Economic sustainability

Since its foundation in 1934, the KÖTTER Group has been an owner-managed family business. We are 100 % independent of financial investors and shareholders and thus free from short-term profit expectations.

Rather, our decisions are long-term in nature. Our economic approach and financial independence give us the freedom to react quickly to changing situations.

All our partners (customers, employees, suppliers) can rely on the financial stability of the KÖTTER Group, irrespective of economic trends. This creates trust and security for all involved.

In addition, we place great importance on long-term partnerships in all areas. We firmly believe that long-term partnerships are more sustainable in all respects than short-term profit-oriented partnerships.

Ecological sustainability

As a family business, we see it as our responsibility to pass on an intact environment to future generations. Various measures contribute to this, including:

• We train and sensitise our employees in the area of environmental protection
• We are pushing the use of alternative forms of vehicle propulsion (e-cars, hybrid vehicles) and are setting up a network of charging points for electric vehicles at company-owned locations
• Green electricity: nearly 100% of the electricity consumed throughout the KÖTTER Group is green electricity – our target is complete 100%.
• We are pushing digital solutions (as an alternative to e.g. sending invoices, payrolls, etc. by post) to reduce paper consumption.
• At our own locations as well as at our customers’, we rely on the use of environmentally friendly cleaning agents
• Certified environmental protection: KÖTTER Cleaning is certified according to ISO 14001
• We check, evaluate and optimise the environmental impact of our services, the technical equipment and the cleaning agents used

muTiger Foundation

We assume social responsibility – not only in our group of companies, but also in society. That is why we founded the muTiger Foundation together with the Rhine-Ruhr Transport Association (VRR) in 2011. Our common goal is to promote helpfulness and moral courage in society. In over 700 free courses, more than 10,000 participants have already been shown how to behave correctly in dangerous situations and how to help others without putting themselves in danger. To set a good example, all our apprentices from North Rhine-Westphalia take part in the Foundation's course in their first year of training.

JOBLINGE initiative

We give opportunities – that’s why we have been supporting the JOBLINGE initiative for several years. The initiative gives young people with difficult starting conditions a second chance to enter the world of work. The specific programme “JOBLINGE Compass” was also developed for the integration of young refugees. We have been supporting the non-profit association strategically, financially and practically for several years. Friedrich P. Kötter is also personally committed to the initiative and is chairman of the supervisory board of Joblinge gAG Ruhr. The JOBLINGE initiative and JOBLINGE Compass have already successfully recruited trainees for the companies of the KÖTTER Group.

Essen University School of Medicine Foundation

We think outside the box – that’s why the Essen University School of Medicine Foundation is close to our hearts. The aim of the foundation is to support projects at Essen University Hospital and at the University of Duisburg-Essen that go beyond basic medical care, to promote innovative research, to ensure excellent training for future doctors and to further expand optimal patient care. Martina Kötter is personally committed to the Foundation and has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 2011.