GRI 2-13 Delegation of authority on economic, environmental and social matters
The responsible and future-oriented corporate governance strengthens the resilience of the Geberit “go-to-market” model (business model) and thus the long-term value creation of the company. All positions involved in the sustainability strategy and its implementation, with the corresponding tasks and responsibilities, are listed in the TCFD Reporting, which includes a chart on ESG governance.
The Board of Directors determines the corporate strategy, see Business Report > Business and financial review > Strategy and goals > Strategy and the Sustainability strategy. To the extent legally permissible and in accordance with the Organisational Regulations, the Board of Directors has assigned the operational management and the implementation of the strategy to the Chief Executive Officer. Within the operational management structure, responsibility is delegated further for specific economic, environmental and social issues, see GRI 2-9.
At every meeting, the members of the Group Executive Board inform the Board of Directors of current business developments and major business transactions of the Group or Group companies. Between meetings, the Board of Directors is comprehensively informed in writing about current business developments and the company’s financial situation on a monthly basis.
The Board of Directors determines the strategic objectives and the general resources for achieving these, and decides on major business transactions. Within the operational management structure, responsibility is determined for specific economic, environmental and social issues. The responsible individuals report either directly to the CEO (including Corporate Human Resources, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations, Strategic Planning), or to other members of the Group Executive Board.
Sustainability has been addressed actively for over 30 years and has had a dedicated function at the company since 1992, starting with a focus on environmental topics and then successively with added topics and responsibilities. The central environment and sustainability department has reported directly to the CEO for over 20 years. Since 2020, this department has also been responsible for Group-wide process management and ISO certification and was renamed Sustainability and Process Management. Among other aspects, it coordinates the further development of the sustainability strategy and CO2 strategy, plus the associated activities. 2023 saw the addition of the functions “sustainability and compliance” in purchasing and “energy management” in ceramic production.
Either the individual business units or – centrally – Sustainability and Process Management are responsible for planning and implementing the measures detailed in the twelve modules included in the sustainability strategy. In terms of direct responsibility, the production plants are responsible for the green production module, Group logistics for the green logistics module, and Group purchasing for the sustainable supply chain module. A network of EHS managers at the production plants implement the targets and measures laid down in the sustainability strategy worldwide. Additionally, a global meeting takes place once a year, where managers discuss best practice and further develop Group-wide standards and processes, see Business Report > Business and financial review > Financial Year 2023 > Sustainability.