Mattes & Ammann first German to receive STeP certificate

The family-run medium-sized business had completed the required assessment, including company audit, in a remarkably short period of just four weeks. Prof. Dr. Stefan Mecheels, head of the Hohenstein Institute, handed over the STeP certificate to owner and managing director Christoph Larsen-Mattes and his team on behalf of the OEKO-TEX Association.

"We would like to congratulate Mattes & Ammann on exemplary implementation of their sustainable company philosophy", said Mecheels. "Their example, over many years now, has shown that a careful and responsible approach pays off, even in a highly competitive market, and that example is giving other companies the courage to follow the same path."

"At the first stage of STeP certification, all company departments with relevance in terms of environmentally-friendly production workflows and social working conditions were analysed via a web-based assessment", explains OEKO-TEX auditor, Ortrud Weber, of the Hohenstein Institute.

The assessment looks at how chemicals and potentially hazardous materials are handled, as well as the company's environmental performance (measurable using various criteria), the implementation of an environmental management system, corporate responsibility for employees, efficient quality management and safety at the workplace.

The assessment was followed by an audit of the manufacturing site, during which OEKO-TEX verified the information provided by the company and created a detailed audit report.

The STeP certificate that is issued provides the result of the sustainability assessment as a transparent score. "The result achieved by Mattes & Ammann", concludes Weber, "far surpasses the basic requirements for STeP certification and is at a level that reflects current best practice."

"As a medium-sized family company, sustainability is a matter of course for us, for economic, ecological and social reasons, and it safeguards all of our livelihoods", says Christoph Larsen-Mattes, summing up his conviction.

And that is why Mattes & Ammann has established comprehensive measures and management systems in all operating departments that contribute to achieving ambitious targets: innovative product development, safe and high-quality products, efficient and safe production workflows, eco-friendly production technologies, as well as well-educated and motivated employees.