Ladies and gentlemen,
“Sustainability” these days is a buzzword used in many different contexts with many different connotations. But what does it mean for a multinational company? We at Siemens don’t just talk about sustainability. We’ve made the three areas of sustainable development – environment, business and society – the cornerstone of all our activities. In the area of environment, we’re providing innovative products and solutions to improve both our own ecobalance and those of our customers and suppliers. In the area of business, we’re focusing on long-term value creation. And in the area of society, we’re fostering our own employees and striving to be good citizens in all the communities in which we are active. Although decisions in these areas are not always free of conflicting interests, we aim to make them transparent and to find the best solutions possible. The responsible use of natural resources, targeted investments in future-oriented technologies that support profitable growth while offering customers competitive advantages, and a company ethic that goes beyond mere compliance with the law and places integrity at the center of business operations – these are the factors enabling us to drive sustainable development and to lay the basis for our company’s successful future.
As our history shows, our understanding of sustainability is closely linked to our company values – responsible, excellent, innovative. From the very first, Werner von Siemens insisted that his company fulfill its responsibilities to its employees, to society and to nature. To achieve excellence, to capture leading positions in the markets of tomorrow, to develop innovative technologies that help ensure the future viability of modern civilization – this has always been our vision and our challenge.
Sustainable development creates business opportunities
We’re rigorously leveraging the business opportunities created by sustainable development. Our Environmental Portfolio clearly demonstrates what we’ve achieved so far: €23 billion in revenue in fiscal 2009 and 210 million tons in CO2 reductions for our customers – these figures speak for themselves.
Peter Löscher, President and CEO of Siemens AG
That sustainability is our top priority is also reflected in our company organization: our Sustainability Board, headed by Chief Sustainability Officer and member of the Managing Board Barbara Kux, provides guidance on all sustainability-related issues company-wide. Supported by our Sustainability Office and in cooperation with our newly established Siemens Sustainability Advisory Board, the Sustainability Board concerns itself with sustainability strategy, our related Sustainability Program and the monitoring of our sustainability-related performance. We’ve defined three concrete strategic focuses. First, to further develop and expand our Environmental Portfolio company-wide. Second, to optimize our climate balance and introduce sustainability metrics for all relevant Siemens businesses. And third, to intensify dialogue with our stakeholders.
In fiscal 2009, we also assigned authority to issue company-wide guidelines in the areas of environmental protection, health management and safety to a dedicated organization headed by Labor Director and Managing Board member Siegfried Russwurm – a step that will also enable us to better manage this key aspect of sustainability.
Our commitment to the UN Global Compact
As a multinational company, we’re aware that – due to our innovative strengths and the power of our investments – we have a major responsibility for sustainable development. Our participation in the UN Global Compact testifies to this awareness. This publication is a progress report based on the principles of the Global Compact and the UN CEO Water Mandate. In the future, we’ll continue to report in this form.
What we’ve achieved
As you can see in this Report, we made substantial progress in a number of areas in fiscal 2009. Internal employee surveys and our top rankings in major industry indices show that our stakeholders have also drawn this conclusion. The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) has placed us once again on the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index of the world’s top 50 companies. In fiscal 2009, we captured first place in the “Diversified Industrials” category of the prestigious SAM Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI World). Our supply chain sustainability management program has also received recognition: We received the highest ranking in our industry in the "Standards for Suppliers" category.
The next steps
To achieve our goals of profitable growth and long-term value creation, we must ensure that all our activities are sustainable. And that means not only developing innovative products and solutions tailored to individual customer needs and requirements, but also implementing a culture of integrity that goes beyond mere compliance with laws and regulations. Industrial environmental protection, product responsibility, responsible and diversity-oriented personnel management, occupational health and safety management, the commitment of suppliers to our own high standards, corporate citizenship – in all these areas we’re redoubling our efforts to increase sustainability and make the world a better place in which to live. To you, our stakeholders, we’ll regularly report on our progress. Accompany us on our journey into the future – with your ideas and your criticism.
Quicklinks
Sustainability Report
Corporate Website
External Links