COMPO News

Münster (December 2024) – The new sustainability declaration for the 2023 reporting year has been prepared according to the standards of the German Sustainability Code (GSC) and once more marks pioneering milestones in COMPO's ESG programme and Green Leadership pledge. It documents the progress of the comprehensive sustainability strategy for all international production sites within the COMPO Group and demonstrates a significant reduction in climate-relevant emissions. COMPO's ESG programme aims to develop a strategy for the continuous reduction of all climate-relevant emissions, from one end of the value chain to the other. "By joining the Science Based Targets initiative in 2023, COMPO is following a clearly defined pathway to emission reduction in line with the 1.5 °C target of the Paris Climate Accords," explains Stephan Engster, CEO of COMPO. "Our success speaks for itself! We are proud to report significant GHG-emission reductions and we remain committed to resolutely pursuing this path." Emission reduction through forward-looking raw material alternatives and technologies An analysis of the corporate carbon footprint assessment according to the internationally recognised Greenhouse Gas Protocol reveals opportunities for sustainable change. A key approach is the focus on innovative and low-emission raw materials. A multidisciplinary team from the research centre at the Münster headquarters develops ecofriendly and highly effective product formulations. COMPO has enjoyed particular success when it comes to increasing the percentage of raw materials that are renewable and regionally sourced in its potting soils. Optimisation of the raw material selection process for substrates has delivered a significant reduction in both Scope 1 and Scope 3 emissions. The strategy will be continued and expanded upon in the coming years. Another milestone: To reinforce its leadership position in organic and organic-mineral fertilisers, the 2023 reporting year saw COMPO launch the largest investment project in the history of the company at the Münster site, where it constructed Europe's most advanced production plant for organic and organic-mineral fertilisers. COMPO is setting new standards in efficiency and sustainability at this production facility with its innovative COMPO Advanced Release Technology. Regional resources for shorter delivery routes and a reduction in transport emissions The regional sourcing and processing of natural materials has enabled COMPO to both reduce transport routes and increase flexibility in the supply chain. "In addition to lowering emissions, we are also setting new standards across the industry with this approach, particularly in Germany," emphasises Peter Bali, Head of Business Development at COMPO. The simultaneous reduction in transport emissions combined with regional and lower-emission raw materials, optimised production processes, and improved inventory management, enables us to achieve a significant reduction in Scope 3 emissions as compared to last year's report. This approach will be increasingly rolled out across southern Europe in the future. Internal and external responsibility COMPO focuses on raw materials that come from the circular economy, both for its products and for its packaging. COMPO's packaging made from recycled materials recently won the Plastic Recycling Award and has won the German Packaging Award on numerous occasions. In the 2023 reporting year, renewable resources account for more than 98 per cent of our packaging materials. More improvements will follow in the future. For example, the Group will only use packaging consisting entirely of post-consumer recycled materials for liquid fertilisers from 2025 onwards. Transition to renewable energy The consistent transition to green electricity at all our German sites has also had a noticeable impact: "This measure reduces Scope 2 emissions by more than 89 per cent. Plans to transition to green electricity at international sites are already in place," says Engster. COMPO is also promoting sustainable mobility by installing e-charging stations and offering company bike leasing at selected German locations, for example. Responsible action and sustainable management are key claims for COMPO on all levels. "The GSC declaration clearly shows that we are serious about our self-imposed commitments and implementing them across Europe successfully," emphasises Stephan Engster. The GSC also ensures that the sustainability standards of the various companies are visible and comparable via its publication platform. "This enables us to offer our business partners and customers maximum transparency," adds Engster. In addition to detailing all climate-relevant emissions, COMPO's new GSC declaration also illustrates the social and governance aspects of the company-wide ESG programme. It is available in both German and English in the GSC database.

In times when consumers are looking for quality and fair prices, DEUTSCHLAND TEST and the market research institute ServiceValue have investigated for Focus Money which companies and brands offer the best value for money from a consumer perspective. In the garden care category, COMPO was the only company to achieve the full score of 100 and receives the “Price Winner 2024” award. Highest customer confidence in the garden care category “We are delighted to receive the award as Price-Performance Winner 2024. It confirms our claim to offer high-quality and sustainable products at the best prices,” reports Stephan Engster, CEO of COMPO. “We would like to thank our customers for their trust and see this recognition as an incentive to continue working with passion and responsibility on the best price-performance ratio in the garden industry.” Winner in a multi-stage analysis process To determine the “Price Winners 2024”, 13,000 companies from over 150 sectors were analysed in terms of their price-performance perception. Based on 58 million online responses, a multi-stage scientific process was used to determine which brands offer the best overall impression in their sector. The respective industry winners receive 100 points and thus set the benchmark for all other companies in their category. COMPO clearly came out on top in the garden care category. Quality and sustainability for the gardening world of tomorrow “The survey also shows that an outstanding price-performance ratio and our Green Leader promise go hand in hand,” explains Stephan Engster. For the second time in a row, COMPO also took first place in the renowned “Germany's Best Sustainability 2024” ranking in the garden care category. “Both awards also underpin the message of our brand communication ”Better the best. For nature. For you. For everyone.”. On the one hand, it focuses on our responsibility for nature and society and, on the other hand, it means achieving the best possible result for the environment and users with the least possible impact and effort,” says Stephan Engster. You can find an overview of COMPO's awards and distinctions here:

COMPO has expanded its management team to the customer at a crucial point, thus taking another important step in the implementation of its brand promise. In addition to the managing directors Stephan Engster, CEO and Anton Staals, CFO, Mario Bildat as Chief Operating Officer and Andrea Strein as Chief Sales Officer strengthen the management team. "With Andrea Strein and Mario Bildat, we have gained two absolute professionals who will further improve the execution of our brand promise and contribute to further increased delivery and service satisfaction," says Engster. "The expansion of our management team with a COO and CSO marks another important step in our corporate strategy." COMPO's leadership culture is characterized by responsibility, partnership, innovation and growth. Mario Bildat brings extensive experience from the optimization of business processes and the implementation of product innovations. Bildat joined the group of companies in 2023 and was able to provide excellent impetus in its first season. In doing so, he was able to build on his more than 20 years of international experience as VP Operations in the industrial and automotive sectors of Stanley Black & Decker. Since October 2024, Andrea Strein has been strengthening the COMPO team as Chief Sales Officer. In her role, Andrea Strein will take over the operational management of the national sales units. She will drive the development of new services and processes and use her expertise to accelerate the Group's further growth. Andrea Strein brings many years of international brand experience and was most recently Managing Director for Weber-Stephens in the DACH region. "Sales is a central pillar of our growth plan," says Engster. "We are determined to further expand our market position and at the same time convince with innovative sustainable solutions and first-class service."