Our contribution to a good future: Together with our customers against wasting resources — keep using what you have! Making business operations sustainable and using green electricity!
Climate change, environmental protection and resource scarcity are the issues of our time and everyone is called upon to take sustainable and environmentally friendly paths. Natural resources, especially raw materials, are essential production factors and therefore the basis of our prosperity. The careful and efficient use of natural resources will therefore be a key competence of sustainable societies. Sustainable action generates ethical added value and has an influence on consumer awareness and behavior, and therefore on the availability of resources. Resource-conserving or even resource-neutral processes and technologies can help us to preserve nature while continuing to improve our standard of living. In all our activities as an auctioneer, we are guided by the conviction of how the best solutions for people and nature can be applied.
The auction industry has traditionally made sustainable action a desirable side effect of its business model in addition to the sovereign act of public deposit auctions, which is socially responsible and contributes to a more resource-efficient economy by promoting the circular economy and the reuse of materials, technologies and products. Product stewardship and resource efficiency is achieved through the successful auctioning of used items that are returned to the circular economy by the new owner or reused through recycling. Ecological necessities thus offer economic opportunities for recyclers while taking social responsibility for society into account. Through our activities, we make a contribution to sustainability and environmental protection in line with our conviction that ecological action leads to greater social justice.
Our sustainability concept rests on three pillars: conservation of resources — appreciation — waste avoidance and thus sustainable use of resources.
As an auctioneer, we give owners of tangible assets the platform to find a buyer for used goods. This means that instead of being “scrapped”, valuable items are returned to the economic cycle and put to good use. We work intensively and with a variety of measures to interest as many bidders as possible in used goods or recyclable raw materials.
Using something for a long time contributes more to reducing CO² (for those who declare this a personal goal), but above all, and this is crucial, to conserving valuable resources and saving energy It is therefore a substantial contribution to environmental protection, in contrast to ideologically motivated substitute actions. It was discovered years ago, for example, that it is much more resource-efficient to drive an old car with relatively high fuel consumption for another few years than to buy a new, fuel-efficient car that has been manufactured at great expense in terms of production resources. There are no statistics yet on the proportion of resources that are not wasted as a result of the auctioneers’ work. The fact that the long-term use of an item is the best contribution to environmental and climate protection is undisputed. As publicly appointed, sworn auctioneers for pledged items, we sell products in the field of machinery, vehicles of all kinds, tools and other industrial goods. Used textiles, furniture or consumer goods for private use make up one part of the much larger field of re-marketing, which represents a significant proportion of global raw material recycling. “Re-sale” plays an important role in the circular economy. Many items would probably be destroyed if they were not auctioned off as pledged goods. Items are either reused by the successful bidder or, if no longer functional, used as raw materials (metals, wood, glass, paper, etc.). This saves important resources for posterity.
Respect for objects and their value implies their long-term use. Ethically correct behavior in relation to sustainability also concerns respect for the producers, who were involved in all phases of product manufacture through hard work and often at the expense of their health. If you want to stand up for the environment and the dignity of the people, most of whom work hard, with your own actions, you have a starting point in the respectful recycling of objects. Clothing, shoes, textiles, furnishings, even furniture, which were once used for a long time and usually passed on, are all too often subject to a whimsical wastefulness in today’s throwaway society. This leads to a catastrophic environmental footprint with global repercussions.
The less waste is thrown away carelessly and disposed of prematurely, the less waste is produced. The destruction and incineration of far too much unnecessary waste places a considerable burden on the energy balance, consumes raw materials and uses up large areas of land that could be used for more important projects, such as building land for housing. The resale in auctions of company inventory or other large collections often includes all items located in one place. Even seemingly worthless garbage is therefore first examined by the buyer before disposal, and it is not uncommon for him to discover that some items are reusable on closer inspection. This creates a situation that inevitably reduces waste.
