Heidelberg is a new participant in the UN Global Compact. The United Nations has confirmed the technology company’s inclusion in the world’s largest and most important initiative for sustainable and responsible corporate governance. By joining, Heidelberg says it is underlining its commitment to aligning its corporate strategy with the UN Global Compact’s ten sustainability principles on human rights, labor standards, environmental protection, and anti-corruption.
“We see our participation in the UN Global Compact as a logical step in our efforts to have the smallest ecological footprint along the entire value chain in our industry. The company has already actively promoted environmental protection and social responsibility in the past and will further strengthen these efforts by becoming a part of the UN Global Compact,” said Ludwin Monz, CEO of Heidelberg.
Heidelberg says it sees sustainability as part of its strategic orientation, which forms a basis for long-term economic success. Business activities are harmonized with ecological aspects and fair working conditions. To this end, the company has committed itself to climate neutrality (Scope 1 and 2, excluding Scope 3) at its production, development and sales sites by 2030.
Priority is given to increasing energy efficiency, reducing CO2 emissions and substantially increasing the share of in-house electricity production through renewable energies. As an important milestone in achieving these goals, Heidelberg commissioned the Group’s largest photovoltaic system at the Amstetten site in September of this year. Any remaining CO2 emissions that cannot be avoided by means of optimization measures will be neutralized in the future by means of voluntary compensation. From 2040, Heidelberg aims to manage without offsetting (Scope 1 and 2, without Scope 3).
Even before joining the UN Global Compact, Heidelberg implemented many different measures to support the sustainability principles. These are bundled in the sustainability strategy and regular information on the status and ongoing activities is provided both in the Group’s non-financial statement and in the UN Global Compact (COP) progress report.
Based on the ten universal principles and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, the UN Global Compact, launched in 2000, pursues the vision of an inclusive and sustainable economy. More than 21,000 companies and organizations in over 160 countries are already signatories to the UN Global Compact.
