Responsibility
Declared a matter for the boss
"The common good is decisive for an intact society. We all bear responsibility for it." This is the view of the ESTA management and it has made sustainable management, i.e. the right balance of economy, ecology and social issues, its original task (more on this in the Code of Conduct). The family-run company is involved in many areas and has its sights firmly set on the region.
ESTA plants corporate forest
Planting trees is a lasting contribution to climate protection. This is also the conviction of ESTA. The ESTA forest is located only 20 kilometers away from the head office in Senden, in the vicinity of Erbach, a small town in the Alb-Donau-county in Baden-Württemberg. The reforestation project, in which ESTA trainees are also involved, is accompanied by large forest owner Constantin van Ulm-Erbach as forest-sponsor.
Awareness of the environment and nature
In accordance with our environmental guidelines, we continuously invest in the development of resource-saving products and are involved in numerous environmental initiatives.
ESTA eco+ is our newest flagship in energy efficiency. Thanks to modern control and sensor technology. Our eco+ extraction systems save up to 50 % electricity versus installations with a conventional control unit. In addition, many of our extraction systems are equipped with highly efficient EC fans as standard. The controllable system operation saves energy costs and thus conserves resources. “Clean it instead of throwing it away” is another motto of our product politics: The integrated filter media are mostly cleanable and long lives thanks to the high processing quality. We are also in the position to fit many of our extraction systems with an integrated heat recovery system in order to increase resource efficiency at our customers. As a member of the Blue Competence-Initiative of the VDMA we also underline our commitment for energy-efficiency issues.
As a member of Plattform Umwelttechnik e. V. or the air pollution control initiative ClustAir, we further underline our commitment to energy efficiency issues. This is also evident from the fact that ESTA fulfils all the requirements of the environmental management standard ISO 14001:2015.
We also take ecological responsibility for ourselves. The ESTA sales and assembly centre uses state-of-the-art technologies, including heat pumps and photovoltaic systems. In 2007 we received the “German Solar Prize” for this. Our employees also cultivate a conscious approach to using natural resources and materials. Among other things, the ESTA Guidelines also define regulations for waste reduction and avoidance.
TOGETHER FOR SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS
ESTA is a partner of the Blue Competence sustainability initiative. Blue Competence is an initiative of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) for the promotion of sustainability in mechanical and plant engineering, but also to make sustainable solutions known in the industry. With this partnership, we commit ourselves to complying with the twelve sustainability principles of mechanical and plant engineering.
COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION AND YOUNG TALENT
Education is an indispensable prerequisite for our innovations and provides important impetus for social and economic progress.
The promotion of young talent was already a high priority for company founder Günter Kulitz in the early 1970s. With a training quota of 20 % and a hiring rate of over 80 %, training work is still the "DNA" of ESTA today.
In addition to our training work, we are involved as a practical partner for school, study or research projects in schools, colleges and universities. Since 2011, we have been active as an educational partner of the Städtische Wirtschaftsschule Senden ( WiSS ). Under the slogan "ESTA & WiSS - a cooperation with bite" there is a wide range of commitments, such as internships, career days, job application training or participation in the nationwide Girls' Day,
where the intention is to introduce girls to scientific professions. The aim of the cooperation is to sustain the "school - business" dialogue over the long term and to offer young people practical support in their career orientation.
In addition, we have already worked with mechanical engineering students from the Ulm University of Applied Sciences and the University of Duisburg-Essen on innovative solutions for some of our development projects, and have designed marketing campaigns with students from the Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences.
Trainee project for a good cause
Our trainees are also committed, and organise at least two charitable projects every year. For example, the ESTA junior staff organise a sports cup in which teams of trainees from the entire region can take part. Whether it's beach volleyball, basketball or dodge ball, many training companies in the vicinity accept the sporting challenge and support the charitable event. The proceeds from participation fees and gastronomic offerings are donated in full.
The trainees also collect for a good cause at the Advent sale for ESTA employees, with home-made biscuits and hand-made lavender cushions, or with the St. Nicholas sales campaign. The proceeds go to institutions in the region, such as the Aufschnaufhaus Ulm or the Interkulturelles Kinderhaus Ulm.
Good neighbourly relations
Founded in Ulm with company headquarters in Senden, ESTA is deeply rooted in the region. The company fulfills its social responsibility in various ways, e.g. by cultivating an "inclusive" neighborhood.
The stage is set for the second time for four ESTA trainees and 15 workshop employees. Since the beginning of the year, they have been diligently rehearsing for the joint theatre project under the professional direction of a drama teacher several times a month - during working hours, of course. The first rehearsal units have already been completed. The group has already become more familiar with each other from warm-up and introductory games. Everyone has one goal in mind: a joint performance at the summer festival of the Donau-Iller workshops.
The theatre also fits perfectly into the ESTA training concept. It combines and promotes important social and cognitive skills and abilities to help people find their way around in society and the world of work. Through the joint rehearsals, it is intended that all participants should understand their "otherness" not as a flaw, but as versatility, and learn that it is enriching to be "different together".
LEA AWARD: SME AWARD FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILIT
At the presentation of the SME Award for Social Responsibility in Baden-Württemberg in 2023, ESTA was recognised as an exemplary company with the project "ESTA and WiSS - a cooperation with bite". On 5 July 2023, Caritas, Diakonie and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Housing presented the Lea Award to socially committed companies in the Neues Schloss in Stuttgart. The motto of the non-endowed prize is "Performance - Commitment - Recognition" ("Lea").
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HONOURS ESTA FOR INTEGRATION OF REFUGEES
ESTA has won the German government's CSR award. The jury of experts made an award to the company in the special prize category "Operational integration of refugees in small and medium-sized companies".
Our foundation is built on satisfied employees
We hold great store in a family-like company culture in which it is possible to work together in harmony across all hierarchies and departments and to develop oneself further.
Satisfied employees are the essence of our company's future. We encourage them to use their personal development opportunities through training programs in our own training facilities at the ESTA Academy. Especially in these times of digital change, it is important for us to get our employees ready for the requirements of the future. Flexible work times as well as the chance to bring together family and job are a matter of course for us. Appreciative communication as an integral part of our guiding principles and ESTA Guidelines form the basis for a harmonious collaboration. ESTA employees have many opportunities to bring variety to their working life.
The ESTA Benefit program with price discounts in local retail creates a special incentives for our employees. Moreover, operational health management enjoys a very high importance with us. Our health days are very popular offering check-ups, screenings and inoculations. We also regularly take place in regional sport events such as the Ulm Einstein-Marathon. The sales and assembly centre in Senden also offers all employees a modern healthy working environment for feeling good in, ergonomic, light-flood and friendly work places which contribute to a comfortable work atmosphere.