The 5th meeting of the industrial working group within the it's OWL project "DualStrat" took place on October 9, 2025. Twenty-three representatives from nine companies and four research institutions met at the Hettich Group in Kirchlengern.

Hettich, a fourth-generation family business, specializes in furniture fittings and produces, among other things, hinges, drawer, guide, and sliding door systems. The company employs a total of approximately 8,400 people in 26 countries, including around 2,700 at its headquarters in Kirchlengern/Bünde. Sustainability and sustainable action under social ("We care for ourselves"), societal ("We care for others"), and ecological ("We care for the environment") aspects are firmly anchored at Hettich. The company's environmental management has been EMAS certified for around 30 years; greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1 and 2) at its worldwide locations were reduced by more than 40% between 2016 and 2024, and photovoltaic systems were installed. Since the beginning of 2025, Hettich has been part of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and is committed to reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030 and increasing the share of renewable energy to over 90%. The Hettich Group has received numerous awards for its sustainable building concepts, including the Green Building Award and the North Rhine-Westphalia Timber Construction Prize.

The 23 participants from nine companies and four research institutions of the 5th Industrial Working Group were able to explore one of the sustainably designed buildings, a multifunctional hall, at the Kirchlengern site during a company tour. Jörg Hohmann (Head of Business Development New System) explained the building's construction method and the aspects considered during its construction. For example, 2000 m² of the old production hall's wooden louvre façade were reused in the new hall, and energy-efficient architecture was implemented. Processes within the production hall are automated as much as possible. Furthermore, great importance was placed on employee well-being, reducing noise levels and creating pleasant break and recreation areas.

After the exciting and informative company tour, the participants first received information about the DualStrat project. Christian Kürpick and Katharina Spady from Fraunhofer IEM reported on the latest project results and presented, among other things, the "Quick Check for a Digital and Sustainable Transformation" (see  https://www.insight.iem.fraunhofer.de/dual-strat/  ).

Lisa Castro Lago (Corporate Strategy Manager) then gave an initial overview of the Hettich Group, and Guido Burmeister (Material and Chemical Compliance) reported on trends in environmental product data. Norbert Poppenborg (Innovation Management) explained the company's SpinLines product range. ¹ Even though these are not traditionally sustainable products, this furniture approaches sustainability from a different perspective. By combining two pieces of furniture, such as a bed and a desk, less living space is required overall while maintaining functionality. By simply rotating the piece of furniture with a sophisticated twist, the room is transformed and can be used in a different way. For example, a bedroom can quickly be transformed into an office. The bed continues to meet all the requirements for a comfortable place to sleep. At the same time, it allows adaptation to daily needs. These products and the idea behind them impressed everyone present. Finally, Claudia Schumacher (Product Manager) presented the spare parts finder, which reflects the R-strategy "Repair." On a specially configured website, customers are empowered to independently determine which spare part they need through images, videos, and questions. They can then order it directly and install it themselves. ²

In the subsequent discussion, questions were asked about the products and the various processes related to sustainability at Hettich. Furthermore, all participants openly exchanged views on a variety of topics. This focused on the handling and implementation of customer requirements and general inquiries. The company representatives present reported on different approaches, and it became clear that tracking inquiries and, in some cases, the effort required to respond to an inquiry are particularly challenging. An intensive discussion also took place on the digital product passport. It became clear that the companies are differently positioned and the current focus is on determining under which conditions which product is affected by the EU regulation. As part of the DualStrat project, Wilhelm Böllhoff GmbH & Co. KG is developing a digital product passport. This will be presented as a demonstrator at the "it's Showtime" event on November 4, 2025, at the Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences.

What's next? The 6th meeting of the Industry Working Group will take place on Thursday, March 12, 2026. The event will be hosted by Diebold Nixdorf in Paderborn.

¹ See https://www.hettich.com/de-de/inspiration/spaces-to-architecture

² See https://www.hettich.com/de-de/services/ersatzteilfinder