Sustainability

The facilities of Erlebnis Akademie AG are built in a resource-conserving construction method and with the greatest possible protection of the natural environment. In concrete terms, this means that we involve nature conservation authorities and environmental committees in the planning stage. Already in this first phase, expert opinions are prepared with regard to the impact on flora and fauna.

In order to meet our own demand to ensure the greatest possible preservation of nature when building a facility, we take appropriate precautions during the work. For example, driveways on the site are laid out extensively with wood chips and floor panels and are completely rebuilt after completion of the construction site. If necessary, a controlled renaturation programme is carried out in places.

Even within our value chain, the basis of our actions is the harmony of ecology and economy. We obtain the majority of our wood from sustainable sources, either directly from the region to avoid long transport routes, or from companies with whom we have been working for a long time and who, as suppliers, meet our sustainability criteria.

In accordance with the UNFCCC guidelines "Measure, Reduce, Compensate", Erlebnis Akademie is following its path to climate neutrality

1. Measurement of CO₂ consumption: since 2016, an annual CO₂ balance sheet has been drawn up for this

2. Reducing the consumption of CO₂: through targeted measures, consumption is being reduced, e.g. by switching to 100% green electricity (since 2018), climate-neutral refuelling of the company fleet (since mid-2018), climate-neutral printing of print media (since 2018),...

3. Compensation of residual emissions: Since the 2018 CO₂ accounting year, the residual emissions of Erlebnis Akademie AG have been offset. Various climate projects are supported by the purchase of certificates.

4. Manufacturing and distributing efficient cooking stoves in Tanzania. The Gold Standard Project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, curb deforestation and improve air quality by manufacturing charcoal and wood fuel efficient biomass stoves and distributing them to households in Tanzania. This will avoid up to 41,000 t CO₂ per year.

More detailed information on the projects can be found here.

With their commitment, our employees are the basis and decisive factor for our corporate success. At Erlebnis Akademie, honesty, trust and humanity play a central role in our mutual cooperation and are of correspondingly high importance for motivation. Flat hierarchies in the structure of Erlebnis Akademie AG enable the company management and executives to deal with employees in a spirit of trust. The active participation in the shaping of operational processes is encouraged by allowing each individual to address the management with his or her ideas and suggestions.

For individual further training, every employee has the opportunity to take part in need-based training programmes. Team trainings by internal coaches take place at regular intervals. The focus is on work safety and company health management. Joint fitness activities and physiotherapeutic treatments are offered to keep employees healthy. Every employee can also lease a company bike or e-bike.

Erlebnis Akademie is also involved in social and community activities. It supports a large number of sports, cultural and environmental organisations locally or nationwide. There are partnerships with kindergartens and schools.

We are in continuous dialogue with our stakeholders in order to further develop Erlebnis Akademie AG in a targeted manner. At nature and environmental education level, a regular transfer of expertise takes place with our partner institutes such as the Federal Foundation for the Environment, the Bavarian Forest National Park, the Black Forest Nature Park Central/North, the Saar-Hunsrück Nature Park, the Austrian Federal Forestry, in Spain with the Junta de Andalucia with the Departements Medioambiente (environmental protection), in Slovakia with the PIENAP National Park and the Krkonoše National Park (CZ). This cooperation enables us to regularly provide our visitors with new, interesting and fascinating insights into the world of forests and thus promote a higher level of environmental understanding in society in the long term.

The German Sustainability Code (DNK) offers companies a framework for reporting on non-financial performance and can be used by organisations and companies of all sizes and legal forms.

It makes sustainability performance visible and transparent, which at the same time facilitates better comparability. It thus broadens the basis for assessing sustainability and describes minimum requirements for companies as to what they must report from a sustainability perspective.

Erlebnis Akademie AG has published a declaration of compliance with the German Sustainability Code since the 2016 reporting year. This can be found here: