Sustainability: our route to becoming a Beneficial Company
“We need to move away from discussions, justifications and explanations and take action! And deliver what the world really needs: Genuine Sustainability."
Steffen Szeidl, Executive Board Member
Our vision: the Beneficial Company
We have started out on our route to becoming a Beneficial Company. The vision: In our business activities, we want to make sure that we're giving more back to the environment and to society than we're taking out and using. To achieve this goal, we need to break away from our conventional ways of thinking: as a company, as an organization and as individuals, we are aiming to reshape the previously established growth trajectory and to set out on the path to a genuine circular economy.
Our intention is to maximize our regenerative contribution in the long term, and consequently to leave a positive footprint in the world. As a company with an innovative approach in the real-estate industry, we want to be part of the solution. We view our role as providing consultation and partnership, and enabling change, as we work with our customers on their projects to make positive contributions. We have a wide range of skills available between us, which has led us to form a network of employees to work together on shaping the future. We want our impact on the environment and society to be positive - true to the spirit of our blue way!
The framework for our understanding of sustainability is our Sustainability Mission Statement.
Beneficial Company: our objectives in detail
On our route to becoming a Beneficial Company, we have set ourselves some targets as a company. The scope covered by these targets encompasses the environment, society and good governance. Guided by this core approach, we aim to steer the company and its stakeholders through challenging times, successfully and with resilience, whilst generating added value for the environment and society.
We produce an annual report describing the steps we have taken already, and the milestones that still lie ahead in our Sustainability Report. This process also allows us to highlight our identified success factors and to reveal our challenges.
Our Beneficial Company strategy is based on a materiality assessment. This assessment identified nine key areas of activity, each to be addressed with a suitable strategy for implementation. As part of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) in 2024, we will be carrying out a second materiality assessment. This assessment will take account of our impact on the environment, on society and on governance and will include analysis of external factors with an influence on our company and our business activities. The key areas of activity identified will form the basis for further development of our Beneficial-Company strategy in the future. We want to use this process to ensure that we can align our goals and measures for implementation even more effectively.
Greenhouse Gas Footprint
On an annual basis, Drees & Sommer accounts for all greenhouse gas emissions under our operative control in scope 1, 2 and 3. The greenhouse gas footprint is assessed using the internationally recognized framework of The Greenhouse Gas Protocol, and the associated standards for scope 1 to 3.
The greenhouse gas footprint for the Drees & Sommer group of companies for 2023 amounts to a total of 31,397 tonnes of CO2e. The largest share of emissions, calculated at more than 60%, is accounted for by transport. This figure includes emissions from pre-booked business trips, from our fleet of company vehicles and from our workers commuting journeys. The category of purchased goods and services represents another substantial proportion of our greenhouse gas footprint, at just under 35%.
Based on the balance of the greenhouse gas emissions, Drees & Sommer is in the process of defining numerous actions to be taken to reduce the negative impact of all of our company divisions and processes. Although we are considering offsetting as an additional (temporary) step towards mitigation of our unavoidable emissions, our primary focus is always on prevention and reduction of our greenhouse gas emissions. As an example, our transport and travel management teams are developing offers and incentive systems, on an ongoing basis, to facilitate the transition to sustainable travel. We provide information on all our currently implemented measures and those planned for the future, in our annual Sustainability Report.
Support for global sustainability initiatives
Sustainable Development Goals
Our commitment is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) included in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In our consulting projects, with our innovative solutions, we are contributing to the sustainable transformation of the real estate and infrastructure sectors. We have a wide range of services in our portfolio, which overlap with a substantial proportion of the 17 development goals. Nevertheless, our consultancy work represents a significant contribution to the achievement of the SDGs shown in the graphic. You can see a selection of our key reference projects in our annual reports.
UN Global Compact
We are committed to the sustainable transformation of the economy. Given the complexity of global economic systems, a key role is played by ensuring compliance with ethical business practices, alongside diligence in responsible use of resources. Our participation in the United Nations Global Compact calls for us to work with many other companies on the promotion of responsible corporate governance. The organizations taking part in this initiative are committed to ensuring that their activities and strategic planning are aligned with ten principles specified in the fields of human rights, labor standards, the environment and the fight against corruption. We provide an annual update on the advancement of our implementation in the regular reporting (Communication on Progress).
Baden-Württemberg Climate Alliance
Drees & Sommer is a member of the Baden-Württemberg Climate Alliance. Companies based in Baden-Württemberg have joined this regional organization, making a commitment to making consistent reductions in their greenhouse gas emissions and levels of energy consumption. There is a climate protection agreement signed by the participants, which defines specific measures to be used to achieve targets in climate protection. The initiative also gives the participating companies an opportunity to network within their region and come together to launch joint climate protection projects.
econsense – a Sustainability Competence Program
To meet the increasing requirements in the field of sustainability, Drees & Sommer is part of the econsense Skills Development Program - an officially registered sustainable development forum for German businesses. The program focuses on establishing a dialog, particularly for medium-sized companies. Within this context, companies from many different sectors are able to exchange information on specific practical approaches, methods and experiences. Individual topics are also investigated in more detail with the help of experts, and skills are developed, with the aim of facilitating practical application.
Diversity Charter
As an employer, we consider that we have a responsibility to establish a diverse working environment that values mutual respect. Each individual should have the same opportunities for ongoing development, regardless of such characteristics as age, gender, sexuality, physical and mental abilities, origin, nationality or religious beliefs. With this in mind, we have joined the Diversity Charter, the most important and extensive initiative in Germany regarding diversity in the working environment. We have made a commitment, along with over 5,000 companies and organizations, to recognizing, respecting and incorporating diversity.
Our awards
EcoVadis
Drees & Sommer has been certified by recognized ratings assessors as having a high performance in sustainability: EcoVadis is one of the world's leading rating platforms. The methodology used by EcoVadis assesses companies on the basis of 21 sustainability criteria, whose scope includes the environment, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement. In April 2023, we were awarded a silver medal in recognition of our good sustainability management. The audit process is carried out annually.
IntegrityNext
On the IntegrityNext Platform, Drees & Sommer has a company profile offering customers an overview of our commitment to sustainability, including our work in preventing corruption, maintaining responsibility in the supply chain, protecting the environment, improving health and safety and respecting data protection. You can see our rating here: Drees & Sommer Profile
Downloads: Beneficial Company
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