Glossary
Best of Reality Award: Competition for the best projects of the Czech real estate market. It evaluates and awards prizes to properties that are newly built or extensively reconstructed. Since 2019, a prize has also been awarded for the most environmentally friendly project.
BIM – Building Information Modelling: Describes a method of networked planning, execution and management of buildings and other structures using software. All relevant building data is digitally modelled, combined and collected. The building is also geometrically visualised as a virtual model.
CHP – Combined Heat and Power: The simultaneous generation of mechanical energy and usable heat that result in a joint thermodynamic process. The mechanical energy is normally directly converted into electric current. The heat is used for heating purposes. The advantage of CHP is the lower fuel requirement for the simultaneous provision of electricity and heat, which greatly reduces the emissions of greenhouse gases. CHP can be used with nearly every fuel and every heat source.
CMMS – Computerized Maintenance Management System: This software manages maintenance-relevant information in a database. This supports the daily work processes of the maintenance staff and can serve as a basis for optimisation.
Common parts: Components that can be used unchanged in different products but are not standard parts. A high percentage of common parts is the heart of the platform concept.
DEFRA – Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs: The British "Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs" is responsible for environmental protection, rural development, landscape and nature protection, sustainable development, agriculture and various aspects of animal protection.
Digital twin: A digital representative of a material or immaterial object from the real world in the digital world. Digital twins allow an overlapping data exchange. They are more than pure data, consisting of models of the represented object and can contain simulations, algorithms and services that describe characteristics of the represented object.
EcoVadis: The platform provides holistic assessments in the area of sustainability (environment, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement). On the one hand, this gives companies a better understanding of their own performance in these areas. On the other hand, companies can also see assessments of their suppliers through this platform and thereby obtain a more comprehensive picture of their supply chains.
EHPA – European Heat Pump Association: This seal of approval was created to ensure a sustainable, high quality level for heat pumps. This defines technical, planning-related, as well as service-specific quality guidelines for heat pumps in order to ensure a high energy efficiency and operational safety.
Employer branding: A strategic corporate measure to present a company as an attractive employer. The objective is essential to permanently increase the efficiency of personnel recruiting as well as the quality of applicants due to marketing effects. In addition, qualified and dedicated employees are to be retained with the company in the long term through greater identification and by establishing an emotional bond.
European Green Deal: The 27 EU member states intend to become climate-neutral by 2050 with the European Green Deal. In an initial step, the greenhouse gas emissions are to be reduced by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990.
EUTR – European Timber Regulation: This European timber trade regulation requires all European market participants to face their responsibility in the worldwide procurement of timber and timber products.
ESG – Environmental, Social, Governance: Environmental protection, social issues and good governance – is often equated with the term "sustainable".
FSC – Forest Stewardship Council: An international certification system for more sustainable forestry. The wood of furniture, toys, books, notebooks and pencils with the FSC symbol comes from forests that are more sustainably managed.
Green energy: Electrical energy that is generated without the climate-damaging greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO²) is called green energy or eco-power. It is generated in an environmentally friendly manner, for example, with hydro-electric plants, wind turbines, or solar cells.
Greenfield approach: Stands for a completely new start with SAP S / 4HANA "on a green field". This refers to complete re-engineering and the possibility of extensively simplifying processes. This is based on technological innovations.
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol Initiative: A partnership of different companies, NGOs and governments. The initiative is coordinated by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). The goal of the initiative is to develop recognised standards for greenhouse gas accounting.
GRI – Global Reporting Initiative: The GRI standards for creating sustainability reports were developed to provide organisations with guidelines for creating reports on their economic, environmental and / or social impacts.
IEA – International Energy Agency: Is a cooperation platform in the area of research, development, market introduction and application of energy technologies.
ISO – International Organisation for Standardization: The International Organisation for Standardization develops international standards that help to improve the quality and safety of goods and services as well as not the least simplify trade between countries and companies.
KPIs – Key Performance Indicators: In business management, key performance indicators are defined that refer to the success, the performance, or the capacity utilisation of a company, its individual organisational units, or a machine. They show specific development opportunities and risk potentials for sustainability.
