Sustainability is one of the essential elements of Daimler’s corporate strategy. At the same time, it is a measure of business success. The sustainability strategy spans the product development process; from the supply chains, to environmental protection at the company’s plants, the utilisation phase for products and mobility services, and the responsible handling of data and dealings with employees and key stakeholders. In short: the entire added-value process.
A clear objective pursued by Daimler is to sustainably and significantly lower the emissions of each vehicle along the entire added-value chain. “In future we will be adopting this strategy in an even more focused manner throughout the Group, taking in all corporate divisions,” said, Ola Källenius, Member of the Board of Management responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development. “We as a business enterprise stand up to our social and ecological responsibilities and pursue a sustainable corporate strategy to its end. We are convinced that responsible business practice is crucial to long-term commercial success.”
Additional topics in focus in Daimler’s sustainability strategy include human rights and data security. According to Renata Jungo Brüngger, Member of the Board of Management responsible for Integrity and Legal Affairs:
“Sustainability is integrated in our day-to-day business in tangible form. Cases in point are the protection of human rights in supply chains, for which we are a trailblazer in the automotive industry or the responsible handling of data.”
Sustainability is a topic of growing importance both within the company and in the public sphere. Against this background, Daimler is currently developing a new, sustainable corporate strategy which is to be presented in the course of the year. The aim here is to heighten the focus on sustainability activities and to specify the pursued objectives in concrete terms.
Sustainability activities at Daimler focus on:
- Climate protection and air quality
- Conservation of resources
- Liveable cities
- Traffic safety
- Data responsibility
- Human rights
- Integrity, people and partnerships
Daimler carries out a multi-stage materiality analysis on a regular basis to identify and prioritise the sustainability aspects relevant to the strategy, which also involves a dialogue with external and internal stakeholders. These include shareholders and investors, employees, customers and suppliers, as well as the political sphere, environmental and human rights organisation and private interest groups.