Corteco in Milan, Ohio, United States is representing Freudenberg Sealing Technologies (FST) in the Freudenberg Group’s overall “We All Take Care!” (WATC) competition. Together with “The Chef’s Garden”, Corteco has created a green belt around the distribution and kitting center in an area of around 30 acres. The common goal: Reduce thecarbon footprint and raise awareness among employees and society for regenerative agriculture, healthy soil and healthy nutrition.
Freudenberg has been organizing the annual WATC competition for 23 years. At the beginning of 2025, 21 FST sites submitted 40 projects (318 across the Freudenberg Group) to improve occupational safety and employee health or protect the environment. In April, FST’s winning teams presented their projects to the final FST WATC jury. The jury ultimately selected the project from Corteco in Milan, which will represent FST in the Freudenberg Group’s overall competition in June.
The project is an example of the many ways in which FST lives sustainability. Conventional agriculture rarely contributes to improving soil quality with its many “chemical clubs”. If soils are treated with chemicals in the long term, this harms the climate, plants, human nutrition and bee populations. “The better the soil, the more microorganisms live in it. These in turn ensure better yields,” explains Nichole A. Tigges, Continuous Improvement Manager at Corteco North America. Microbes utilize organic matter to enrich the soil and improve the quality of the vegetation for future crops. This in turn stores carbon and provides high-quality natural fertilizer.
Cover crops – 17 different flowering plants that improve soil health and minimize erosion between growing seasons or on fallow fields – are sown on around half of the plot each spring. These plants use sunlight, water and CO2 from the atmosphere to produce oxygen and glucose through photosynthesis. “This process can improve the nutrient content of the soil and thus the yield of crops. Healthy soils ensure healthy plants, healthier people and a healthier planet,” says Tigges.
In summer, these cover crops serve as a bee meadow. The insects are grateful and produce honey in two of the company’s beehives. Two employees, Rusti Janis, maintenance, and Morgan Zillman, HR, at the Milan site have been specially trained as beekeepers and look after the hives. The other 15 acres of the site are cultivated traditionally, including a garden tended by the employees. The meadows are mowed in the fall, but the plant remains are not removed. This gives the soil a natural insulating layer for the winter. Every three to five years, the agricultural areas – conventional cultivation versus flowering meadows and cover crops – are rotated to give the soil time to regenerate.
“This project has been a true collaboration within our facility, from the maintenance department leading the way, to floor associates maintaining the garden, to a multitude of other individuals across the building and within the community,” Tigges says.
The Chef’s Garden:
For over 30 years, The Chef’s Garden has been supplying high-quality specialties directly from the farm to the world’s most discerning chefs. The Chef’s Garden uses traditional regenerative farming methods in combination with innovative technology. Together with Corteco, The Chef’s Garden cultivates a 30 acres area surrounding the Corteco distribution center in Milan.
Link to the video “The Soil is Alive” created internally by Chris McKitrick, Growtth Coordinator.
