Our environmental,
social and governance commitments
Environment
Think green,
act green
We depend on green innovation and sustainable action to minimize our environmental footprint and that of our customers. We are determined to protect nature because it forms the basis of our existence.
Social responsibility
People are at the heart
of what we do
We actively advocate a positive working environment and social justice. Our aim is to support the people in our communities and bring about positive change.
Corporate governance
Our compass
for long-term success
Transparency and a clear ethical framework are the foundations of our corporate governance. We adhere to the highest standards of integrity and sustainability. Together we are building a strong future.
We are working for a future worth living, for current and future generations
This is why sustainable action for people, the environment and the economy is embedded at the heart of our corporate culture. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the key focus here. A desire to help bring about the sustainable transformation of the industry is our most important driving force and a key success factor. This is what we are constantly striving for, and what guides our corporate governance.
Global environment
Our environmental commitment:
sustainability at the core of our corporate strategy
Every company in the world must respond to the climate crisis. We have found our own response, and our steel products are enabling markets around the world to contribute to the solution.
The climate crisis affects the whole world, with no exceptions – it will not spare individuals, companies, regions or nations. The effects weigh most heavily on the world’s most vulnerable societies, and are exacerbating global inequality.
The steel industry plays a crucial role in shaping a sustainable world. Our responsibility for the environment is central to our actions. We want to play a part in stopping climate change, and we are putting all our efforts into creating a sustainable future. This is why we produce environmentally friendly steel that emits 80 percent less CO2 than conventionally produced steel. And we have been doing this for the last 30 years. We firmly believe that we can have a positive impact on the world through our innovations and commitment. With our green steel, produced for the key industries of tomorrow, we are shaping a sustainable future.
Our pathway to net zero
We see our responsibility for the environment not just as an obligation, but as something that really matters to us. We have a clear goal: to reduce our CO2 emissions to zero in the future. Of course our ability to achieve this goal depends in part on external factors, such as the configuration of Germany’s energy market and support for renewables.
By 2039, we plan to have a fully climate-neutral steel production process in place.
We have been recognized as a climate action company
GMH Gruppe has been recognized for its outstanding climate protection and energy efficiency achievements by Klimaschutz- und Energieeffizienzgruppe der Deutschen Wirtschaft e.V. and has been accepted into the Association of Climate Protection Companies. Our Group joins 50 other association members from all over Germany that have been awarded this recognition by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
Social responsibility
Achieving more together:
our social commitment
We are a community of committed people who are working together to achieve great things. Our commitment extends far beyond our business operations. We also attach great importance to the wellbeing of our employees and to social issues that have a positive impact on our world.
Health and safety
The health and safety of our employees is a key concern for us as a steel-producing company. Our goal is zero accidents, so we are constantly striving to identify and reduce risks in the workplace. We invest in occupational safety measures and inspections, in the continuous training of occupational safety officers and much more. We regularly organize an Occupational Safety Day, when we ask employees to contribute their ideas. After all, they are the ones on the front line. When it comes to safety, our motto is: Stay on it – and don’t stop.
Equality and diversity
The steel industry has traditionally been a male-dominated sector. This is something we want to change. We promote women and generally create a family-friendly company. This includes financing daycare centers for our employees’ children and offering part-time positions to mothers and fathers alike. We also organize regular networking events where women can network and support each other. In our Culture Clubs, members of management listen to employees and discuss their ideas and challenges – both on site in the workplace and online.
Education and social integration
Our foundation primarily supports projects that help to fund the education of young people. Activities include an extensive scholarship program, especially for science and engineering courses, as well as various sustainable initiatives that aim to strengthen peaceful coexistence in a diverse society at both local and national level. These include a project at Osnabrück Zoo, where primary school pupils not only learn about the animal kingdom, but also improve their German language skills through play. Another event at Osnabrück Zoo is BoGeTi Day, when children and their parents have fun together playing games to do with botany (Bo), health (Ge) and animals (Ti), while learning about important aspects of the environment and nature.
Corporate governance
Transparency and ethics:
our principles for responsible management
Compliance
GMH Gruppe is a sustainably successful company and wants to remain so in the long term. Sustainable success is only possible if we are permanently perceived by our business partners as a partner of integrity. Respecting and complying with the applicable laws of the various legal systems in which our companies operate is therefore something we do as a matter of course. In particular, this requires that we comply at all times with criminal corruption legislation and antitrust law. Short-term success cannot form the basis of sustainable corporate success if it has to be bought by breaking the rules or using unfair methods. Breaching these rules destroys reputation and trust. Consequently, we regard, honest business conduct and sustainable economic success as two sides of the same coin. We pursue the overarching goal of creating and maintaining a corporate culture characterized by integrity, respect and fair, responsible conduct.
