Our Sustainability Targets
Sustainable Product Portfolio
We continuously refine our product portfolio to ensure it meets high standards of safety, environmental compatibility, and regulatory compliance. As part of this effort, we have set clear targets to phase out critical substances, monitor potentially hazardous products, and implement action plans for substances of very high concern (SVHCs). These measures aim to minimize risks for consumers and the environment while advancing the shift toward more sustainable and responsible product solutions.
- Phase-out of critical products
- Phase-out of critical products
- Monitoring of possibly critical products
- Roadmap 2024–2026 development of action plans for all chemical end products newly identified in 2023 that contain more than 0.1% substances of very high concern (SVHCs)
- Implementation of the 2021–2023 roadmap
Climate Leadership
In line with our Climate Leadership ambition, we have set clear, measurable targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across our operations and value chain. As part of the Climate Neutral 2040 initiative, our goal is to make the entire group climate-neutral by 2040. To achieve this goal, we have defined interim milestones, including significant reductions in emissions.
These efforts align with the goals of the Paris Agreement and demonstrate our commitment to industrial climate action. Our strategy addresses direct emissions from our operations and indirect emissions throughout the supply chain.
- Climate neutrality for the entire Group by 2040
- 42% reduction of Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 (base year 2021)
- Climate neutrality for the value chain by 2050
- 25% reduction of Scope 3 emissions by 2030 (base year 2021)
- 30% reduction of Scope 3.1 emissions by 2030 (base year 2021)
Strong People and Business Relations
Strong relationships with our employees and partners are the foundation of our sustainability strategy. To ensure a fair, safe, and inclusive working environment, we have set targeted goals across key areas such as occupational safety, employee retention, diversity, and skills development. We also uphold strict social standards throughout our value chain to eliminate human rights violations and ensure dignified working conditions globally. These goals promote a corporate culture based on responsibility, transparency, and respect.
- Corporate culture and value-compliant conduct
- Increase in the proportion of women at the first and second management levels below the Board of Management to 25% and 28%, respectively, by 2027
- Increase in the proportion of women in management to 30% by 2030
- Continuous decrease in the LTIFR by > 50% by 2025 (2016 reference value: LTIFR 2.0); absolute LTIFR ≤ 0.9 by 2024; absolute RIR ≤ 0.7 by 2024
- Greater employee retention: turnover rate on the basis of resignations below 4.5% annually by 2026
- Proportion of apprentices hired in Germany of least 80% annually (continuous through 2026)
- No child labor cases
- No forced labor cases
- No cases of deficient health protection and deficient occupational safety
- No cases of violence and harassment at the workplace
Environmental Stewardship
As part of our commitment to Environmental Stewardship, we focus on reducing our environmental footprint beyond climate protection. Our goals include minimizing air and water pollution, promoting sustainable water use, and protecting ecosystems and biodiversity. Through responsible waste management, careful handling of critical substances, and resource-conscious production, we aim to preserve natural resources and support long-term business success.
- Reduction of emissions of non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) by 25% (base year 2015) by 2025
- 50% reduction of total landfilled waste by 2030 (base year: 2021)
- 10% reduction of absolute total waste by 2030 (base year: 2021)
- Implementation of an expanded waste management system by 2028
- Reduction of specific Total Organic Carbon (TOC) by 2% per year
- Reduction of specific water consumption by 2% per year
- Implementation of the WASH pledge actions by 2028 (WASH4Work)
- 9% absolute reduction of water withdrawals at sites with water stress and water risks by 2028 (base year 2019)
- Reassessment of the Water Stewardship Program at water risk sites by 2028
