CEO statement on sustainability
The many different crises that the world is currently facing are also a challenge for Geberit. Despite this, we believe that we are well prepared for an energy crisis and harder economic times. Our long-term focus on innovation and sustainability helps us here. This was also confirmed by our stakeholder panel in the autumn of 2022: With its innovative products and systems, Geberit makes an important contribution to society and the environment.
Innovation and sustainability go hand in hand
Geberit integrates the sustainability approach step by step in its core business – and has been doing so for over 30 years. Our customers benefit from this in a number of different ways. Our sanitary technology behind the wall not only impresses thanks to its reliability and quality – it is innovative as well. It allows for easy, quick and reliable planning and installation. Meanwhile, our bathroom systems in front of the wall offer convincing design, functionality and sustainability, for example, in terms of saving water. By applying the eco-design principle, each product is inspected and optimised throughout the entire life cycle. By developing and selling water-saving sanitary solutions, Geberit also makes a significant contribution to climate change mitigation – saving water also means saving energy, after all.
Geberit’s continued commitment to sustainability is also highlighted by the fact that the company was awarded the platinum rating from EcoVadis for the third year running in 2022. This means that Geberit is among the top one per cent of all companies listed by the rating platform.
Consistent implementation of CO2 strategy
I am convinced that Geberit will only see constant progress in climate change mitigation when the current management team are taken up on their promises. With this in mind, I am particularly proud of the new CO2 strategy and the associated measures that we introduced at the start of 2022. Transparency is of key importance here, with CO2 emissions from our company reported and reviewed on a monthly basis. The carbon footprint of our products is also documented in numerous environmental product declarations (EPD), which are also used to record Scope 3 emissions in the value chain. An internal CO2 reference price and a project-specific CO2 price help us to make the best environmental and economic decisions in our everyday work. The incentives for management are also clear – achieving the goals set out in the CO2 strategy is bonus-related with a weighting of 20% for the entire Group management (around 220 managers) as well as for around 1,500 employees in Switzerland. This new measure leads to added effort in implementing innovative and sustainable approaches. These include the implementation of the energy master plan for the production plants, the search for CO2-reducing technologies in ceramic production, and cooperation with suppliers in order to reduce Scope 3 emissions. All in all, I am pleased that we were thus able to reduce relative CO2 emissions (Scopes 1 and 2) by 21.9% and absolute CO2 emissions by a further 18.1% in 2022.
Inclusion as part of social responsibility
Inclusion is taken seriously at Geberit. The company currently employs staff with disabilities, corresponding to around 400 full-time positions. This is approximately 3.5% of the total workforce. In the medium term, the goal is to increase this share to 5%. To do this, we will be expanding our partnerships with third-party institutions for people with disabilities and employing people in further inclusive positions wherever possible and practical. In this way, we are attempting to meet our obligations in the area of social responsibility in a variety of ways.
Christian Buhl
CEO