Mercedes 2006 Annual Report Download - page 116

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Sustainability at DaimlerChrysler
A holistic approach to sustainability | Publication of first integrated sustainability report:
“360 DEGREES” | Further sustainability goals defined
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A holistic approach to sustainability. Only a financially
sound company can make a positive contribution to social and
environmental development over the long term. At the same
time, business success obliges a company to take on specific
responsibilities with regard to its employees, society as a whole
and the natural environment. That’s why our business operations
must always be viewed against the background of social and
ecological responsibility.
This is also the reason why our quest to deliver sustainable mobility
plays a key role at DaimlerChrysler. The mobility of people and
the transport of goods is an essential precondition for economic
development. In view of limited resources and increasing
transport volumes, the companies in the automotive industry have
a duty to make future mobility, with all its technical and economic
challenges, as environmentally friendly and sustainable as possible
(see “Research and Development,” pages 104 f; “Environment,”
pages 106 f).
At DaimlerChrysler, sustainability is ensured by the commitment
of the company’s employees. Our products and services are the
result of the efforts of all the men and women at DaimlerChrysler
who devote their talent, expertise, dedication and creativity
to ensuring the Group’s sustainable success. That’s why it is so
important for us to create the right working conditions for our
employees, open up long-term perspectives for them, promote
their professional development and offer them an attractive
working environment. In this context, it is no contradiction that
we sometimes have to reduce the number of employees in order
to strengthen our competitiveness and thus make the remaining
jobs more secure. In fact, such an approach is clearly in line with
our long-term orientation (see “Human Resources”, pages 102 f).
But our sense of social responsibility does not stop at the factory
gates; on the contrary, that’s only the beginning (see “Social
Responsibility”, pages 108 f).
Integrative sustainability management. In order to successfully
implement the various aspects of sustainable operations within
the Group, every part of the company is being integrated into
a target system. The sustainability initiatives that were launched
in 2005 were continued in the year under review. An integrative,
cross-divisional committee is responsible for centralized sustain-
ability management. The committee meets regularly in
order to further enhance DaimlerChrysler’s sustainability profile.
Its activities include continuing the multi-stakeholder dialogue,
managing the measures being taken to improve the Group’s
external sustainability ratings, and further refining our
sustainability reporting.
Above and beyond the requirements of the law, DaimlerChrysler
has implemented a broad range of regulations that support
our commitment to sustainability. Examples include the Daimler-
Chrysler Integrity Code, the Environmental Guidelines and the
Health and Safety Guidelines.
The various divisions and functional departments monitor and
control our sustainability initiatives. Examples include the Global
Diversity Council, the Business Practices Office and the Corporate
Compliance Operations department. With regard to ecological
issues, this monitoring and controlling function is carried out by a
steering committee whose members are selected in line with
product-related or production-related criteria. The committee is
headed by the Group’s chief environmental officer.