For us, sustainability means a commitment to responsible and transparent corporate governance geared to lasting success. With this in mind, in 2011 we drew up a sustainability strategy for the first time. We specify here in more concrete detail the higher-order corporate strategy with an eye to sustainability considerations and commit explicitly to our strategic objective of sustainable value creation. Parallel to our Group strategy, the sustainability strategy is reviewed every three years and approved by both the Executive Board and the Supervisory Board. The considerable importance attached to sustainability issues is reflected in the associated responsibility within the company: the Executive Board is responsible for the sustainability strategy and jointly tracks its implementation.

Our stakeholder universe was defined as part of the elaboration of the sustainability strategy. The selection of relevant stakeholders is determined by our business activities and our geographical presence, and it is regularly reconciled with representatives of the business units. Particularly important stakeholder groups for our company are as follows: clients, employees, the capital market, the public sector and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

In 2014 we reviewed our corporate and sustainability strategy in keeping with our three-year strategy cycle. In conformity with the Group Strategy, the sustainability goals that had been set for the strategy cycle just ended were therefore similarly revisited and modified in light of a materiality analysis and to reflect the current need for action. Sustainability goals that had still to be achieved were carried over to the new strategy cycle. Our Sustainability Strategy for the years 2015 to 2017 defines four action fields and specifies 14 concrete goals and 42 measures.

 

In the context of our Sustainability Report we discuss the individual action fields at length in the following sections, describe the key topics and elaborate on our goals and measures.

The Group Strategy 2018 – 2020, which was unveiled in October 2017, sets in motion a new strategy cycle in the context of which the Sustainability Strategy was also revisited. The new Sustainability Strategy can be viewed on our website. In the present Sustainability Report we take a final look at the achievement of goals defined in our Sustainability Strategy for the years 2015 – 2017.