Respect the Next! Sustainability in practice at ADA

“Respect the Next!”: Our credo expresses a commitment to sustainability that goes beyond pure furniture production. We take responsibility for the region, for our employees and for the future of generations to come. To prove that we mean what we say, we collected facts for our headquarters in Anger. Summarised in a sustainability report, they clearly delineate ADA’s green path.

With our sustainability report, we have taken the first major step. Michaela Schreibmeier is both a business development manager and a sustainability consultant. Last year, she worked intensively with our headquarters in Anger. For the first time, values were collected that bring ADA’s activities into focus, demonstrating our will to remain transparent and measurable in the future. The complete analysis is summarised in the ADA Sustainability Report. After all, it is only with the data underlying our activities that we can improve and achieve further goals.

65 years of experience, craftsmanship and furniture expertise. That’s what ADA stands for. But 6 decades of experience are no accident. It takes a lot of hard work to get there.

“We exchange ideas with our employees. After all, it is only with company-wide cooperation that we can integrate sustainable behaviour into the entire value chain. Every individual is important, as is every work step. Whatever we can do ourselves, we do it. Right from the start. Be it an idea from one of our designers or our in-house wood processing. We also cut the foam for the sofas, beds and mattresses in-house. Our upholsterers then take the prepared wooden frames and take care of the upholstery. This way, we create a new sofa or bed step by step. After the final quality check, the furniture is packed in-house to ensure that it arrives at the dealer undamaged. ADA furniture is characterised above all by its durability and give people long-lasting companions”, emphasises ADA CEO Gerhard Vorraber.

The Austrian-produced furniture is now the proud bearer of 9 different seals. These include the Austria quality label, the Golden M, the DGM Climate Pact and the Oeko-Tex certificate. Independently of each other, these seals all indicate our reliance on non-toxic materials and our commitment to the environment.

“At ADA, we only start producing furniture once we receive an order. As we don’t produce merely to build up stock, we only use the material that is actually needed for the orders at hand”, explains ADA CEO Michael Wibmer.

Of course, production also generates waste. That’s unavoidable. For this reason, we are working with Saubermacher to develop a zero-waste concept in line with the motto “reduce, replace and recycle”. We currently utilise 94% of our waste: 33% for energy generation and 61% for recycling.

Verena Inschlag (ADA PR & Media Manager) in conversation with Michaela Schreibmeier (business development manager & sustainability consultant for ADA)

Michaela Schreibmeier, sustainability consultant for ADA, has also recognised the fact that the traditional Austrian company has already adopted the right mindset: “The reuse of foam pieces has been common practice here for a long time, as has the purchase of 100% green electricity. To heat their headquarters in Anger, the company exclusively uses wood in the shape of pellets, wood chips and wood waste generated in-house. That means 0% fossil fuels. ADA’s carbon footprint is in the 5-digit range. In a cross-industrial comparison, that’s rather good. Other industries register 6-digit values.”