We take on responsibility.

Supporting the three pillars of sustainability, we assume social, ecological and economic responsibility in and for our company.

Our social responsibility becomes clear above all in the way we treat each other within the company. The staff are the pillars sustaining BÜFA. That is why our basic resources include appropriate incomes and further modules for financial security such as e.g. the company pension system.

We are an attractive employer.

And of course our staff fully appreciate this - irrespective of whether they benefit from our career and family programme, the company’s own daycare facility or interesting working hour models for older people. The fact that this plan works is demonstrated by the award we won in 2007, when we were elected Oldenburg’s most family-friendly company. In 2008 we were even among the top 15 most family-friendly companies in Germany.

Each in his place.

We transfer responsibility to our staff. We also believe that decisions should be taken at the level of greatest competence. For this to succeed, our staff always keep themselves right up to date with progress through further training courses. Thus each individual helps to structure the company in his or her own field and contributes to the business success of the Group. The principles on which this is based are our open communication culture and our functioning internal and external networks. We always focus on willingness to keep on learning and endeavours to keep on improving.

"125 years of BÜFA in Oldenburg" - this picture was taken at the jubilee celebrations in 2008 - Artist: Jo Herz

From apprentice to manager.

Our managerial staff are generally “home-grown”. This means simply that many of our staff stay with us for a very long time, some of them even for their whole working life. Despite this, we do not “stew in our own juice”, for we know that staff bringing in other experience enrich BÜFA, and that as a globally operating company we cannot and do not want to do without people from other cultural circles. Among our staff the company is right at the top of the popularity charts. They proved this by voting BÜFA one of the 100 best employers in Germany in the “TOP JOB” polls.

We are committed to the region.

The social responsibility of a company belongs with the staff, but it does not by any means stop there. For even though we operate globally, we still remain an Oldenburg company and are committed to the region, and to Germany as a business location. This is where we pay our taxes, where we promote cultural projects, and support in-school and out-of-school education facilities.

2008 - Jubilee donation for the renewal of the roof and veranda of the Tea Pavilion in Oldenburg’s Schlossgarten (Castle Park)

We face up to ecological responsibility.

We communicate with external partners, whether customers, public authorities or neighbours, with the same frankness we show for communicating in house. We are a reliable partner.
Especially as an enterprise in the chemical industry, we face up to ecological responsibility. We set ourselves goals for improving environmental compatibility and we issue our Environmental Report at regular intervals, publicising what we have achieved.
Furthermore, we develop improved, innovative materials that enable our customers to produce more emission-low, CO2-reduced end products.
And of course we are certified in accordance with the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards.

Being convincing.

The basis for our success is a financially sound enterprise. We stand up to our economic responsibility. Satisfied customers form the key basis. That is also the reason why we can convince them – through speed, flexibility, and not least through high-quality products and innovative system solutions.

The revenues earned serve to strengthen the company and are not withdrawn and distributed. With this rather conservative financial guideline we ensure solid growth. This approach has proved to be absolutely right, at the very latest in the recent economic crisis. A further module of our success is our broad base. BÜFA comprises four different branches with independent economic operations. This diversification spreads the risk and offers the individual subsidiary companies a safe port. Furthermore, we have competitive cost structures and do not take any individual decisions that jeopardise the whole company.

Sustainability