Sustainability at Thomann

Musikhaus Thomann backstage: In the areas of resource conservation, environmental protection and energy management, we want to set a good example and live the concept of sustainability. For many years we have been doing our part to protect our planet and its ecosystems with a wide variety of approaches.

The Green Team: what is it? 💚

The Green Team has been around since 2018, consisting of a group of committed colleagues who are passionate about sustainability and environmental protection in the workplace.

Past actions include a vegetarian day in the t.kitchen, promoting carpooling to work, planting green spaces, and collecting mobile phones, bottle caps, and plastic caps for donations to the German Children’s Cancer Foundation. The team’s vision is to expand the campus with more trees, plant a tree for each new employee, and launch a “one-click, one-tree” campaign.

The Green Team also encourages responsible shopping and have a beekeeping project called “T-Bees,” which requires intensive care. Existing projects that the Green Team collaborates on include Recup for the entire company – where employees are educated on the benefits of reusing cups and mugs instead of single-use plastic/paper cups.

Batteries 🔋

Batteries contain many valuable raw materials that can be recycled. Therefore, used batteries and rechargeable batteries do not belong in the garbage can, but should be recycled. Used batteries and rechargeable batteries can be returned to us free of charge in the store and in the service centre. For our employees, we have also set up collection boxes for used batteries in all buildings on the company premises. As a result, over 150 kg of batteries are collected and recycled every year.

Packaging 📦

Thomann ensures all packaging is recyclable. We prefer to use paper, cardboard and recycled plastic air cushions.
For all customers who purchase in the shop, we provide special points in our collection and service centers in which you can leave unwanted packaging. This means you do not need to worry about it once you are at home and can fit more gear in your vehicle. 😉

While we are on the subject, the waste generated at Thomann is separated at the site directly into more than 10 fractions and then sent for recycling via a certified disposal company.

Use of Geothermal Energy at Thomann ⚡️

Since so many technology giants are moving to be greener, we did not want to fall behind. In addition to the usual legal requirements such as the return of batteries or old electrical appliances, Thomann has taken a few greener measures. All energy in which Thomann uses is provided by green electricity. The heat wasted from our data center is fed directly into our heating system. 15 geothermal probes were laid – each with a depth of 100 m – for heating and cooling. In addition, there is a 35 KWp photovoltaic system and three electric charging stations for the cars from our customers and employees.

Numbers

In other buildings on the Thomann campus, geothermal probes are already generating energy:

Service center 36 probes installed, delivering 144 kW
Administration building 12 probes installed, delivering 48 kW

Not yet in operation: 25 probes of 100 meters each will feed the newly-built administration building number one with an amount of 100 kW. In administrative buildings two and three, the energy supply will be completely covered by geothermal energy!

The compound word “geothermal” comes from the Greek words geo (earth) and therme (heat). Energy is stored below the earth’s surface in the form of heat (= thermal energy). Geothermal energy is one of the renewable energies. Geothermal energy can be used for heating, cooling or generating electricity. A combination of all three types of energy use is also possible.

🐝 Bees & honey at Thomann 🍯

Imagine you’re visiting Europe’s largest music store, you’ve prepared yourself for extensive browsing through the hottest equipment. Suddenly you hear a humming and buzzing. Is one of the amps or PA speakers malfunctioning? Fortunately, you guessed wrong, don’t worry, the noises are not coming from the music equipment in the store ? Rather, the buzzing is coming from the Thomann honey bees.

Thomann actually owns orchards and its own busy honey-producing bee colonies. Responsible for the black and yellow friends are 11 members of our Green Team. Thomann’s Green Team is a project founded by employees on their own initiative. May we mention that we are very proud of these colleagues? It’s truly amazing what they have accomplished and continue to develop! ❤

Facts: Bees & Honey at Thomann

• Number of bees: about 120,000
• Beehives: 2
• Honey production in 2021: 20 kg
• Type of honey: German blossom honey
• Origin: Treppendorf
• Project started in 2019
• “Bee wisdom”: the first sting is not as painful as you may imagine and with the following ones you hardly feel the pain.

About the t.bees keepers

The beekeepers at Thomann have theoretical and practical training in beekeeping. The beekeepers, work alongside a local beekeeping association called Imker und Bienenzuchtverein Bamberg Stadt und Land e. V. who is always there to help them if they have any questions. A huge THANK YOU to them for all their help!

Why honeybees are so important

They don’t only collect pollen and produce tasty honey, actually, that’s at best a pleasant side effect! Bees do 80 percent of the pollination of nectar-donating plants. The remainder is provided by other insects such as bumblebees. Without pollination, however, the flower will not turn into an apple or any other fruit. In the meantime, however, more than 60 percent of the bee species living in Germany are threatened. In other countries the case has long since occurred – multitudes of human workers with pollen in their luggage swarm out to pollinate the fruit trees by hand. The project is only a small contribution against the extinction of species and to preserve this natural event, but an essential one.

Feedback

What do you think of our Green Team activities? Do you have any other ideas? We look forward to your feedback in the comments! ✌️

Joe has been singing since he can remember and started playing guitar when he was 10. He's been using it as a songwriting tool ever since. He is passionate about melody and harmony and admires musicians who create these in unique ways. Check out his alternative / indie projects Best of Feelings and Zef Raček.

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