Our approach

The Mibelle Group belongs to the most sustainable retailer in the world. Even during his lifetime, Gottlieb Duttweiler, Migros’ founder and a bona fide pioneer, called on people to use resources sparingly so the next generation would have a world worth living in. That’s why we’re committed to optimising all environmental protection measures as part of a continuous improvement process in order to reduce our impact on the environment.

Responsible production, research and management has characterised the Mibelle Group from the outset. We have thus ascribed to a comprehensive vision of sustainability and a corresponding commitment.

We not only help our customers to obtain full services optimally tailored to their requirements – sustainability is part of the conviction at our company and offers our customers an expedient added value.

Our targets

We have achieved all sustainability targets of the first stage 2015-2020. Up to 2025, we have set ourselves new ambitious targets, but these are realistic and motivating objectives. The pioneering visions up to 2040 act as beacons providing us with direction in the long term. They prepare the ground for more radical innovations and presuppose certain technical advancements.

We have set ourselves ambitious targets in seven key areas up to 2025.

From 2040, we will only process sustainable raw materials.

From 2040, we will only work with renewable energies.

From 2040, we will only work with closed ecological cycles.

M-Industry Sustainability Roadmap

Our focus

Sustainable Innovations

In the research and development of new products, the Mibelle Group is characterised by innovative strength, enabling it to constantly reconcile sustainability and demand. Equally, we are focusing on product packaging recycling and are committed to high-quality, sustainable raw materials.

Sustainable Production

We are implementing diverse measures for more sustainable production in our businesses. These measures place great emphasis on especially efficient and prudent use of natural resources such as energy, raw materials and water.

Social Commitment

The requirements for the attainment of our goals are good working conditions that the Mibelle Group, as a progressive employer, strives to create (social pioneering). Social fairness and qualified employees are the direct positive consequence of this.

Our commitment

For us, sustainability means that ecological, social and economic aspects are taken into consideration in our daily business activities.

We promise our customers that our products are always at the cutting edge as far as the environment goes.

We handle our soil, water and air with care and strive to create eco-friendly closed loops.

We have a systematic approach to sustainability management under ISO 14001. Our sites in Buchs, Frenkendorf and Sarreguemines are certified accordingly.

The sustainability policy of the M-Industry (PDF)

ISO 14001-2015 certificate of the Mibelle Group (member of the Migros Industrie)

Sustainability stories

CO₂ recycling for liquid detergent and cleaning products

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The Mibelle Group has recently started to use alcohol (ethanol) obtained directly from exhaust gases, which would otherwise pollute the environment and damage the climate, in its liquid detergents and cleaning products. With this innovative CO₂recycling technology, the Mibelle Group is making a contribution to sustainability and taking account of growing customer demand for sustainable products.

Recycling CO₂ on the one hand reduces greenhouse gas emissions and, on the other, the Mibelle Group is saving alcohol produced by conventional methods in the field of liquid detergents and cleaning products, whose production is normally based on plants such as sugar cane or sugar beet. This requires less agricultural land and therefore offers more space for the natural biodiversity. The innovative conversion also protects the environment and conserves valuable resources. This significant contribution to sustainability was proved in Carbotech AG’s life cycle assessment report.

How is industrial alcohol obtained from greenhouse gases?

Two years ago, the Mibelle Group started to cooperate with start-up LanzaTech to produce industrial alcohol from greenhouse gases. These days CO₂ is emitted into the atmosphere from many sources, such as the steel industry, from waste incineration plants, and when we use oil for heating. LanzaTech has found a way to make alcohol from CO₂ using a fermentation process that is also used to brew beer. During CO₂ recycling, microorganisms are used which are able to convert the carbon dioxide directly into alcohol. The alcohol is stored in tanks and used for liquid detergents and cleaning products. [Principle of quantity offsetting]

Next milestone: Packaging from recycled CO₂

The Mibelle Group sees great potential in the new CO₂ recycling technology. The intention is that in the medium term the alcohol obtained from the recycled CO₂ will replace all the alcohol produced by conventional methods used in liquid detergents, cleaning products and cosmetics. The technology is not only to be used for products, but also for their packaging, which mainly consists of PET and PE. Crude oil can be used to manufacture these plastics - or alcohol from recycled CO₂.

The WWF also supports this innovative technology. “The use of fossil fuels must be avoided. Where this is impossible, it makes sense to include greenhouse gases in products, so that the gases don’t warm the climate further. If production of such products prevents cultivation of land for raw materials, this leaves more room for natural biodiversity. Both contribute to long-term preservation of our environment”, asserts Christoph Meili, life cycle assessment expert with WWF Switzerland.

The principle of quantity offsetting is applied for technical production reasons.

Simple explanation of the innovative technology – in the video of the Migros where the first cleaning products with alcohol from recycled CO2 are recently selled.

CO2 gets into the atmosphere and leads to the greenhouse effect. The temperatures on our planet are rising.

CO2 is compressed and fermented in containers. The product is liquid alcohol.

New method of LanzaTech Start-Up: Through a fermentation process microorganisms convert carbon dioxide into alcohol.

In 2020, the Mibelle Group was able to save more than 90 tons of conventionally produced alcohol with the new technology.

Mibelle Group’s cleaning products contain alcohol from CO2-recycling. Next, the company is looking into using LanzaTech's technology for the production of packaging.