Together towards the future: Harro Höfliger's path to Net-Zero
Customer: Harro Höfliger Verpackungsmaschinen GmbH
Category: Mechanical Engineering
Date: April 2025
Harro Höfliger Verpackungsmaschinen GmbH, based in Allmersbach im Tal, has been one of the leading manufacturers of production and packaging systems since 1975. As an innovative company with an international focus, Harro Höfliger not only pursues the highest quality standards, but also ambitious sustainability goals.
In order to strategically align and scientifically validate its own climate protection measures, Harro Höfliger decided to enter into a partnership with DFGE – Institute for Energy, Ecology and Economy. Together, they developed Science-Based Targets (SBTs) that comply with the 1.5-degree pathway of the Paris Climate Agreement and were officially validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
Jan Türk
Sustainability Manager – Harro Höfliger Verpackungsmaschinen GmbH
“The collaboration with DFGE was of central importance to us in order to develop ambitious and scientifically sound climate targets. Through precise emissions accounting and the joint development of SBTi-compliant reduction pathways, we have created a robust basis for adhering to the 1.5°C pathway and strengthening our sustainability strategy in the long term.”
Challenges
Climate strategy with perspective: From footprint to responsibility
Before targets could be set, the status quo first had to be defined. This meant a detailed and comprehensive survey of all relevant emissions – an essential step on the way to a long-term and credible climate strategy. The complexity of the global value chains was particularly challenging, as emissions are not only generated at the company’s own production sites, but also in all upstream and downstream areas worldwide.
A particular focus was therefore placed on Scope 3 emissions. These include all indirect emissions, such as those caused by purchased materials, transportation or the use of products sold. Due to their large number and the often limited availability of data, they represent a major challenge – and at the same time make up the largest proportion of the overall CO₂e footprint. The precise recording and transparent documentation of these emissions has therefore become a strategic necessity in order to develop realistic and ambitious targets.
Solution
From data jungle to strategy
The next step focused on creating a robust carbon footprint, which had to meet the high transparency requirements of the SBTi. This involved not only calculating emissions, but also disclosing the methods used, justifying assumptions in a comprehensible manner and making potential uncertainties transparent – especially in the case of Scope 3 data, which can often only be based on secondary data or average values.
DFGE supported Harro Höfliger in systematically processing and critically scrutinizing the complex emissions data. Following a successful review of the carbon footprint, the focus was on developing scientifically sound reduction paths. Various scenarios were calculated in close collaboration in order to identify the most effective measures for reducing emissions. This resulted in a viable strategy that takes into account both short-term and long-term goals – and is geared towards the major goal of Net-Zero.
Result
On course for carbon neutrality: heading for the future with validated targets
The result of this intensive collaboration is a clear commitment: Harro Höfliger is committed to achieving Net-Zero emissions along the entire value chain by 2045. However, the company is not only thinking long-term – the short-term targets are also ambitious and are based on the 1.5-degree pathway. By 2030, absolute emissions in Scopes 1 and 2 are to be halved, while Scope 3 emissions are to be reduced by 42% compared to the base year 2023.
At the beginning of 2025, these climate targets were officially validated by the Science Based Targets initiative. This means that Harro Höfliger is not only on a scientifically sound path towards Net-Zero, but is also making a measurable and effective contribution to global emissions reduction.
Jan Türk
Sustainability Manager – Harro Höfliger Verpackungsmaschinen GmbH
“The collaboration with DFGE was not only a complete success in technical terms – it was also a partnership, solution-oriented and motivating. We are looking forward to the next joint steps towards Net-Zero.”
