Local sourcing

Environment – Short Term (2020-25)

Local sourcing

Sourcing materials and components from local suppliers reduces the amount of transportation needed, which sometimes accounts for a major share of companies' overall negative environmental impact

CO2 reduction
in use phase

Environment – Short Term (2020-25)

CO2 reduction in use phase

CO2 emissions occur not only in the upstream supply chain but also downstream, such as during the use phase of a product. Companies impact scope 3 emissions by offering consumers incentives to charge electric vehicles with renewable energy, for example

CO2 reduction in supply chain

Environment – Short Term (2020-25)

CO2 reduction in supply chain

Companies reduce emissions across their entire supply chain (Tier 1-n) through close collaboration with their entire supply base. Initiatives can range from creating monetary incentives for reducing CO2 to sharing best practices. CO2 reduction in the supply chain is necessary in order to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Green power

Environment – Short Term (2020-25)

Green power

Firms increase their use of renewable energy for electricity, heat and so on both through their own actions and by choosing suitable energy suppliers

Design-to-circularity

Environment – Short Term (2020-25)

Design-to-circularity

The R&D departments of companies identify options for cutting waste and reusing materials, components and products during the development phase

Increasing recyclates

Environment – Short Term (2020-25)

Increasing recyclates

Using recycled materials avoids further exploitation of raw materials and is the first step towards creating a circular economy

Limiting business travel

Environment – Short Term (2020-25)

Limiting business travel

Cancelling most business trips and investing in state-of-the-art virtual meeting and video conferencing technology promotes sustainability. Where business trips are unavoidable, organizations select the most eco-friendly means of travel

CO2 reduction
(scopes 1-2)

Environment – Short Term (2020-25)

CO2 reduction (scopes 1-2)

Companies lower their scope 1 emissions (all direct emissions, such as fuel combustion on site, fleet vehicles) and scope 2 emissions (all indirect emissions from electricity purchased) through actions such as reducing usage (driving fewer miles) or upgrading technology (installing LED lights, insulating buildings better)

CO2
compensation

Environment – Short Term (2020-25)

CO2 compensation

To become CO2-neutral or, more broadly, greenhouse gas-neutral, companies compensate for their emissions by means of activities such as reforestation, either carrying out these activities themselves or paying specialized institutions to do so on their behalf

Circular economy for complex products

Environment – Medium-term (2025-35)

Circular economy for complex products

Circularity – the idea of consistently avoiding waste and striving for re-use – is particularly hard to achieve for complex products, where it requires longer lead times and development cycles

Waste blockchain

Environment – Medium-term (2025-35)

Waste blockchain

Firms are responsible for making sure that their waste is treated properly, especially if it is hazardous. Concepts for tracking and tracing waste paths can compel them to comply and identify any infringements

Zero waste

Environment – Medium-term (2025-35)

Zero waste

Zero waste involves the avoidance of all waste in all areas, including scrap from direct material, waste from office buildings and any waste produced along the value chain

3D printing

Environment – Medium-term (2025-35)

3D printing

For some applications, 3D printing can be an effective way to avoid emissions, reduce energy consumption and cut waste in the areas of production and logistics. Ideally, companies should print products near to where the customer is

Corporate
environmental
tracking apps

Environment – Medium-term (2025-35)

Corporate environmental tracking apps

Companies use a smartphone app to track the environmental footprint of employees, departments or the entire organization

Eliminating use of rare earths

Environment – Medium-term (2025-35)

Eliminating use of rare earths

Rare earth metals are used in many of today's products and applications, from smart phones to wind power. However, they have a significant negative impact on the environment. Research is needed on replacing these elements with materials that have a less negative impact

Eliminating noise
& light pollution

Environment – Medium-term (2025-35)

Eliminating noise & light pollution

Noise and light pollute the environment and disturb humans, animals and nature. Eliminating all negative impact along the entire value chain is a crucial step, particularly in protected areas

CO2-neutral value chain

Environment – Medium-term (2025-35)

CO2-neutral value chain

Businesses aim for a fully CO2-neutral supply chain, from upstream Tier-x suppliers to consumers (the usage phase)

Eliminating business travels using avatars

Environment – Long-term (2035-50)

Eliminating business travels using avatars

Companies replace all business-related travel by using avatars and other advanced forms of virtual collaboration

Closed loop

Environment – Long-term (2035-50)

Closed loop

A closed loop involves the full application of a circular economy across the entire company and its value chain.

