How Kreussler is tackling energy, water, chemistry and waste

Editor’s Note: This article was supplied by Kreussler in response to our invitation to tell our readers about the things the company is doing to reduce its environmental footprint. We also ran a social media post in our “Companies Strut their Sustainability” article earlier this month.

Dry cleaning sits at an unusual intersection of chemistry, energy, water, equipment, and logistics. That makes sustainability less about a single change and more about rethinking how an entire operation works. 

“For Kreussler, it is of enormous importance to pursue a long-term, and above all, credible sustainability strategy,” says Thomas Zeck, Commercial Director of Kreussler GmbH. 

Energy and Water: Closing the Loop 

Kreussler’s headquarters in Wiesbaden, Germany, runs on solar and geothermal energy. Twenty-four heat exchangers pull warmth directly from the ground to heat production facilities and office buildings. Solar panels on the warehouse roof handle a significant share of total electricity demand. These infrastructure investments reduce operating costs and help manage energy price volatility. 

The facility is also sewage-free. Wastewater from rinsing and cleaning processes runs through ultrafiltration and distillation before being reused. No discharge. The same water goes back to work. Rainwater from the production area is also captured and reused. 

Concentrating on Chemistry 

Kreussler formulates its products to be highly concentrated. That matters for a few practical reasons: you use less product per cycle, spend less on shipping weight, and store less inventory. Efficiency and environmental benefits point in the same direction. 

The detergents are also free from borates, phosphates, APEO, and NTA. If you have ever dealt with regulatory scrutiny around wastewater discharge, you know those are not small omissions. Phosphates contribute to the over-fertilization of waterways. APEO compounds are slow to biodegrade and toxic to aquatic life. Their absence in Kreussler formulations is a deliberate design choice rather than a response to regulation. 

Kreussler eliminated phosphates from industrial washing powder detergents well before the industry was required to. When laws were passed in the mid 1990s giving the detergent industry fifteen years to phase them out, Kreussler did not wait. 

Empty HDPE containers go back to Kreussler in Germany for recycling. Kreussler is also introducing a modular bag-in-box refill system in European markets, designed to reduce plastic packaging and limit direct operator contact with chemistry. 

Why It Matters to Your Business 

Commercial clients, including hotels, hospitals and uniform services, are increasingly asking what chemistry is going into their laundry process and what is coming out on the other side. Having answers ready and having a supplier who can back those answers up is becoming a practical business advantage. 

As Dr. Manfred Seiter, Technical Director for Textile Chemistry at Kreussler GmbH, put it: “We think sustainability is a part of our DNA as a company.” 

The cleaners who will be best positioned in the next decade are not necessarily the ones who market themselves as green. They are the ones who can show the work when a client asks. 

Starting With Your Own Operation 

Sustainability does not require a facility overhaul. Smaller decisions, such as reviewing chemical use or auditing waste, can reduce an operation’s environmental impact without requiring major capital investment. 

The questions your clients are starting to ask are useful. They give you a reason to look more closely at your own operation and make changes that improve efficiency, reduce waste, and make changes that improve efficiency, reduce waste and give you concrete results to share with customers. 

Read more: How Kreussler is a Sustainable Company and A Comprehensive Conversation about Sustainable Practices. 

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