Sustainable action is deeply rooted at dm-drogerie markt (dm). It is an essential part of the company’s philosophy. Among other things, they want to offer more sustainable product alternatives through a responsible range of products and give their customers the opportunity to shop in a sustainable shop environment.
dm turned to Daikin some years ago to completely rethink the energy management of its network, which has grown to over 2,000 shops today, by using VRV heat pumps. Now Germany’s leading drugstore retailer is taking another leap in reducing its environmental impact by going circular for the refrigerant it uses across its shops.
dm-drogerie markt is the first German retailer a Certified Member in the L∞P by Daikin Recover-Reclaim-Reuse program to support circular economy for refrigerants. This process reclaims recovered refrigerants and upcycles them to virgin quality for reuse, making an important contribution to reducing material consumption and ensuring the responsible use of valuable resources. The L∞P by Daikin recover-reclaim-reuse program enables customers like dm to close ‘their’ loop and become even more sustainable.
dm-drogerie markt and Daikin – building on strong partnerships
In 2020 dm executed the first pilot case, where a total of 15.4 kg of R-410A refrigerant was recovered from a refurbished store. This refrigerant was successfully reclaimed and then reused in a dm store in Bad Nauheim. «dm was highly satisfied with the results of the pilot case and the partnership between Koch Kälteanlagenbau GmbH, Schneider Umwelttechnik, Westfalen and Daikin. We plan to speed up the implementation of the program in 2021 to make another important contribution to resource conservation» explains Martin Auer, Head of Building Services Development at dm. The result is that today nearly 60 kgs of refrigerant have already been recovered from the dm network. «We are pleased to pull together with dm as a long-standing partner. L∞P by Daikin Recover-Reclaim-Reuse is a perfect example of how companies can act right now to support a more sustainable future» says Gerald Platzer, Head of Key-Account Daikin Germany Airconditioning GmbH. «We work every day to make our products as energy-efficient as possible, improve the circularity of our products and I’m proud to have this new service to help our partners and customers to further reduce their environmental impact».
L∞P by Daikin – Recover – Reclaim – Reuse
Whenever there are plans to refurbish a dm store, a Daikin planning specialist is appointed to support the process. Firstly the refrigerant is professionally recovered and collected in recovery cylinders by a dm installation partner. Then the refrigerant is brought to a reclamation plant to reclaim the refrigerant to virgin quality. Finally the refrigerant is re-used at the Daikin factory and the reclaimed quantity is administratively allocated to the heat pumps installed in the refurbished dm stores, closing the refrigerant loop for dm. The whole process is validated by an external audit process to ensure the highest level of compliancy.
