Quarzwerke GmbH

Sustainability – for and with the local community Quarzwerke GmbH is an independent family enterprise with 125 years of experience in the extraction, processing and refining of industrial minerals. The main locations are in Central and Eastern Europe. The location Frechen, Germany, is particularly important for Quarzwerke GmbH (hereinafter called “Quarzwerke”). It is here that 125 years ago the success story of the family enterprise began, with the industrial development of a silica sand deposit in the vicinity of Cologne. Right from the beginning Quarzwerke saw themselves as a part of the social environment and took on an active and responsible role. In many areas this role developed into joint activities with and for the local communities. The importance of the enterprise for the region and its traditional links with the community is currently subject of an historical exhibition in Frechen Town Hall, marking the occasion of the 125th anniversary of Quarzwerke. The exhibition was devised in close cooperation with the municipal archives. The position of the enterprise and our involvement for the community is also recognised in the recent letter by the Mayor of the City of Frechen (Attachment 4). With Quarzwerke the subject of biodiversity is not just devoted special attention merely because it is currently an important topic. The protection of nature and biodiversity and the sustainability of our entrepreneurial activity are matter-of-fact issues of our daily work and our corporate concept. This alone is not sufficient for us. Sustainable nature and environmental protection require environmental awareness and ecological knowledge by the general public. To promote and support environmental education we have developed a multi-faceted approach to target various interest and age groups in our local community. We make nature identifiable for children, researchable for students, experienceable for adults and rewardable for environmental associations. We are especially pleased that at nearly all our locations we have regional experts and partners from environmental associations. They support us in our pursuit of using mining reclamation areas optimally for nature protection and biodiversity. With a 125-year background and today’s knowledge of the importance of sustainability and biodiversity, the necessity of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and a good standing in the local community, we currently run a number of environmental education projects in Frechen for various segments of the population, that complement one another in an ideal way.