailand
ZEISS as BirdLife Species Champion

for the Spotted Greenshank

Spotted Greenshank is listed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List, with the remaining global population estimated at approximately 1,500 individuals. It currently faces an ongoing decline, driven principally by habitat loss and degradation, at unprotected non-breeding sites.

Israel
Safeguard Skies & Stopover Sites

ZEISS supports IBRC in Eilat

Global climate change has made the lives of the long winged club harder with longer migration routes, faster migrations and desertification among other heightened risks. ZEISS is supporting the International Birding & Research Centre, Eilat in safeguarding the skies of the flyway and stopover sites that the birds use.

Migration Project in Israel

Together with the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), ZEISS protects various migration routes across Israel. Measures include the renaturation of fish ponds, the construction of resting and feeding areas, and the preservation of food sources. As a result, numerous rare species are able to migrate to Africa each year along a safe route.

Germany
Increasing Nature Conservation and Species Protection

with the Jordsand Association

Jordsand is committed to the protection of migratory and seabirds and their habitats. ZEISS supports this in joint cooperation.

NABU Federsee Nature Conservation Center

supported by ZEISS Binoculars

ZEISS has been supporting the NABU Nature Conservation Center on Lake Federsee in Germany for around 20 years, including through its permanent loan of binoculars. These are not only used by volunteers involved in nature and wildlife conservation on site, but are also made available to visitors, for example during guided tours.

Austria
Grassland Bird Conservation Program

As ground-nesting birds, grassland birds face extreme threats from nocturnal predators. Together with the Vorarlberg Nature Conservation Association, ZEISS has made it its mission to protect the populations of these birds through biotope management and intensive measures to defend against predators. As a result, numerous successes have already been achieved at the local level.

UK
ZEISS Young Birder Awards

"This Award aims to encourage young people to become more involved with birds and wildlife, hopefully leading to a lifetime as ambassadors for conservation." - Mark Pearson, Patron

Kenya
White backed vulture flying before landing in Zimanga Game Reserve in Kwa Zulu Natal in South Africa
ZEISS supports protecting vultures in Kenya

The Vultures' restaurant

ZEISS has proudly supported the conservation efforts to safeguard vultures in Kenya from 2020 to 2021. There are eleven different vulture species in Africa, but their population has been reduced by over 65 percent in the past 20 years.

Morocco
The Northern Bald Ibis

Saved from extinction

Thanks to intensive conservation measures of BirdLife International, the habitats of the Northern Bald Ibis in Morocco have made a recovery. The project was successfully completed.

South Africa
Kruger Bird and Wildlife Challenge

ZEISS Sponsors Grand Prize

Organized by BirdLife South Africa, Middlepunt Wetland Trust and Rockjumper Birding Tours, the event was started to support conservation efforts for the critically endangered white-winged flufftail.

News from the ZEISS Group

Would you like to find out more about sustainability at ZEISS? Check out our recent ZEISS Sustainability Website and discover more exciting insights into the various sustainability projects down below.