C.HAFNER GmbH + Co. KG has joined LBMA as an Affiliate Member
What were the reasons for you wanting to join LBMA and what do you see as the key benefits of membership?
C.HAFNER GmbH + Co. KG joined the Good Delivery Refiner List in 2013. We feel that the ever-evolving precious metals sector constantly brings about more responsibility and duties for refiners, but also for other supply chain actors. So it was only logical to enhance our commitment and affiliate ourselves with LBMA.
Responsible sourcing and sustainability have always been at the core of the company’s values, but since becoming an Affiliate Member we can actively participate in further developing the standards to better reflect the reality of the sector.
Tell us about your company’s role in the precious metals market?
We rely on innovative products and digital technologies, with an emphasis on customer focus and adherence to stringent environmental standards. Our areas of
application are industry, jewellery and watches, as well as dental technology, combined with a variety of products and services. C.HAFNER provides the market with products for downstream companies as well as end-consumers (i.e. investment products). Geneva-based subsidiary HILDERBRAND provides metal joining solutions primarily focused on HILDERBRAND® precious metal brazing pastes. These solutions meet the highest requirements for any luxury and industry customer in search of the finest Swiss-made quality. Furthermore, Bavaria-based Deutsche Aurumed, acquired in 2017, adds its high-quality dental alloys to our portfolio, strengthening the leading position of C. HAFNER in the precious metal dental sector in Germany.
What’s the background and history of the company?
C.HAFNER dates back to 1850. This is when the company was founded as a traditional precious metals recycler in the renowned town of Pforzheim, also known as ‘Goldstadt’ (in English, ‘gold city’). From the very beginning, the basis of the business was the recovery of precious metals from end-of-use/end-of-life and waste material, exclusively from secondary sources. This basis has remained unchanged to today. The fifth-generation family firm is currently managed by Birgitta Hafner and Dr Philipp Reisert, and today is one of Europe’s leading product and service providers in the field of precious metals technology.
What factors do you expect to impact your business in the short to long term?
Impacts will come from the precious metals sector in general. The Management Board steadily assesses market conditions. We believe in change, so the company undergoes continuous metamorphosis: over the last few years we have changed location and built new headquarters, we said farewell to old market segments and entered new ones, and we are changing our organisation and improving processes. All of this to accommodate new segments and their customer expectations.
Since sustainability is on everyone’s lips, we will ensure to remain a front-runner in that matter. Sustainability is a priority for the management. Hence, it is fundamental to motivate and train our employees to engage in sustainable processes and to uphold our standards accordingly. A ground-mounted photovoltaic system is currently being built right beside our headquarters. This will enable us to cover more than half of our electricity requirements from renewable energy (i.e. solar power). The PV plant will help us drastically reduce our overall scope 2 emissions. In relation to our recycling facility, GHG accounting is done on a yearly basis and covers scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. Plus, it is worth mentioning C.HAFNER is the first and, to our knowledge, only refinery with a carbon-neutral recycling process. Our process is based on avoiding CO2, reducing CO2 and currently compensating CO2. We basically offer a product with zero emissions.
What are your future plans for the business?
C.HAFNER will continue with its goal to innovate and create value for its customer. One focus will be to further strengthen its USP Additive Manufacturing with precious metals, both in industry and luxury applications.
