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C | Combined Management Report | Daimler AG | Sustainability
Sustainability at Daimler
Our sustainability strategy. We want to enhance the value
of our company over the long term. And we can do that only
if we define value creation holistically and measure the success
of our business operations not only with the use of financial
figures. In order to do that, we have firmly established sustain-
ability as one of our goals and as a basic principle of our
corporate strategy. The principle of sustainability determines
our entrepreneurial activity: in the areas of economics,
corporate governance, environmental protection and safety,
as well as in our relations with employees, customers and
society as a whole. E see page 26
The ideas that are of fundamental importance to us include
the ten principles of the Global Compact, to which we are
committed as a founding member of the compact and a member
of the LEAD team since 2011. Our environmental and energy
principles define the framework of our environmental protection
activities and objectives. We also comply with the labor
standards established by the International Labour Organization
(ILO) and with the OECD guidelines for multinational
companies.
Effective and coordinated strategies and initiatives ensure
that the concept of sustainability is firmly embedded in our
business operations. In our Group-wide sustainability manage-
ment system, these strategies are supported by specific
measures and measurable targets. Our “Sustainability Program
2020” is an important step in this direction; it defines our
main areas of activity in the years ahead. We aim to steadily
continue reducing pollutants and emissions, further enhance
the safety of our vehicles, expand our dialogue with our suppliers
and dealers, and further strengthen our social involvement.
Group-wide sustainability management. At Daimler,
sustainability is thematically and organizationally embedded
in our Group-wide corporate governance activities.
E see pages 178 ff The Corporate Sustainability Board (CSB)
is the central management body for all sustainability-related
issues. The operational work is conducted by the Corporate
Sustainability Office, which is staffed by representatives of
the specialist departments and divisions. Since 2011, we have
been using the Sustainability Scorecard as a tool for steering
our efforts to reach the key sustainability targets. The scorecard
uses a color-coded system either to display the success
of quantitative indicators and qualitative objectives or to show
that action needs to be taken. This allows targeted measures
to be taken with the direct involvement of corporate
management.
Comprehensive reporting on sustainability. In 2013,
Daimler published its ninth Group-wide sustainability report.
It provides a detailed and comprehensive sustainability
balance sheet for the previous financial year and is supple-
mented by an interactive online sustainability report
that contains more detailed and extensive information.
w sustainability.daimler.com
The new sustainability report covers financial year 2013.
It will be presented at Daimler’s Annual Shareholders’ Meeting
in early April 2014. The report was already drawn up in
line with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines 4.0.
In this context, Daimler specifically highlighted all of the
company’s key sustainability-related issues. This applies in
particular to focal topics such as the reduction of the CO2
emissions generated by our products and production activities,
the use of senior experts, our activities in China, and the
company’s mobility concepts. In addition, we report on specific
issues such as the handling of contracts for work and services
and Daimler’s position regarding the issue of refrigerants.
E see page 112
Research and development
Research and development as key success factors.
Research and development have always played a key role
at Daimler. Our researcher engineers anticipate trends,
customer wishes and the requirements of the mobility
of the future, and our developer engineers systematically
implement these ideas in products that are ready for series
production. Our goal is to offer our customers fascinating
products and customized solutions for need-oriented, safe
and sustainable mobility. Our technology portfolio and
our key areas of expertise are oriented toward this objective.
The expertise, creativity and drive of our employees in research
and development are key factors behind our vehicles’ market
success. At the end of 2013, Daimler employed 21,300 men and
women at its research and development units (2012: 21,100).
A total of 13,600 employees (2012: 13,400) worked at Group
Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars Development, 5,600 (2012:
5,600) at Daimler Trucks, 1,000 (2012: 1,000) at Mercedes-Benz
Vans, and 1,100 (2012: 1,100) at Daimler Buses.
Sustainability.