For us, sustainability means understanding and respecting efforts to protect the global environment and climate as a positive challenge and encouraging a rethink. In doing so, we must regularly take into account the current state of knowledge for our correct actions.
An important milestone in our efforts to achieve greater sustainability was our successful economic policy lobbying via our professional association BvV e.V.: Online auctions have recently also been permitted for pawned items under certain conditions (amendment to Section 383 of the German Civil Code since 01.01.2025). An online auction helps to protect the environment, as it eliminates the need for long journeys and the associated fuel consumption — in contrast to the previously mandatory face-to-face auctions. In most cases, it is no longer necessary for all parties involved, in particular numerous interested bidders, to visit the auction venue in person.
What is meant by sustainability?
“Sustainability” is not clearly defined. The term was first used by Hans Carl von Carlowitz in “Sylvicultura Oeconomica”, published in Leipzig in 1713, in connection with forestry. Since the 1980s, the term sustainability has not only been used in ecology, but also for long-term, resource-conserving economic activity in other business areas. It can be said that the term expresses a development or course of action that meets current needs without compromising the opportunities and well-being of future generations. In this sense, the United Nations has declared sustainability to be the guiding principle of the 21st century. Sustainability concerns a complex issue with diverse interactions between economic, ecological, social and cultural phenomena in regional, national and international contexts. This includes the inclusion of the needs of future generations.
The term sustainability means a longer or long-lasting effect as a result of subsistence-oriented actions or economic forms. As a principle of action, sustainability refers to the use of resources while maintaining the stability and regenerative capacity of a system. As a company, we represent this guiding principle by presenting and implementing appropriate concepts. Behind sustainable thinking and action is a strong sense of social responsibility. For companies operating locally or globally, a commitment to sustainability is indispensable. As an entrepreneurial citizen, every company is embedded in a network of social relationships and, in the face of social challenges, is increasingly measured by how it engages as a resource-rich player in its immediate environment and at its locations for the common good and makes a sustainable contribution to solving social problems.
The commitment to sustainability arose from the realization that environmental pollution can affect everyone and that a rethink is necessary on a global level. The participation of companies in sustainability networks predisposes to a systemic understanding of the world and a growing awareness of the interdependencies in the economy, society and the environment. Globalization has created the conditions for this. In addition to the “almost borderless” world of the global marketplace, an almost borderless social space has emerged. This brings with it the responsibility to stand up for sustainable action. We can significantly influence the impact of our actions on nature and the environment. Environmental protection and nature conservation must therefore continue to be an important benchmark for the actions of every individual. Jens Weidmann, President of the Deutsche Bundesbank, says in 2021: “In five years’ time, the sustainability rating will be just as important as today’s credit rating.”
EU companies must report on sustainability in future.
In a publication of the European Commission dated 22.06.2022, source: germany.representation.ec.europa.eu it says
“The core of the directive is the introduction of binding European standards for sustainability reporting, which are currently being developed by the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG). The CSRD will amend the existing requirements of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD). The new rules will ensure that investors and other stakeholders have access to the information they need to assess investment risks arising from climate change and other sustainability issues. By harmonizing the information to be provided, the cost of reporting will be reduced for companies in the medium to long term. Finally, the new regulations will create a culture of transparency about companies’ impact on people and the environment.
The reporting requirements will be introduced gradually for different types of companies. The first companies will have to apply the new rules for the first time in the 2024 financial year for reports to be published in 2025.”
Sustainability in business operations:
Deutsche Pfandverwertung’s business operations are sustainable. We use green electricity from 100% renewable energy from a local hydroelectric power plant in Bavaria, where our company is based. By digitizing most processes, paper consumption is avoided. The consumption of fossil fuels in car traffic is reduced by online auctions, as car journeys are now no longer necessary and face-to-face auctions are only held in exceptional cases. We regularly review our business processes in order to optimize environmental protection and meet our social responsibility.
Text: Dr. Dagmar Gold
