Strategy
Sustainability is a core component of Beiersdorf corporate culture and of fundamental importance in our decision-making and business processes. We strive to reconcile environmental protection, social responsibility, and our economic success and are constantly refining and enhancing our commitment and engagement in these areas.
Our Group-wide Corporate Sustainability function is responsible for setting the strategic direction of our sustainability activities and regularly reports to the Executive Board on progress and the need for action. This function reports directly to the Chairman of the Executive Board of Beiersdorf AG, who is responsible for sustainability.
We have two cross-functional steering committees in place to oversee the management of key sustainability issues such as climate action: the Sustainability Council for the Consumer Business Segment and the Global Executive Committee for tesa. The directors of all relevant business units headed by the members of the Executive Board are represented on the Sustainability Council. This committee meets at least once every quarter. The Global Executive Committee at tesa is composed of the members of the Executive Board and other executives. The committee meets every two weeks and also discusses sustainability-related topics in the course of its meetings. In addition, the Chief Sustainability Officer reports directly to the Chairman of the Executive Board of tesa.
We also maintain a regular dialogue with our external stakeholders. This exchange ensures that we continuously review our sustainability activities and include current social and environmental developments in our planning.
CDP Triple-A rating:
Sustainability management receives top rating
The renowned non-profit organization CDP has awarded Beiersdorf the top rating of "AAA" for the second time in a row. CDP compiles an annual global ranking of companies and evaluates their measures in the areas of climate protection, forest and water management along the entire value chain. This makes Beiersdorf one of only ten companies to receive the "Triple-A" award for 2023. The data of 21,000 companies worldwide was evaluated.
CARE BEYOND SKIN Sustainability Agenda
(Consumer Business Segment)
Sustainability Agenda
(tesa Business Segment)
Consumer
Consumer
Sustainability is central to our Corporate Purpose, which is why we implemented it in the C.A.R.E.+ business strategy we defined in 2019 as an important cornerstone of our business activities.
Our CARE BEYOND SKIN Sustainability Agenda has been an integral part of C.A.R.E.+ since 2020. It comprises seven focus fields that concentrate on the impact of our activities throughout the entire value chain – from the climate impact of our products and processes, the circularity of the resources we use and their influence on land and water use, through to the health and safety of our employees and consumers, and our commitment to an inclusive society. We have set ourselves ambitious targets in all areas, which we aim to achieve by 2025 and 2030, respectively.
Our efforts are based on the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through the implementation of our sustainability agenda, we are contributing to 13 of the 17 SDGs.
We raised our ambitions during the reporting year, particularly with regard to climate protection. Our aim is to cut all our direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions (Scopes 1, 2, and 3) by 90% by 2045 (versus the base year 2018) and thus achieve net zero emissions by the target year in accordance with the Net Zero Standard of the Science-Based Target initiative (SBTi). In early 2024, the SBTi confirmed that it considers this goal to be in line with the targets of the Paris Climate Agreement.
We also held our first global volunteer day at Beiersdorf in 2023. All employees worldwide were given the chance to spend an entire working day volunteering for various projects run by local non-profit organizations. More than 10,000 employees in 68 countries participated in this “CARE BEYOND SKIN Day,” supporting social and environmental causes aligned with our Sustainability Agenda and thereby heightening their awareness of sustainability issues.
tesa
tesa
At tesa, sustainability is firmly enshrined in the business strategy. Our ambition is to use all our technological know-how and passion to develop more sustainable adhesive solutions and products.
Five strategic action areas, for which tesa has set long-term targets for 2030, form the framework for this. These fields extend across the business segment’s entire value chain and are: Reduction of Emissions, Responsible Sourcing, Use of Recycled and Bio-based Materials, Circularity and Reduction of Waste, and Supporting our Customers in their Sustainability goals.
The sustainability agenda, which is based on the Ten Principles of the UNGC and the SDGs of the United Nations, continues to be a cornerstone of the strategy. It now reflects our aspiration to view sustainability holistically and thus also includes topics that go beyond the strategic action areas – like occupational safety, for example.