The Supply Chain Due Diligence Act obliges companies in Germany to respect human rights by implementing defined due diligence obligations. These obligations apply to the company’s own organization, to the actions of a contractual partner and to the actions of other (indirect) suppliers. A company’s own organization also includes its subsidiaries worldwide.
Within the Schaeffler Group, the Automotive Aftermarket division is responsible for the global spare parts business for passenger cars and commercial vehicles.
As a partner to the global automotive industry for passenger cars and commercial vehicles, the Automotive Technologies division develops and produces components and systems for fully electric and hybrid drives, for internal combustion engines, and for chassis systems.
Within the action field of Business Integrity, the activities required for the prevention, early detection of and response to potential compliance violations in the areas of corruption, money laundering, competition and antitrust law, and white-collar crime are managed and monitored to ensure compliance with applicable local, national, and international laws and regulations and Schaeffler Group values.
The circular economy is an economic model which involves efficient use of materials and sharing, using, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling existing products as much as possible. This extends the life cycle of products and reuses materials.
Circularity means closing loops and reusing raw materials, components, and products as long as possible. The Schaeffler Group focuses on using secondary raw materials as well as avoiding and reducing waste. Circular economy tools provide the Schaeffler Group with the opportunity to support a sustainable and future-oriented transformation, also regarding climate protection.
To contribute to climate protection, the Schaeffler Group has set itself the following emission reduction targets: By 2030, its own production (Scope 1 and 2 market-based) should be climate-neutral. By 2040, the major parts of the remaining supply chain (Scope 3 upstream) will follow suit. To achieve this target, the Schaeffler Group is focusing on increasing energy efficiency and using energy from renewable sources for its own production and on purchasing more climate-friendly materials and services for the supply chain, among other efforts.
The Schaeffler Group has set itself the target of reducing the climate impact of its corporate activities to an absolute minimum. Specific emissions reduction targets have been set for this purpose: The production of the Schaeffler Group (Scope 1 and 2 market-based) will be climate-neutral by 2030, and by 2040, so will the remaining supply chain. In both cases, this means an emissions reduction within the respective scope of at least 90 % (base year 2019). Unavoidable emissions are counterbalanced. The extent and nature of these measures are to be determined in more detail by the respective target years (2030 and 2040).
The Code of Conduct (CoC) describes the values and principles of behavior to be followed in letter and spirit by all employees of the Schaeffler Group. Compliance with the requirements and prohibitions is also expected from the Schaeffler Group’s business partners.
The Compliance Management System describes all measures, structures, and processes established at a company to ensure compliance with legal and ethical requirements.
Set of legal and practical requirements for the management and supervision of companies.
Good corporate governance is an expression of responsible corporate management. The Schaeffler Group only enters into business dealings and relationships if they are in line with its corporate values – sustainable, innovative, excellent, and passionate. The risk management system, the internal control system, and the compliance management systems work together in a coordinated manner as part of the governance structure. Responsibilities are clearly defined, the necessary transparency within the organization is created, and the corporate values are supported.
The CSR Directive Implementation Act (Sections 289b et seq. of the German Commercial Code) requires the disclosure of information on the following five non-financial aspects: environmental, social and labour aspects, respect for human rights as well as anti-corruption and bribery matters. The CSR-RUG is based on European Directive 2014/95/EU.
Diversity encompasses gender, gender identity, nationality, ethnicity, age, physical and mental ability, sexual orientation, beliefs and religion, and other aspects.
The goal of human resources is to attract, advance, and retain the best employees in the long term by being an attractive employer. Employee development as well as the promotion of inclusion and diversity in particular are seen as key elements of increasing the competitiveness of the Schaeffler Group and as an investment in the future.
EMAS is a joint system for environmental management and auditing according to whose requirements Schaeffler Group locations are audited. In addition to the requirements of ISO 14001, it enables the locations to make their environmental performance visible and includes a review of compliance with applicable environmental laws.
The Schaeffler Group considers factors impacting the company in the areas of environment, social affairs, and corporate governance.
The EU Taxonomy is a comprehensive classification system from the European Union that aims to facilitate the comparison of different companies’ activities relating to sustainability.
This organization, founded in 1997, uses a participatory procedure to develop criteria for the preparation of sustainability reports.
Green hydrogen is produced using only electricity from renewable sources. Production with green hydrogen is therefore carbon-free and more environmentally friendly than conventional production methods.
Green production is a business strategy that focuses on profitability through environmentally friendly operating processes that seek to minimize the impact of the manufacturing process on the environment at every stage, for example through energy efficiency measures, the generation and purchase of renewable energy or the conversion of fossil-fuel-driven processes to CO2-free energy sources such as hydrogen.
The Schaeffler Group defines green products as those which release fewer CO2 emissions compared to their substitutes when taking into account the entire life cycle from raw material extraction to production, transport, use, disposal, or application of circular economy concepts.
The Schaeffler Group defines green purchasing as the commitment of our suppliers to sustainable business practices, the use of materials from sustainable sources (such as higher proportions of secondary materials or renewable energy sources) with reduced carbon footprints, the use of less environmentally damaging transport and packaging alternatives, and the purchase of electricity from renewable energy sources. These aspects are taken into account in the relevant procurement strategies and processes.
Auditing standard of the Institute of Public Auditors in Germany (Institut der Wirtschaftsprüfer in Deutschland e. V.), which specifies the principles of proper auditing of compliance management systems and is therefore used as a benchmark for the establishment of effective compliance management systems in companies.
All people, regardless of identity, background, or experience, have equal opportunities and access to resources.
