Sustainable development was defined in 1987 by the United Nations World Commissions as follows:

"a pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for future generations".

According to the three pillar model of sustainble development, this objective is only to be reached through the integrated and equitable interaction of

• Economic responsibility (economics)
• Environmental responsibility (ecology)
• Social responsibility

These objectives apply just as much to global policy as they do to local communities and to each member of society - be it a commercial enterprise or an individual.

Our Vision

We simply want to be uncompromisingly good.

This vision is enhanced by values that make us unique.

Cremer Oleo directs the global marketing, production and logistical operations of its branches and subsidiaries from the Cremer Group headquarters in Hamburg, Germany.

Cremer Oleo's commercial activities range from the procurement worldwide of oleo chemical raw materials, their processing and storage, down to delivery which is tailored to the needs of a multitude of customers in a wide variety of industrial sectors. It is therefore imperative the Cremer Oleo sets particularly high standards for its products, their sustainable cultivation and proper storage and of course for their punctual delivery. The product portfolio extends from fatty acids, glycerine and fatty alcohols to soap noodles, and oleo chemical specialities.

As a highly-specialised concern, we are very much a leading innovator in our field. Major investments such as in our state of the art production system for fatty esters in our Wittenberge plant enable us, in cooperation with our customers, to develop new products and to optimize existing ones.

New and innovative raw materials from carefully supervised organic cultivation create the basis for our exclusive Cremer Care line.

Our Mission

Humanity, Environment and Success.

These corner stones reflect our fundamental values when conducting business - "for trust and fairness to each other". The health and safety of our customers have the highest priority. Sustainable trading and sustainable production are central to our corporate strategy. Outstanding personal commitment and professionalism remain the basis of our economic success.

Responsible corporate management is about yielding profit. We have a clear duty to our shareholders and our staff to ensure commercial success. The guaranteeing of long-term success is entirely our responsibility and must be firmly based on a trusting and reliable relationship with our customers. Within this context, we select partners who concur with our objectives and values in their totality.

Innovation is of course an essential element in all economic success.

Cremer Care as a distribution arm for high-quality vegetable-based ingredients of cosmetic applications offers, along with already well-known, valuable raw materials, above all novel solutions for use in modern cosmetics.

As a result of the certification of our Wittenberge plant in accordance with ECOCERT standards for natural and bio-cosmetics, we have been able to take a significant step towards expanding our core competences. The products which are manufactured here represent a wide-ranging application portfolio in the areas of "Household Care" and "Personal Care".

Upmarket high-end natural cosmetics require vegetable-based raw materials of the highest order. Cremer Care provides these lucrative elements and is totally committed to the "power of nature" - no petro-chemicals for us! Our innovation CREMERLIN, a mixture of pure vegetable triglyceride facilitates the use of petrolatum in many cosmetic applications without having to fall back on a finite raw material such as oil.

By means of an astute and progressive investment strategy in tandem with a comprehensive process restructuring programme, it has been possible to achieve a new and dramatically improved degree of environmental friendliness in our poduction centres Prignitzer Chemie GmbH & Co. KG in Wittenberge and Walter Rau AG, Neuss.

Vegetable-based raw materials are used exclusively in the classic production segments of fatty acid cleavage, distillation and M.C.T. All chemical reactions and processes run under high pressure and  high temperature using water only. All raw, interim and finished products are bio-degradable and are commonly recognized as foodstuffs. In order to reduce the consumption of primary energy all facilities are at the cutting edge of the latest technical standards, being fully automated and heat insulated.

Sustainable development mainly entails the intense application of raw materials through the most efficient processes possible while reducing waste to a minimum. However, as in some processes waste simply cannot be avoided, Prignitzer Chemie GmbH & Co. KG decided some years ago to invest in its own biogas facility. It was one of the first to do so! This imaginative initiative enables the conversion of primary waste or residue into biogas. The energy supply has thus been upgraded so as to permit the feeding of all biogas into the production process.

As many oleo chemical raw materials are extracted from palm oil, Cremer Oleo has, for some time, been addressing the issue of sustainable development when acquiring and processing these valuable materials. We are a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and are currently devising, based on customer feedback, models for setting up supply chains within the framework of the RSPO.

The legally-binding chemical regulation REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) which came into effect in June 2007  is a welcome step. It also covers many vegetable-based materials in so far as they have a chemically modified application. REACH makes risk management more controllable while leading to significantly improved competitiveness.

We face up to our responsibilities unreservedly and maintain an active and continuous dialogue with our customers and suppliers with a view to optimising resources. We have established a study group at GROFOR (the German Association of Wholesale Traders in Oils, Fats and Oil Raw Materials) which facilitates a comprehensive exchange of know-how and effective support in legal and technical matters.

We have a social responsibility to our customers, our staff and our suppliers' staff.

As an international concern we fully accept and respect the differing ideals, traditions and values which exist in other regions and cultures. Wherever our operational centres may be worldwide we strive to become part and parcel of the local community and conduct ourselves accordingly.

We carry out external audits on our suppliers while our customers carry out similar checks in our plants often accompanied by CREMER OLEO-personal. This ensures that the working conditions and procedures in our facilities are constantly monitored.

Cremer Oleo regards the training of young people as a social responsibility of great importance. In our Hamburg headquarters specialists in foreign trade achieve qualifications every year in state-recognised examinations and subsequently are almost always offered permanent positions.

Many chemical laboratory assistants and skilled chemical workers qualify each year in our Wittenberge plant. The unemployment rate in this area is extremely high and we, as the second biggest employer, find ourselves in a position to make a significant contribution to improving this situation by giving young people the real prospect of a career in their own locality.

At the same time the preparation and grooming of up-and-coming young talent for future management roles is very much a part of our human resources strategy. Further to this we view it as a great challenge to nurture and deploy the individual skills of each employee in the best way possible and thereby also increasing employee satisfaction. In our view a high level of employee satisfaction is the key to success.

For us the fusion of ecology and economics built on trust and harmony and therefore a true and tangible sustainable development is not just empty rhetoric. We really live it!

This is our commitment. Day by Day.