Where do we stand in terms of achieving our sustainability goals? The Non-financial Statement, which was published last Friday as part of the Group’s annual report, provides a detailed answer to this question. The most important key figures are summarized below.
Climate strategy on the right track
Despite the increase in revenue presented in the annual report, operational greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by nine percent in 2023 compared to the previous year. Compared to the base year 2019 defined in Krones’ climate strategy, emissions from Scope 1 and 2 have already been reduced by 51 percent. A reduction of 80 percent is planned by 2030.
The vast majority of Krones’ total greenhouse gas emissions are attributable to customers’ use of our products. Compared to the previous year, these emissions have been reduced by ten percent in 2023. The Group recorded a one percent decrease in emissions from the upstream supply chain. Overall, greenhouse gas emissions in Scope 3, i.e. the upstream and downstream supply chain, have therefore fallen by eight percent.
More women in management positions
There is also good news to report on the key figures from the “Social” area: For example, participation in further training courses across the Krones Group increased again – by four percent. The number of workplace accidents fell slightly, although the number of lost days following workplace accidents in 2023 was higher than in the previous year. With regard to the ESG strategy, both key figures are nevertheless on track to achieve the target.
The various measures and initiatives to promote women in the Group are also having an impact. This is because the proportion of women has increased both among employees and in management positions. In the latter, Krones recorded an increase of twelve percent.
Success with EU taxonomy
An important innovation can also be found in the “EU Taxonomy” section: For the first time, the enviro product portfolio could be identified as a taxonomy-aligned activity with a significant contribution to climate protection. Proof of this was provided by lifecycle assessments, which showed significant savings in greenhouse gas emissions over the lifecycle of the machines.
Now that the current non-financial statement has been completed, the sustainability team is preparing for the next step: Because the first CSRD-compliant reporting (“Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive”) is on the agenda for 2024.
All key figures and ESG measures can be found in the non-financial statement.