For the last 140 years, the core of Griesser’s business has been sun protection systems. Thanks to this extensive experience, this company with Swiss roots is a clear trailblazer in the industry. Griesser products increase the energy efficiency of buildings and facilities and have a direct impact on temperature regulation, which makes them beneficial to the climate. The company from Aadorf offers highly specialised products, such as automatic sun protection control systems or roller shutters with heat-reflective layers. Consequently, many of the solutions and products offered by the long-standing family-run company are extremely energy efficient. Even beyond the functions of its products, Griesser is entirely committed to climate protection within the company.
Griesser has been working with myclimate since 2008 and is constantly expanding its commitment to climate protection. At that time, the cooperation started in the area of financing carbon offset projects. To be more precise, until 2015 Griesser donated the funds released from taking back and recycling old blinds to myclimate carbon offset projects, thus indirectly saving CO₂.
From 2022, the blind manufacturer will balance all CO2 emissions and assume financial responsibility for a portion of its unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions by investing in myclimate carbon offset projects. Thanks to Griesser's far-reaching activities to reduce its corporate footprint, it is not surprising that the volume in relation to Griesser's total emissions is decreasing year by year.
A few years later, alongside donations to carbon offset projects, Griesser also began to support myclimate education projects. As an important training company, it has been committed to climate education since 2016, supporting its own apprentices as well as those from other companies.
Environmental and climate protection is practised by and taught to Griesser employees and apprentices. Griesser involves its trainees in the process of designing specific climate protection measures. Twice already, apprentices have been able to demonstrate their creativity as part of the myclimate Company Challenge, and use their ideas and projects to actively contribute to the reduction of the company’s carbon footprint. The sun protection manufacturer now runs the Company Challenge with its apprentices every two years.
From 2016 to 2021, Griesser was also involved as a sponsor in the comprehensive myclimate education programme Energy and Climate Laboratory, a national project competition for apprentices focusing on climate protection and energy efficiency. Thanks to this support, Griesser not only had a positive impact on its own apprentices, it was also able to reach countless more young trainees throughout Switzerland.
In 2018, the long-standing family-run company decided to approach the issue of climate protection more strategically and holistically, based on an extensive climate strategy. Together with myclimate, Griesser is implementing an ambitious and wide-ranging climate strategy, under the slogan “We sell climate protection”.
Between 2019 and 2021, Griesser developed its climate strategy with the help of myclimate, based on a carbon footprint calculation, with a clear approach and an ambitious CO2 target. Griesser is currently implementing the strategy.
In doing so, the company is continuing to strive for a meaningful contribution to climate protection, not just in terms of corporate responsibility, but also in the areas of product innovation and business development.
One particularly exciting discovery arising from this process has been the recognition that Griesser products are already part of climate protection solutions for buildings; sun protection systems regulate the thermal balance inside buildings, either by helping them retain heat or by blocking out sunlight, depending on the season.