Sustainability at Frank Brushes
For us, sustainability means acting ecologically and socially responsibly in the interests of future generations. Apart from our ecological electricity and heat generation, sustainability is very important to us when purchasing our raw materials. We source our raw materials, whenever possible, from regional or national suppliers. For example, our wood comes exclusively from forests in the Black Forest.
Fair and family-friendly working conditions and social justice are also important to us. As a medium-sized company, we are in close contact with each individual employee and are very interested in finding individual solutions.
In order to make our responsibility comprehensible, we have set ourselves sustainability goals and made them measurable. Quantitative goals are checked by documenting development process. Key figures are collected for the qualitative goals. All of our sustainability goals have been incorporated into the central action plan, which is monitored by our quality management.
Ultimately, we want to harmonize ecological, social and economic aspects!
Our sustainability goals
Environment & Climate
- Starting in 2025: Keep energy consumption at a low level.
- From 2027: Switch to water-based paints and waxes.
- Starting in 2028: Collection of Scope 3 data for the sustainability report.
- From 2030: All vehicles in the fleet are electric vehicles.
Employees & Society
- Since 2025: Feeding approximately 1,000 MWh per year into our local heating network (enough to supply approximately 70 households with heat).
- Since 2025: Establishing structures and responsibilities for sustainability
- Since 2026: Incorporation of sustainability-related content into performance agreements
Supply Chains
- Starting in 2027: Raising awareness among suppliers who do not comply with the standards
- Starting in 2028: Incorporation of sustainability standards into supplier evaluations
This is how we supply ourselves with electricity and heat ...
Our electricity is generated by hydroelectric and photovoltaic systems. These not only produce enough electricity for our production, but also quite a bit more. In 2024, despite construction work (and the resulting shutdown of the hydroelectric plant), we met 115% of our energy needs. On December 16, 2024, our latest photovoltaic system went online, and as a result, we have been meeting approximately 130% of our energy needs since 2025.
So far, we have been feeding excess electricity into grid and covering our peak electricity demand with our long-standing partner, the Schönau-based eco-electricity provider EWS. EWS only supplies electricity generated without nuclear power and CO²-neutrally.
Seit Oktober 2026 haben wir einen Batteriespeicher (50kW Leistung, 200kWh Speicherkapazität) in Betrieb, um noch mehr des selbst erzeugten Stroms nutzen zu können.
Hydropower Plant
We have been operating a hydropower plant in Schönau to generate electricity since the 1950s. The plant runs at/near its peak output of 63 kW for more than half of the year (usually from October to April).
Photovoltaics
The first photovoltaic system with a peak output of 21 kW was commissioned in June 2005. Three more PV systems were added between 2022 and 2024. In total, we now have 175 kW in PV on the roofs – the PV mainly supplies us in the summer months from March to October.
Local Heating Network - Production Waste For Heating
The production of our wooden brush handles generates wood chips and sawdust. For decades now, we have been able to meet a portion of our heating needs using these production byproducts through our wood-fired heating system, eliminating the need for gas or oil. However, until 2019, we were unable to meet our heating needs year-round with the heat we generated ourselves. That is why, in 2018, we invested in two state-of-the-art heating systems based on the latest exhaust gas technology. Now, not only do we fully cover our own heating needs, but we can also feed a portion of the heat we generate into the local heating network. Our surplus heat supplies municipal facilities such as the Schönau outdoor pool, City Hall, schools, and private buildings. Since 2025, we have been feeding approximately 1,000 MWh/year into the local heating network (which corresponds roughly to the heat consumption of 70 households).
Gipfelstürmer Award
We were also invited by the Baden-Wüttemberg Ministry of the Environment on January 18, 2023 to the presentation of the Gipfelstürmer Award. Among those present were 10 companies from Baden-Württemberg that had distinguishes themselves through particularly energy-efficient corporate management. At the KEFF summit in Stuttgart, the energy efficiency concept presented by Stefan Ganzmann and Katharina Hackner was convincing and Frank Brushes reciced the award for 3rd place and prize money of EUR 3,000 from State Secretary Andre Baumann at the award ceremony.
Sustainability Report
VSME and the German Sustainability Code (DNK) are voluntary reporting standards that enable companies to present their sustainability performance in a transparent and comparable manner. They help highlight environmental, social, and economic responsibility.
In 2024, we published a sustainability report in accordance with DNK standards (reporting year 2023), in which we outlined our sustainability goals and explained our approaches to strategy, process management, the environment, and society. In 2026, we switched to the European version (VSME) and now report in accordance with this standard (reporting year 2025).