The Industrial division develops and manufactures precision components, both rotative and linear bearing solutions, drive technology components and systems, as well as service solutions such as sensor-based condition monitoring systems for a variety of industrial applications. In addition, the division is working on innovative products and solutions for the hydrogen economy.
Joint operations between the Schaeffler Group and Symbio with the aim of producing bipolar plates for fuel cell systems in the form of a co-enterprise headquartered in France.
The Schaeffler Group is certified in accordance with the international standard ISO 14001 (Environmental Management) in conjunction with EMAS. This enables a continuous improvement of the environmental performance of the company.
Global and widely used standard for information security management systems.
ISO 45001 is an international standard for occupational health and safety that sets out requirements for the establishment of a solid management system.
Globally recognized standard for increasing energy efficiency. The worldwide energy management system provides the resources for analyzing and implementing energy efficiency measures as well as increasing supply security and optimizing energy costs. ISO 50001 is a mandatory requirement by the customers of the Schaeffler Group and a legal obligation in Europe.
A smart repair solution that contains all the individual parts required for professional vehicle repair in just one package.
Life cycle assessments serve as a tool to record, evaluate, and present the environmental impact of products.
Standard key figure for recording accidents at work; defined as occupational accidents resulting in at least one lost day per 1 million hours worked.
The action field of Occupational Health & Safety includes the prevention and reduction of all work-related risks to protect the physical and mental health as well as the well-being of the employees at the workplace.
International organization with 38 member states committed to democracy and a market economy.
The safety and conformity of marketed products, including services and software, and processes with respect to applicable legal and regulatory requirements and the legitimate safety expectations of end users throughout the life cycle and value chain.
A quality management system (QMS) is a part of the holistic method of enterprise management. The goal is systematic quality management and process control. The quality management system ensures that corporate quality, system quality, process quality, and product quality are established, inspected, and improved within an organization. The aim of a quality management system is to achieve lasting improvement in business performance and customer satisfaction.
Screening of the country of origin of raw materials or minerals used, in order to avoid contributing to the financing of armed conflicts through the extraction of these raw materials.
Resource-efficient action plays a key role with regard to global challenges such as climate change and water scarcity. As such, the Schaeffler Group has already set a target of reducing its water consumption by 20 % by 2030.
Respect for human rights is an integral part of social responsibility within the Schaeffler Group. The company and its employees are committed to respecting the dignity and personal rights of all people as well as all parties with whom the company is associated through its activities, business relationships and products. The Schaeffler Group actively prevents and eliminates human rights violations as part of a human rights due diligence process. The Schaeffler Group expects its partners to comply with its standards for ecological, economic and social responsibility.
The Roadmap 2025 comprises the Schaeffler Group’s strategy, implementation program as well as financial mid-term targets and intends to ensure the strong position of the company in the future.
The Schaeffler Academy combines all global activities from apprenticeship to training and qualification. It supports strategic corporate objectives, promotes a culture of lifelong learning, and enables employees to achieve their professional and personal goals.
SBTi is a partnership between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), World Resources Institute (WRI), and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). It was established in 2015 to help companies set emissions reduction targets that are in line with climate science and the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Direct greenhouse gas emissions from sources that are controlled or owned by the considered organization (for example emissions from fuel combustion in boilers and furnaces).
Indirect greenhouse gas emissions from the generation of purchased energy consumed by the Schaeffler Group.
Includes other indirect greenhouse gas emissions resulting from activities in the value chain. Scope 3 upstream refers to the indirect emissions in the upstream supply chain. Scope 3 downstream refers to the indirect emissions in the downstream value chain.
A supplier questionnaire in the automotive (supplier) industry which was developed by an association of eleven OEMs under the name of “Drive Sustainability”. It aims to illustrate the sustainability performance of suppliers. The questionnaire can be shared with different customers via the platform NQC Ltd. The evaluation of the questionnaires is carried out by NQC Ltd.
With the separate Non-financial Group Report, the Schaeffler Group makes use of the option pursuant to Section 315b (3) of the German Commercial Code to prepare the non-financial disclosure (NFD) outside the Group Management Report. It is therefore integrated in the Sustainability Report. The NFD contains information on environmental, social and employee aspects as well as on respect for human rights and anti-corruption.
Describes the values and principles of conduct required of all suppliers, their employees, and the supply chain. These values and principles of conduct represent the binding foundation for the global cooperation of the Schaeffler Group with its suppliers. Therefore, the Schaeffler Group expects all suppliers to feel responsible for complying with this Supplier Code of Conduct and also to support each of their employees and suppliers in doing so.
For the Schaeffler Group, doing business sustainably means using natural resources responsibly and sparingly so that they can also be used by future generations. Ten action fields were defined along the ESG framework (Environment, Social and Governance) in order to strengthen this aspect of sustainability within the Schaeffler Group. These action fields represent key topics for the Schaeffler Group and are backed by ambitious targets. The company takes the entire value chain into consideration in its operations.
As part of the Agenda 2030, the United Nations (UN) has formulated 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These encompass economic, ecological, and social aspects.
Expert commission of the G20 that develops recommendations on standardized climate reporting. These cover the areas of governance, strategy, risk management, metrics, and targets.
British law aimed at combating modern slavery and human trafficking. It obliges companies of a certain size to publish information about relevant risks, in connection with their business activities, and measures to avoid and minimize these.
The largest initiative for responsible corporate management worldwide, with around 12,000 companies and organizations from the public, political and academic sectors in 160 countries. Following ten universal principles, it pursues an inclusive and sustainable world economy for the benefit of all people, communities and markets.