Zero freshwater consumption

Environment – Long-term (2035-50)

Zero freshwater consumption

All the freshwater needed for a firm's operations, both production and administration, is created as part of a self-sufficient cycle without any input of freshwater from the outside

Zero pollution

Environment – Long-term (2035-50)

Zero pollution

Zero pollution involves the complete elimination of pollution from all of a company's operations, right all along the value chain

Corporate
biodiversity strategy

Environment – Long-term (2035-50)

Corporate biodiversity strategy

Companies incorporate a strategy ensuring biodiversity in all the areas where the company has an impact

Self-sufficient production plants

Environment – Long-term (2035-50)

Self-sufficient production plants

These factories require no energy or other inputs from the outside world

CO2-negative
value chain

Environment – Long-term (2035-50)

CO2-negative value chain

This entails capturing or compensating for more CO2 than is emitted – for example, to compensate retrospectively for all the emissions made by a firm since its foundation

Sub-zero
emission products

Environment – Long-term (2035-50)

Sub-zero emission products

These are products that absorb greenhouse gases emissions or other environmental pollutants and have a negative footprint. In some cases, they can even be used to generate energy for the company's own consumption

Human
rights in
supply chain

Corporate – Short Term (2020-25)

Human rights in supply chain

The company ensures that human rights are fully respected across its entire supply chain, including all tiers of suppliers. This includes areas such as child labor, freedom of opinion, discrimination and fair wages

Transparency
over
lobbying

Corporate – Short Term (2020-25)

Transparency over lobbying

Companies report publicly, in detail, on any lobbying activities that they carry out, such as making donations and meeting politicians

Sustainability board with veto rights

Corporate – Short Term (2020-25)

Sustainability board with veto rights

A "sustainability board" is established within the organization, with veto rights for major decisions

Mandatory
ESG reporting

Corporate – Short Term (2020-25)

Mandatory ESG reporting

Companies are obliged to report publicly on their ESG status and performance in a standardized manner

Supply chain traceability via blockchain

Corporate – Short Term (2020-25)

Supply chain traceability via blockchain

Organizations used blockchain technology to track ESG criteria within their supply chains

Coherent
whistleblower
system

Corporate – Short Term (2020-25)

Coherent whistleblower system

A robust whistleblower system, potentially supplied by an external provider, enables anonymous reporting of any non-compliance with legislation

ESG supplier selection

Corporate – Short Term (2020-25)

ESG supplier selection

Companies select suppliers on the basis of their ESG rating, in particular integrating "knock-out" criteria and thresholds in their selection procedures

Responsible lobbying

Corporate – Short Term (2020-25)

Responsible lobbying

Lobbying activities are reduced to a minimum and full transparency is ensured

Business
Ethics 2.0

Corporate – Short Term (2020-25)

Business Ethics 2.0

Companies take their business ethics and code of conduct to the next level by setting even higher and more transparent standards. They may combine this with a transparent enforcement and sanctioning system

External ESG auditing

Corporate – Short Term (2020-25)

External ESG auditing

Annual auditing of a firm's sustainability achievements by an impartial, external service provider. Results are communicated internally and externally

Full supervisory board independence

Corporate – Short Term (2020-25)

Full supervisory board independence

The firms ensures that its supervisory board is truly independent from its management board

Transparency over supply-chain incidents

Corporate – Medium-term (2025-35)

Transparency over supply-chain incidents

Companies communicate publicly about any fraud or other incidents within the supply chain, outlining what actions they are taking to remedy them

Enforcing
equal and
fair pay

Corporate – Medium-term (2025-35)

Enforcing equal and fair pay

Fair salaries are paid in all of the company's global locations. This includes equal pay, wages that enable employees to stay above the poverty line, and fair salary levels across different levels of the hierarchy – for example, a fixed ratio between the CEO salary and the average or entry-level salary

Mandatory rotation of supervisory board members

Corporate – Medium-term (2025-35)

Mandatory rotation of supervisory board members

Setting a maximum tenure for board members ensures that the supervisory function is executed properly

NGOs on the supervisory board

Corporate – Medium-term (2025-35)

NGOs on the supervisory board

One seat on the supervisory board is reserved for a representative of an NGO

External transparency over internal incidents

Corporate – Medium-term (2025-35)

External transparency over internal incidents

Any major internal incidents are reported to the public, including environmental incidents and breaches of the code of conduct

Democratic
decision-making,
including minority groups

Corporate – Long-term (2035-50)

Democratic decision-making, including minority groups

Rules are in place to ensure that the needs and opinions of minority groups are properly represented in decision-making

Bonus systems
based on sustainability tracking

Corporate – Long-term (2035-50)

Bonus systems based on sustainability tracking

Sustainable behavior is rewarded based on transparent criteria. The organization ensures transparency by tracking everyone via an app

"Planet AI" on the management board

Corporate – Long-term (2035-50)

Planet AI" on the management board

Companies give a artificial intelligence (AI) a vote in all management decisions. This "planet AI" is programmed to represent the needs of planet Earth