In the past, HARTMANN has pursued many stand-alone, independent projects on sustainability. "Sustainability has always been in HARTMANN's DNA, if only because of the company's product portfolio and mission" says Michaela Sieger. Now HARTMANN is consolidating an integrated strategy that extends across all areas and levels of sustainability management. The goal is for all employees at HARTMANN to follow a common roadmap to sustainability and achieve clearly defined, measurable targets for the entire Company. In this way, everyone - from management and investors, to employees and customers, to society - can benefit from profound, long-term sustainable business practices.
The first step in building a holistic approach to sustainability is to gather all the divisions and projects involved to get the big picture. This process started by talking to all business units, departments and countries about the actions that are already being implemented. The existing measures and planned actions serve as inspiration for a future strategy for greater sustainability. Michaela adds: "We have achieved a lot. There have been many, many initiatives, and our task will be to clarify the sustainability benefits of each project and better communicate them both internally and externally."
As awareness of the role of sustainability grows, so does the potential to embed individual initiatives into a conceived approach. To this end, an expanded sustainability team has been formed, made up of representatives from all business units and selected departments with high topic-specific relevance. Regular jour fixes and consultations are held. "We want to guide the business units and departments to identify and work on their own levers for more sustainability and to share their challenges, initiatives and successes in order to learn from each other," explains Michaela.
Pointing out practical examples also illustrates how much the topic of sustainability is already anchored in the Company. "Sometimes it's enough to look at a project or a new development through the lens of sustainability," says Michaela. A good example is the changes triggered by the energy crisis. When HARTMANN switches to energy-saving technologies, or looks for ways to reduce energy consumption, the Company not only cuts costs, but also improves its sustainability record. Michaela adds, "Sustainability at HARTMANN is about much more than the environment; it also encompasses economic and social aspects, such as the health of our employees and the well-being of society in general. It is in everything we do."
Increasing transparency across different departments is leading to a shift in the minds of employees at all levels: The company sees sustainability as a crucial issue for the future. Michaela explains, "it's about more than governance and regulation - it's about thinking ahead with every decision, looking at the big picture: What will be the long-term impact of my decisions from today to tomorrow?"
Having laid the foundations for a comprehensive sustainability strategy in recent years, the team has already achieved key milestones: the publication of the first sustainability report, the first carbon footprint for Scope 1 and 2, and the agreement on a sustainability strategy with measurable CO2 reduction targets and a concrete roadmap for HARTMANN. These documents are important benchmarks towards establishing sustainability as a cornerstone of the company and no longer just as an added value. Michaela emphasizes: "Our goal is to embed sustainable thinking and action more deeply into our entrepreneurial processes. In this way, we create an integrated business strategy that combines economic, environmental and social aspects."
To learn more about current developments around our sustainability strategy and goals, please visit our sustainability landing page.
