The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)—a global partnership comprising the Carbon Disclosure Project, the UN Global Compact, the World Resources Institute and WWF—has validated Villeroy & Boch’s global decarbonisation strategy and its climate targets as compatible with the Paris Agreement and, consequently, with limiting global warming to 1.5 °C.
By 2030, the global ceramics manufacturer aims to reduce direct CO₂ emissions from its own operations by 45 per cent. By 2050, the company is also aiming for net-zero emissions across the board, meaning that no more greenhouse gases will be released into the atmosphere across its entire value chain.
Between 2021 and 2025, Villeroy & Boch reduced its total carbon footprint by 27.2 per cent. Emissions from Scope 1 and 2 fell by 34.5 per cent, driven largely by energy efficiency measures, long-term contracts for the purchase of green electricity (known as Power Purchase Agreements) and the expansion of renewable energy sources, which saw electricity-related emissions fall by as much as 44.7 per cent. For indirect emissions along the supply chain—which account for over 70 percent of the total carbon footprint—Villeroy & Boch has already achieved a reduction of 24.8 per cent.
Some of the examples of the company’s efforts include the installation of a new Enervit kiln at its German Dining & Lifestyle plant in Torgau—which reduces gas consumption in the relevant process area by around 20 per cent, equivalent to an annual saving of 1,181 tonnes of CO₂—and a photovoltaic system that covers around 15 per cent of local electricity demand at the Hungarian location in Hódmezővásárhely.
Beyond energy generation, Villeroy & Boch is also driving forward digitalisation as a lever for greater sustainability: at its Merzig plant, the company relies on AI-supported quality control. Artificial neural networks analyse ceramic parts every second immediately after the first firing process and identify defects before faulty items go through energy- and cost-intensive subsequent processes. The aim is a fully automated 100 per cent intermediate sorting process, which can save around half the production costs associated with defective items.
By 2045, Villeroy & Boch plans to invest over 140 million euros, including more than 25 million euros by 2030 for kiln optimisation and heat recovery alone. At the same time, research is being carried out into the
electrification of kilns and the use of green hydrogen.
“For us, SBTi validation is far more than just an accolade. It is scientific proof that climate protection and economic responsibility are not mutually exclusive. With the planned investments in decarbonisation, we are laying an important foundation on which we can build in the coming decades,” said Markus Warncke, CFO at Villeroy & Boch.