Compliance with numerous standards

In structuring our sustainability engagement, we are guided by sustainability-relevant standards and agreements at a global and national level. These include in particular:

• The principles of the UN Global Compact
• The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• The Core Labor Standards of the ILO
• The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
• The Rio Declaration on Development and Environment, 1992
• The UN Resolution “2030 Agenda” of 2015 and the associated Sustainable Development Goals
• The Paris Agreement (2015) to avoid dangerous climate change
• The Rio Convention on Biodiversity of 1992 and the resulting "Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework" (GBF) of 2022

In our various areas of action and business fields, we are also guided by industry-specific initiatives and standards (such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and its standards, the Global Coffee Platform, and the Coffee Sustainability Reference Code, or the Global New Plastics Economy Global Commitment of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation). For the development and implementation of our sustainability measures, our processes are based in particular on the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct and the National Action Plan for Business and Human Rights.

Commitment to 2030 Agenda

We are committed to the 2030 Agenda and the corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations and have aligned our sustainability engagement with these goals. This is because the SDGs outline how we can achieve a future worth living for all people. They provide us with guidance for our transformation process and also enable us to compare our engagement with that of other companies. We consider the following seven SDGs to be particularly relevant for us:

• SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production: in addition to the development of regenerative production methods and the properties of our products, the promotion of sustainable, conscious consumption is an essential part of our core business as well as its marketing and communication.
• SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth: healthy economic growth can only be achieved on the basis of decent working conditions, both in our own company and in our supply chains.
• SDG 13: Climate action: compliance with global climate protection targets and our own respective targets is a prerequisite for a future worth living.
• SDG 15: Life on land: many of our raw materials and products, especially coffee and pulp, have a direct and indirect impact on landscapes and the environment.
• SDG 14: Life below water: we frequently use plastics, particularly in our Household Products range. Consequently, we believe it is our responsibility to promote a circular plastics economy and thus help prevent marine plastic and microplastics.
• SDG 4: Quality education: in a complex world and in the midst of a complex transformation process, education is the key to a holistic and systemic understanding of the challenges and the development of solutions.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals: no single player can shape the transformation alone; what we need are innovative and cross-sector partnerships.