Kaercher

From the very beginning, Kärcher has always been characterised by ingenuity and innovative thinking. The company was founded in 1935 by the inventor Alfred Kärcher, who began manufacturing and marketing his pioneering product ideas in the field of heating technology. The cornerstone of developing into the world’s leading cleaning specialist was laid in 1950 with the invention of Europe's first hot water high-pressure cleaner. When Alfred Kärcher died in 1959, his wife Irene continued her husband's life's work until her own death in 1989. Kärcher has remained a family-owned company to this day, headquartered in Winnenden near Stuttgart.

Every day is a day for big targets

We love and live challenges – your challenges. Whether everyday or extraordinary cleaning projects, a courtyard entrance, factory hall or Mount Rushmore – at Kärcher we want to make your everyday life simpler, better and more pleasant with powerful, efficient cleaning solutions. And to help you achieve big results and move things forward. To create and receive value.

What drives us?

Our clear, simple innovation philosophy: innovation is what benefits people. We are perfectionists, always rethinking systems and designs. We have the courage to break new ground and the conviction to do things instead of just talking about them. This philosophy results in solutions with convincing performance, quality and handling that are one step ahead of the market. Because for us cleanliness is the best challenge in the world. This is what we work towards. Every day.

Steady course from the start

Responsibility has been an integral part of the corporate philosophy of Karcher since its inception. Alfred Karcher and his wife Irena realized that long-term economic success can only be achieved by giving due consideration to the problems of society and the environment.

History of sustainable development of the company

Three strategic areas of activity

Our perspective on corporate social responsibility

Quality standards, labor safety, social and environmental responsibility

“Our company employs people without whom its success would have been impossible.” 

A look into the future

Having set our sustainable development goals for the period up to 2025, we have formulated three initiatives aimed at further improving its performance. They are defined by the United Nations Generalized Sustainable Development Goals and are a continuation of the Sustainability Excellence program of sustainable development. These three initiatives - "Zero Emissions", "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" and "Social Hero" - represent the basis for the implementation of projects with different goals. 

Zero Emissions

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

By 2025, we will implement the environmental optimization of our product packaging: we will increase the sustainability of products and their surfaces in order to eliminate the use of polymer packaging materials. The first steps in this direction have already been taken: for example, for our OC 3 portable sink, we now use a completely cardboard package without EPS liners. In addition, the size of this package has been reduced.

By 2025, the share of recycled polymer raw materials used in the production of our household high-pressure apparatus will reach approximately 50%: we are constantly reducing the volume of primary polymer raw materials in our products - since 2012, the share of recycled plastic has increased by 4 times. For example, the production of jet lances for our high-pressure washers has been re-equipped to use polyamide 66, which is obtained from the recycling of returnable airbags or their production waste.

Since 2020, we have been helping to reduce and recycle ocean plastic: in partnership with the environmental organization One Earth One Ocean (OEOO), we support actions to clean up polymer waste from beaches and create innovative solutions for collecting it at river estuaries. The first joint projects with OEOO were successfully implemented back in 2019.

By 2025, the sustainability strategy will be an important part of new business models: we are testing the suitability for Kärcher of models such as sharing, outsourcing and recycling. Kärcher Used Equipment GmbH, specializing in the pre-sale of used equipment and its distribution in Europe, ensures the extension of the life of equipment as an alternative to recycling. The Kalea kitchen composter is a new step towards sustainable products: this machine, which embodies an original technological idea of ​​the Kärcher engineers, turns kitchen waste into nutrient-rich compost in just 48 hours.

Social hero

For the period up to 2025, our social activity will be focused on the tasks of preserving and increasing values: clearly defined areas of activity guarantee a unified focus of efforts of all divisions of our company around the world. In all three areas - sponsorship, long-term cooperation and volunteering of our employees - we are aware of the important role of social activity of business and strive to take concrete actions to contribute to the preservation of values, be it cultural, which our sponsorship program aims to save, or family, which support is dedicated to strengthening. provided by us to the international charitable organization SOS-Kinderdorf. Since its inception in 2011, Kärcher has provided assistance to numerous children's villages in 35 countries.

By 2025, we will implement a proactive sourcing risk analysis system: we systematically assess our direct suppliers against social and environmental criteria for responsible business conduct. We see our commitment to a sustainable development strategy as a decisive factor in the selection of new suppliers and continued cooperation with existing suppliers. In doing so, we focus on the results of a worldwide audit and extensive information resources. For Kärcher, the social and environmental responsibility of partners is just as important as the security of supply.

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