Sustainability at Evonik
Sustainability-Strategy
We see responsibility and long-term business success as two sides of the same coin. Sustainability has long been a growth driver in many of our businesses. Our leading technology positions enable us to offer customers a wide range of solutions that contribute to efficient use of resources and reduce their impact on the environment.
As preconditions for Evonik’s future viability, sustainable business activities and responsible conduct are cornerstones of our business model. We drive forward our sustainability activities along the value chain in close dialogue with our stakeholders. As well as our own production processes and the products we market, we always consider the supply chain and the product benefits for our customers and their customers. We have observed rising demand for products that demonstrate a good balance of economic, ecological, and social factors. That opens up a broad spectrum of future-oriented business opportunities for Evonik in attractive markets. Sustainability has long been a growth driver in many of our business.
In view of this, we defined our sustainability strategy in more detail in 2018, especially as regards foresighted resource management and integrating sustainability into strategic management processes.
sustainability strategy is based on five pillars
1. Sustainability is part of Evonik’s market proposition
We report extensively on our production footprint and the handprint of our business activities, i.e., the beneficial effects of using our products. We engage in constant dialogue with our stakeholders on social and ecological requirements.
2. Evonik is committed to foresighted resource management
We have defined ambitious new climate and water targets; see chapter “The environment.” Our goal is to reduce our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 25 percent in the period 2021 to 2030. In future, internal CO2 pricing will be an additional criterion in the management of major investments.
3. Evonik has defined growth engines with a clear focus on sustainability
Our business activities have both positive and negative impacts, which affect the UN SDGs. We systematically examine relevant sustainability aspects along the value chain.
4. Evonik integrates sustainability into its strategic management processes
In 2018, we continued to develop our sustainability portfolio analysis, including testing and integration into our strategy process. The sustainability analysis 2.0 was rolled out group-wide in 2019. This analysis covers 99 percent of sales and thus almost all of Evonik's continuing chemicals operations in 2018. It is based on the framework published by the Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), which Evonik played a key role in developing.
5. Evonik sets high standards for continuous improvement of reporting
We focus on measurability and transparency, and have brought forward the publication date of our sustainability report to coincide with publication of our financial report.