Layered buffer storage: Ensures that heat generation and heat consumption are decoupled. This means that heat can be generated independently of the time of consumption. A heat pump therefore does not have to start up each time when a radiator is turned up, for example. The layered buffer storage thus stores the thermal energy generated by the heat pump and transfers it to the heating system and to the domestic hot water.
Lean Manufacturing: Corporate philosophy that contains an effective and efficient design of production. The design of the value-added chain focuses on the areas of customer orientation and waste avoidance, which reduces costs at a company.
LkSG – Supply Chain Due Diligence Act: The German federal law controls the economic action of companies based in the Federal Republic of Germany – generally with 3 000 or more domestic employees by subjecting them to duties of care in respect to human rights within their supply chains.
MES – Manufacturing Execution System: A layer of a multi-layer manufacturing management system that operates close to the process. The MES differs from similarly effective systems for production planning, so-called ERP systems, by its direct connection to the distributed systems of the process automation and allows the guidance, steering, direction, or control of production in real time. This includes classic data collection and preparation as well as all other processes that have a prompt effect on the production process.
NDR (Network Detection and Response): describes security solutions that continuously monitor and analyse network traffic in order to identify and automatically react to suspicious data traffic. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) methods are used to analyse network traffic and identify anomalies.
PEFC – Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes: Certification system for larger and smaller forest owners as well as wood-processing and wood-selling companies that are committed to sustainable management and fair as well as transparent trade.
PIM – Product Information Management: The provision of product information for use in different output media or sales channels as well as for different locations. The prerequisite for this is the media-neutral administration, maintenance and modification of product information in a central system in order to be able to supply each channel with consistent, accurate information without great resource expenditure.
Redox flow technology: Storage technology based on vanadium in which electrical current can be stored. This storage technology is more climate friendly because it does not require rare materials and conflict raw materials, is completely recyclable and also has a high operational safety and durability
SASB – Sustainability Accounting Standards Board: The purpose of the SASB is to develop and disseminate standards for sustainability accounting that help public companies to disclose essential, decision-relevant information for investors. It is an independent, non-profit organisation.
Scopes: To distinguish between direct and indirect emission sources, the GHG Protocol defines three areas of validity for reporting and accounting greenhouse gases.
Scope 1: All emissions that we directly cause
Scope 2: Indirect CO² emissions from purchased energy such as electricity, steam, district heating or cooling
Scope 3: All indirect emissions that occur along our value-added chain.
SBTi – Science Based Targets Initiative: Is an initiative of different organisations that specifies reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions. It specifies how much and how quickly a company has to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to less than 1.5 °C in line with the Paris Agreement.
SDGs – Sustainable Development Goals: The 17 goals for sustainable development are political objectives of the United Nations (UN) which are to ensure sustainable development on an economic, social, as well as ecological level throughout the world. With the Agenda 2030, all UN member states – as well as Switzerland – have committed to achieving these goals by 2030. The basic principle of the agenda is "Leave no one behind", because a sustainable development can only be successful and efficient when the poorest and most neglected populations are reached first.
SIEM – Security Information and Event Management: Performs a real-time analysis of security alarms from various sources, applications and network components and thereby serves the computer security of an organisation.
Six Sigma: A method for process improvement, statistical quality objective and at the same time a method of quality management. Primarily a procedure model for eliminating deviations. Sigma stands for the Greek letter used to represent the standard deviation in a statistical normal distribution.
Social engineering: Interpersonal influencing with the goal of provoking certain behaviours in people, for example, motivating them to reveal personal information, buy a product, or release financial resources.
Sonitus core layer: The inside of a door is also called the core and is enclosed by the frame and cover plates. Sonitus cores are primarily used with sound insulated doors. The residue of the relatively soft material is also well suited to protecting doors from scratches during transport. This makes it possible to save other protective material, or residue can be reused instead of disposed of.
UN Global Compact: A worldwide compact concluded between companies and the UN to make globalisation more social and ecological. These companies commit to observing certain social and ecological minimum standards.