Endress+Hauser supports 1.5° target by the Paris Agreement. By 2050, the specialist for measurement and automation technology aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net zero. The company has joined the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), which focuses on reducing rather than offsetting emissions, and intends to draw up a corresponding climate strategy in the coming months.
To limit global warming to 1.5°C, GHG emissions must be halved by 2030 and reduced to zero by 2050. SBTi is helping companies voluntarily set climate protection targets based on scientific findings.
Carbon footprint as basis for sustainability strategy
“We want to pursue this path, especially as the requirements from all sides are growing,” said Schempp. As its CSR officer, she is driving the climate strategy and other improvements in ecological, ethical and social matters to rely on colleagues in a global network.
As a first step, Endress+Hauser measured its carbon footprint in 2022 in accordance with the GHG protocol, an international standard for GHG accounting. For this purpose, key figures on direct and indirect emission sources were evaluated. Scope three for emissions along upstream and downstream value chains is still in progress. Since 2021, Endress+Hauser has also been participating in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the world’s disclosure initiative for corporate environmental strategies.
Sustainability activities also cover the supply chain
Endress+Hauser intends to implement the climate and sustainability targets along the group-wide standardised business processes. Schempp added that a human rights and environmental risk management system has been introduced to identify and avoid risks within the company and with suppliers at an early stage.
Measures include a whistleblower system for human rights or environmental misconduct, which can be accessed via its website. Employees, business partners and third parties can report possible violations here — anonymously if necessary — which are then independently investigated. This complies with the recommendations of the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act and the Swiss Ordinance on Due Diligence and Transparency.
Customer forum on the sustainable transformation of the process industry
Based on the ranking in the EcoVadis sustainability benchmark, Endress+Hauser again achieved 76 out of 100 points in the audit last year. This placed the company in the top percentile of the comparison group and earned it platinum status, the highest level of recognition.
The importance the company attaches to the topic of sustainability is also demonstrated by the group’s global forum, which will be held in Basel, Switzerland from 26-28 Jun 2023. Its 70th anniversary is an opportunity to discuss the sustainable transformation of the process industry with over 1,000 customers, partners and experts.
