Datwyler enhances sustainability strategy

Datwyler maintains a sustainable management approach and takes its social and environmental responsibilities seriously. This is demonstrated, among other things, by the fact that the company has been publishing a sustainability report in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative guidelines for more than ten years and has been a member of the UN Global Compact for just as long.

"We have used our strong foundation to enhance our sustainability strategy and thus make our company and our products even more future-proof.", says Datwyler CEO Dirk Lambrecht.

Twelve focus topics on environment, social and governance issues
To take advantage of growth opportunities in its markets and be prepared for unforeseen developments, Datwyler has defined four strategic priorities: drive profitable growth, accelerate digitalisation, increase agility and advance sustainability. The renewed sustainability strategy comprises twelve focus topics, which are structured according to the globally recognised ESG concept (Environmental, Social and Governance). Each topic brings together activities related to current and future projects and includes clear responsibilities with measurable targets and quantifiable metrics for effective management. The newly appointed Head of Sustainability and Agility Sabrina Gérard, who reports directly to the CEO, works with project teams to ensure that the focus topics are continuously addressed.

Climate neutrality for own activities by 2030
To reduce its environmental footprint, Datwyler aims to achieve climate neutrality (Scope 1 and 2) at all its locations worldwide by 2030, following the Science Based Targets approach. Other environmental initiatives focus on embedding eco-design principles into product and manufacturing development processes, strengthening initiatives to reduce water, fuel and electricity consumption, reducing waste volumes and seeking sustainable sourcing solutions across the supplier base.

Adding value for customers, employees and communities
Datwyler’s social focus topics aim to create added value for its customers, its employees and the communities and regions around its manufacturing plants. Employee satisfaction and commitment are critical to continued success and to attracting new employees. Other social initiatives include: working with customers to develop sustainable products; protecting employee health and safety; and coordinating employee volunteering to benefit local communities.

Transparency, Compliance and Ethics, Diversity and Engagement
In the area of governance, Datwyler focuses on the continuous development of transparency, compliance and ethics, diversity on the Board and Executive Management and commitment to implementing the sustainability strategy. Among other things, Datwyler intends to include a sustainability component in the variable remuneration from 2022. Furthermore, all new investments will be systematically assessed for their environmental and social impact. With its proactive chemical compliance management, the company goes far beyond legal requirements and sets leading global standards in the elastomer industry.

Comprehensive online sustainability report
The comprehensive Datwyler Sustainability Report 2020 is already structured according to the focus topics of the new strategy and is available for the first time as an online-only version. The report was prepared for the thirteenth time in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative guidelines and includes an interview with Chairman Paul Hälg and CEO Dirk Lambrecht. The company now reports its resource consumption in a five-year comparison. Thanks to various measures implemented, Datwyler has succeeded in reducing water consumption by about 25% to 1.6 million m3 over the past five years. Organic growth, new production plants and acquisitions have led to an increase in energy consumption. However, by switching to electricity from renewable sources, Datwyler was able to reduce CO2 emissions by around 10% in 2020 compared to the previous year. Since the beginning of 2021, the company has already been sourcing around 40% of its global electricity requirements from renewable sources. Datwyler is part of the two SPI ESG indices for shares of the Swiss stock exchange SIX and uses the opting-in of the SIX Exchange Regulation for the official publication of its sustainability report.