At Linde, ecological and social responsibility is put into action in line with concrete policy positions. These positions reflect the company’s objectives in the relevant dimensions of sustainability. They epitomize its activities in the areas of environment, human resources and society, and testify to our organization’s engagement, future competence and willingness to assume responsibility.

Responsibility (Hammerfest, Norway)

Every company bears responsibility. Down to the final detail. The Barents Sea, one of the world’s key fishing grounds, will be home to Europe’s largest natural gas liquefaction plan – built with Linde know-how. Here, off the Norwegian coast, is the world’s first LNG processing facility to return the carbon dioxide contained in natural gas to sub-seabed storage. Nothing escapes into the atmosphere; nothing upsets the precarious ecological balance.

Resources (Tokyo, Japan)

Natural gas is environment-friendly – and it pays! Natural gas is an environmentally compatible alternative to petroleum – and it is still available in abundance on our planet. It can be transported from its source to users in either gas or liquid form. We produce liquefied gas at our plants and dispatch it all over the world on tankers – e. g. to the rapidly growing market in Japan.

Safety (La Porte, TX, U.S.A.)

Safety is a basic human need. That’s why, for us, it’s the number one priority. Linde customers and employees alike can count on the high safety standards of our products – in both manufacture and application. Every year, to heighten awareness of safety issues in our workforce, we confer a “Site Safety Award.” In 2004, this distinction went to Linde Gas in La Porte, Texas, U.S.A. Between 1999 and 2004, its workforce amassed 620,000 hours of accident-free operation.

Know-how (Galician Coast, Spain)

We are familiar with the risks involved in modern technology. Our answer: clean solutions. Many still recall the trail of destruction when the “Prestige” spilled oil off the Spanish coast in November 2002: birds covered in black oil, emulsified clumps littering the beaches, huge slicks floating on the water. The leak sparked an ecological catastrophe of unprecedented proportions. Linde helped clean up the coastline – with environmentally friendly dry ice.

Future Competence (Hanover, Germany)

There is no magic formula for solving global problems. But there are innovative ideas from Linde. A magnesium liquefaction technology developed by Linde uses dry ice to protect highly sensitive magnesium from atmospheric oxygen. Sulfur hexaflouride, which has been traditionally used, has a global warming potential nearly 24,000 times higher than that of carbon dioxide. This innovation represents our contribution to making magnesium processing more environmentally compatible.

Efficiency (La Fontaine, Algeria)

By the year 2050, nearly one in four people will live in a country suffering from water shortages. We’re already working on strategies to combat this problem. By definition, a water shortage exists if the annual freshwater reserves of a country drop below 1,700 cubic meters per capita. In Algeria, less than half that figure is already the norm. Linde has made a contribution to alleviating this problem in La Fontaine: by installing a seawater desalination plant that harnesses environment-friendly technology to produce drinking water.

Methods (Haikou, China)

Clean water isn’t simply a given. Sometimes it’s the product of innovative technology. Water purification is environmental protection in action. For decades, Linde has been perfecting innovative processes to sustain the water quality for generations to come. One such method is the anaerobic sludge treatment of wastewater containing heavy metals at our plant in Haikou, China. This technology dispenses with the use of ecologically unsound chemicals and thus makes an important contribution to cleaning industrial wastewater.

Knowledge (Canberra, Australia)

Knowledge grows when it’s shared. Our continuing education programs are open to everyone in the Linde organization. The Linde Learning Management System is a comprehensive, web-based program that will ultimately enable Group-wide knowledge management. Its focuses lie on the international coordination of advanced education, e-Learning programs and the global exchange of knowledge within our organization. This is our way of supporting each individual’s ambition to further his or her skills and expertise.

Engagement (Munich, Germany)

Innovative ideas don’t fall from the sky. They fall under our responsibility. The Carl von Linde Academy at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) is an established institution. Founded by Linde AG, the Academy is dedicated to educating engineers – a key factor in innovation. It bridges the gap between commerce and science, sustaining the example set by our founder Carl von Linde, a former faculty member at the TUM.

Ideas (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

People who champion candid criticism need to lead by example. Even in the corporate arena, learning never stops. At Linde Gas, employee surveys act as important tools, providing us with insights into the needs and wants of the men and women who make up our organization. At Linde, no one need be afraid to speak their mind. Frank feedback from our workforce gives us the motivation and the ability to preserve what is good and improve what could be better.

Integration (Aschaffenburg, Germany)

Everyone needs hope for the future. We improve their prospects. As one of the largest employers in Aschaffenburg, Linde Material Handling plays an important role in the region’s vocational training sector. And we don’t forget those who might otherwise be left behind. For the second time, we are offering 15 disabled young people the opportunity to undergo a two-year training program that has already proven a success: many of the initial participants have gone on to find jobs.

Support (Karlsruhe, Germany)

Know-how secures competitive benefits. And qualifications secure know-how. Linde and nine partners have endowed a chair for Mobile Machinery at the University of Karlsruhe. This position has the potential to become a national and international authority on hydraulics and drive technology. The objective is to train qualified engineers and at the same time enhance the competitive strength of the partners in industry.

Challenges (São Paulo, Brazil)

People with good health are fortunate. But with Linde, they don’t have to be privileged. Longer life expectancies inevitably mean an increased susceptibility to illness. This places a huge financial burden on healthcare systems, particularly in the emerging economies. Linde Gas Therapeutics has developed solutions for treating patients with respiratory ailments at home. Of obvious benefit to patients, they also reduce the cost of treatment.

Innovation (Stockholm, Sweden)

Some revolutions occur behind closed doors – and open up radically new vistas. In the past, dry cleaners have typically used chlorinated solvents like perchlorethylene – which has now been prohibited in the U.S. Together with its partners, Linde has developed an environmentfriendly cleaning method. The carbon dioxide it requires is a chemical industry by-product and does not have to be specially produced. Just one shining example of innovation at work.

Trailblazing (Berlin, Germany)

In the global marketplace, hydrogen will be a major energy source of the future. We are busy creating networks, building infrastructures and discovering new uses for hydrogen as a fuel. In Berlin, Linde has joined other corporations from the oil and carmaking industries to open the world’s largest hydrogen filling station for the general public. The facility impressively exemplifies this clean fuel’s viability for everyday applications, as the upcoming revolution in the automotive industry will surely demonstrate.

Solutions (Munich, Germany)

Development means taking technology one step further. And putting it to concrete use. Hydrogen technology holds enormous potential. One example: the emission-free, fuel cell-powered forklift we have deployed at the Munich airport. The vehicle can operate up to ten hours, and its twin hydrogen tanks can be refilled in just five minutes. What’s more, its driving and lifting characteristics are superior to those of battery-operated models.