Wanzl on the Path to Sustainable Excellence: How a Long-Established Company Makes Its Strengths Visible
Customer: Wanzl GmbH & Co. KGaA
Category: Manufacturing
Case Study Video
The Wanzl Group is one of Germany’s most renowned hidden champions. For decades, the company has stood for quality, innovative strength, and a strong international presence in the field of retail and logistics solutions. Every day, millions of people worldwide use a Wanzl product, often without realizing it, such as the iconic shopping carts found in supermarkets around the globe.
In Germany, however, the name Wanzl is firmly established. As a family-owned company headquartered in Leipheim, Bavaria, Wanzl employs more than 4,200 people across over a dozen international subsidiaries and generates annual revenues exceeding EUR 900 million.
Project overview: Since 2023, Wanzl has been working with DFGE – Institute for Energy, Ecology and Economy – to systematically strengthen its sustainability management, strategically build up its EcoVadis rating, and continuously optimize its performance. Within just two assessment cycles, Wanzl achieved remarkable progress: supported by DFGE’s EcoVadis Enterprise Package, the company started with a Bronze Medal (61 points) and reached Silver (74 points) within two years. Key focus areas included structuring existing documentation, developing a company-wide CSR policy, and targeted coordination with EcoVadis, covering data gap analyses and KPI optimization.
Michael Glogger
Compliance Officer, Wanzl Group
„Working with DFGE was the right decision for us. Their structured approach and deep expertise in the EcoVadis process made the complex assessment procedure transparent and efficient. Thanks to the excellent cooperation, we were able to significantly improve our sustainability performance and achieve the Silver Medal.“
Challenges
Customer Requirements as a Catalyst – ESG as a Differentiating Factor
Companies that focus strongly on their core competencies often have limited time to engage deeply with the EcoVadis methodology. This was also the case for Wanzl: in addition to systematically organizing existing sustainability initiatives, the company needed to understand and successfully apply EcoVadis’ complex assessment mechanisms.
At the same time, customer expectations for verifiable sustainability performance continued to rise. The growing ESG focus (Environment, Social, Governance) in procurement meant that Wanzl had to present its existing strengths in sustainability in a more transparent and comprehensible manner.
Although numerous initiatives were already in place, the key objective was to consolidate a wide range of documents and activities into a structured, consistent, and EcoVadis-compliant framework. Achieving the first medal thus became a milestone for Wanzl – both in meeting customer expectations and in advancing its own sustainability management ambitions.
Solutions
EcoVadis Enterprise Package: Comprehensive Support from DFGE
To successfully address these challenges, DFGE acted as an extended sustainability department for Wanzl. Through close coordination, DFGE supported the company across two assessment cycles from 2023 to 2025 – from the strategic setup to the final submission of the EcoVadis questionnaire.
The process began with a detailed gap analysis to identify improvement potential and provide targeted feedback on individual questions and response options. Building on this, Wanzl and DFGE jointly developed a policy framework based on key ESG topics, aligned with internal requirements and international standards.
Regular feedback sessions ensured continuous monitoring of timelines and progress. At the same time, this exchange helped build in-house expertise, enabling long-term independence. A subsequent review phase ensured that all supporting documentation was complete and accurate.
Following the release of the EcoVadis scorecards, DFGE conducted a thorough reassessment in both rating rounds to identify potential evaluation errors – an approach that secured Wanzl additional points and valuable insights.
Results & Perspective
From Bronze to Silver: Wanzl’s Sustainable Progress in the EcoVadis Rating
The outstanding outcome of the collaboration: Wanzl received EcoVadis medals in two consecutive assessments – first Bronze (61 points), then Silver (74 points). This significant increase in score highlights the targeted development of the company’s sustainability management and positions Wanzl at a very high level in a global comparison of more than 150,000 participating companies.
In addition, the newly developed, publicly available CSR policy became a central communication tool. It consistently consolidates existing sustainability initiatives, makes commitments to environmental, social, and governance issues measurable, and strengthens credibility with stakeholders.
These achievements not only create transparency in tenders and customer dialogues but also represent a major step toward CSRD readiness (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) and provide a solid foundation for future sustainability communication.
Over the course of the project, three key areas were particularly strengthened:
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Data structuring and transparency
Existing documentation was systematically prepared and aligned with EcoVadis requirements—transforming an initially empty questionnaire into a robust foundation. -
CSR policy and ESG framework
A comprehensive company-wide policy makes sustainability practices visible and reflects stakeholder expectations. -
Communication and assessment process
With DFGE acting as an interface to EcoVadis, the correct industry classification and assessment logic were clarified, and additional points were gained through formal review procedures.
These successes demonstrate how consistently Wanzl views sustainability as a strategic pillar—and how effective structured collaboration can be in accelerating progress.
Henri Beranek
Sustainability Manager, Wanzl Group
„Through our close cooperation with DFGE, we were able to establish EcoVadis as a strong channel for transparently communicating our sustainability activities—both to our customers and to internal and external stakeholders. This is an important step that will significantly support us in meeting upcoming CSRD requirements.“