We have fleshed out this fundamental understanding of good conduct in our Code of Conduct and have integrated it into our daily work processes by means of internal company guidelines for our organization and our employees. Our Code of Conduct must be adhered to by every employee, every manager and every managing director.
With regard to compliance, our Governance competence center uses a compliance management system to focus on corruption and antitrust legislation – two areas that are particularly important to us. The center also supports and advises GMH Gruppe operating units on all legal issues in connection with other topics that affect our Code of Conduct or concern compliance with applicable laws.
Sustainable cooperation
with our suppliers
For GMH Gruppe, sustainability and long-term prospects naturally presuppose that the environment in which the Group operates enables such a trend. For this reason, we involve our suppliers directly in our sustainability strategy. In purchasing, alongside more short-term criteria such as business, technical and process-related requirements, we also attach importance to social and ecological aspects. These include human rights, working conditions, corruption prevention, and climate and environmental protection. We implement the requirements of the German Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains.
GMH Gruppe aligns its business activities with the UN’s internationally recognized Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and implements the provisions of the National Action Plan for Business and Human Rights. In addition, the Group’s understanding of such rights, as well as human and environmental due diligence processes, is based on the following reference instruments for international human rights:
- The International Bill of Human Rights, i.e. the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Civil and Social Covenants that define the civil, political and social rights to which all human beings are entitled for the sake of human dignity.
- The core labor standards of the International Labor Organization (ILO) with their four basic principles – freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining, the elimination of forced and child labor and the prohibition of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
With this in mind, we have drawn up a Supplier Code of Conduct that clearly sets out our expectations of suppliers. Our aim is to work only with suppliers who align themselves with our principles and comply with applicable national laws. We reserve the right to terminate contracts with suppliers if they violate our principles.
Our commitment to the Act on Corporate
Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains
Compliance with human and environmental rights in our own business operations is important to us. As one of the largest privately managed metalworking groups in Europe, this requirement applies to our 15 medium-sized production companies in the steel, forging and casting industries: Most of their production operations are located in Germany.
Implementation of the Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains
We are aware that global supply and value chains in particular can have potentially detrimental impacts on human and environmental rights. We therefore also expect our business partners to commit themselves to respecting human and environmental rights, undertake to establish appropriate due diligence processes, and pass on these expectations and attitudes to their own suppliers.
We consistently implement the provisions of the Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains and are transparent about our actions, reporting on them in a declaration of principle and, in the future, in our annual reports.
Important documents are available for you to download here:
- Code of Conduct
- Supplier Code of Conduct
- Policy statement on the human rights strategy of GMH Gruppe
- Rules of procedure for the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act
Our whistleblower system
As part of our implementation of Germany’s Whistleblower Protection Act (HinSchG), we have set up a central reporting channel and adapted our internal processes accordingly.
It is important to us that potential violations and misconduct can also be reported anonymously. We handle information and well-founded suspicions in a process that is transparent, balanced and predictable for all parties involved. We safeguard the confidentiality and anonymity of whistleblowers. And we ensure that they are protected against any discrimination and punishment associated with the complaints they submit.
Our electronic whistleblower system is available around the clock, 365 days a year. Reports may be submitted in German or English. In exceptional cases where there is no access to our electronic whistleblower system, it is possible to make a disclosure by telephone by calling GMH Gruppe’s internal whistleblowing unit. A telephone disclosure can be made during normal business hours (weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.). GMH Gruppe’s internal whistleblowing unit is Compliance, part of the Governance competence center, represented by GMH Gruppe’s Compliance Officer, who has a duty of confidentiality. The current contact details and telephone number can be found at the bottom of this page.
You can access our reporting system via the following link:
Das Thema Compliance liegt bei der GMH Gruppe im Verantwortungsbereich des Competence Center Governance. Diese Abteilung erreichen Sie bei Fragen oder Hinweisen wie folgt:
Dr. Andreas Geist
Director Governance / General Counsel
Lukas Kaschade
Compliance Officer GMH Gruppe