Reckinger ISO 14001 certified thanks to Fit 4 Sustainability

With a tradition as painters and decorators being passed on from father to son in Luxembourg since 1946, the Reckinger company employs around fifty people specialising in painting, flooring and acoustic and insulating designs. 

Supported by Luxinnovation for several years, the company initially participated in the Fit 4 Digital programme in 2019. This enabled it to automate a number of processes and streamline data entry and monitoring, thanks to the implementation of a new ERP system. "For a craft company like ours, this was a big project that took almost two years," recalls Christoph Reckinger, the company's CEO. 

Improving environmental performance

Following the Fit 4 Digital participation, the question of sustainability quickly arose. The objective was to obtain ISO 14001 certification, which provides a framework for controlling the company's environmental impact and piloting the continuous improvement of its environmental performance. "We were starting from nowhere and we didn't know how to approach this huge project," says Mr Reckinger. 

We have always had very competent support from Luxinnovation. Christoph Reckinger

Talking to the consultant Traxxion, who supported the company in the Fit 4 Digital programme, Reckinger found it quite natural to follow on with joining Fit 4 Sustainability to get the support needed for this new endeavour. "We had already had the opportunity to work very efficiently with Luxinnovation. We always received very competent support and knew how the system worked." 

Involving all employees

The analysis of the carbon footprint, the first step in the programme launched in 2022, made it possible to identify more precisely any issues related to water, carbon footprint, energy and circularity management. 

While the company's fleet of cars – about thirty vans constantly on the move – is the largest energy consumer, the analysis revealed that the installation of flooring, vinyl or plastic coverings, which represents a small part of its turnover, also generated a large amount of CO2 emissions. "Our influence on this parameter is very limited, because we depend on the products used on the markets. On the other hand, we were able to act on a lot of little everyday things that can make a difference."

This philosophy resulted in the establishment of an Ëmwelt-Komité, an internal environmental committee. Composed of management representatives and volunteer employees, the working group's mission is to define environmental priorities, implement concrete actions and monitor progress. 

60% less waste

Changing lamps to LEDs; installing more economical toilet flushes; increasing the monitoring of vehicle consumption and in-depth analyses when ordering new ones; replacing plastic water bottles by individual bottles fed by water fountains; replacing burnt or damaged aerators; improving the tool cleaning processes... everyday life at Reckinger has taken a more sustainable direction. "One of our biggest actions was to set up a waste recycling system. Before, everything went into a single bin. From now on, nothing is thrown away without being sorting. In terms of sustainability, this is a big leap forward. All the staff were immediately involved in the reflections and a lot of training is provided so that everyone adopts the best practices. We also organised workshops in small groups involving all employees to collect ideas to further reduce our carbon footprint." 

The result of this intensive sorting philosophy was quickly felt: between 2023 and 2024, the reduction of mixed waste was almost 60%.

For us, innovation is not about installing a big machine, but about paying attention to all these little things on a daily basis. Christoph Reckinger 

All these small steps were taken towards obtaining ISO 14001 certification, which was finally awarded to the company in November 2024 for a period of three years. The creation and maintenance of a waste register, for example, is part of the framework imposed by this standard. "We are now well structured and the action of the environment committee makes it possible to guarantee regular and serious monitoring of all the indicators imposed on us by ISO 14001. It is essential for us to work over the long term. It is through all these little things that we can differentiate ourselves from the competition. For us, innovation is not about installing a big machine, but about paying attention to all these little things on a daily basis and putting the best processes in place."