Sustainability at Heraeus

​At Heraeus, we are creating a vision that balances environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and strong governance to create a sustainable future for generations to come. 

​We take great pride in the positive impacts of many of our products on the environment and society.  Through initiatives such as precious metals recycling and developing innovative catalysts, through our involvement in electromobility, we actively contribute to mitigate climate change. Our involvement in the healthcare sector further exemplifies our dedication to leaving a lasting, positive imprint on our society by improving and saving lives with our products. 

As a family and technology company, we are on a long journey to 2060 and beyond. With the current stage, Vision 2025, we have set important milestones that we want to achieve on this path. As we navigate the complexities of the global business landscape, our commitment to sustainability and corporate responsibility remains at the forefront of our strategic vision.

For all the details, see our 2021-2022 Sustainability Report:

Climate

Heraeus is strongly committed to protecting the environment and conserving resources. We are guided by the precautionary principle to proactively avoid or reduce negative impacts on the environment.  

​Our goal is not only to use energy more efficiently, but also to innovate and further optimize all procedures and processes to lessen our portfolio’s overall impact in many respects. An overarching goal is to conserve natural resources, in particular, the reality of a changing world climate is an area that Heraeus considers very relevant. The need to mitigate climate change is a challenge that we face head on. 

​Heraeus would like to align their activities with the goal of the Paris Agreement of limiting global warming, which is stated in the Climate Policy. Heraeus has therefore implemented a Group-wide near-term target for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. By 2030, we have set ourselves a target to reduce our Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 42% compared to our 2021 baseline. Recognizing that the majority of our emissions are Scope 3 emissions, we have set a goal to reduce our 2021 Scope 3 emissions by 37.5% by 2035. To underscore our group-level targets, Heraeus has committed itself to set near-term company-wide emission reduction targets in line with climate science with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

Resource use and circular economy

As a global leader in precious metals, Heraeus, through its Operating Company Heraeus Precious Metals, is covering the value chain from refining to trading to innovative precious metals products to recycling end-of-life waste materials. As such, Heraeus is committed to realize the potential of precious metals as responsibly as possible. This includes looking for new ways to conserve resources and promoting a circular economy. The Precious Metals Resource Use & Circularity Policy anchors Heraeus’ commitments regarding precious metals use and circularity in our business practices.

Human rights and responsible supply chains

As a family-owned company with over 360 years of history, Heraeus is committed to the principle of sustainability and to respecting and upholding universally recognized human rights. Heraeus is committed to treating its employees, including temporary and migrant workers and employees in other employment relationships, with dignity and respect. Heraeus also expects its customers and suppliers to respect the human rights of their employees. Expectations of suppliers are set forth in the Heraeus Supply Chain Due Diligence Policy and the Heraeus Code of Conduct for Suppliers.

Health and Safety

Ensuring a healthy and safe working environment stands as a top priority and a fundamental responsibility within our organization. The commitment to safety is deeply embedded in our Vision 2025, Global EHS Policy, and the Heraeus Code of Conduct, reflecting the emphasis we place on the well-being of our workforce. We approach this through a triple-focus on compliance, fostering a safety-conscious culture, and striving for continuous improvement. We adhere strictly to all legal and regulatory mandates, but should those not be sufficient to minimize risks, we are dedicated to setting even higher standards to uphold our values in environmental, health, and safety (EHS).

With our health and safety training program we raise awareness and foster a safe and healthy behaviour at the workplace. We’ve set ambitious targets, aiming for an Lost Time Injury Rate (LTIR) of less than 2 by 2025. Our commitment is evident in the early 2023 figures, which indicate a promising trend towards our goal. Furthermore, our aspiration for zero health-related incidents is supported by our endeavours to have 80% of our production sites fulfil our internal EHS management system requirements.

Diverse and inclusive corporate culture

Fostering diversity of thought, ensuring equal access to opportunity and promoting an inclusive corporate culture are strategically integral parts of the Heraeus Vision.

It is important to us to create an appreciative, open and respectful work environment where all employees can contribute and feel like they belong. We are convinced that this is the best way to unleash the full potential of all employees and teams.

Unlocking the power of our diverse teams is a leadership topic. Thus, we place special emphasis on training our leaders and intercultural teams to value different perspectives and foster respectful communication within a culture of psychological safety. By creating a safe, inclusive environment, we lay the foundation for positive working relationships. We champion inclusion, treat each other with respect, and encourage open dialogue and employee listening supported by annual engagement surveys.

For us, diversity of thought is a business-critical topic: embracing diverse perspectives fosters innovation and enhances our ability to navigate challenges, leading to better decision-making.

At Heraeus Group we are committed to upholding the highest standards of corporate governance, with a strong emphasis on sustainability. We believe that practicing good corporate governance and business ethics not only benefits our stakeholders, but also contributes to the well-being of our planet and future generations. Through transparent decision-making, ethical business practices, integrity, and a dedication to environmental and social responsibility, we strive to integrate sustainability into our operations and decisions. We believe that by embracing good corporate governance, we can create a positive impact that extends beyond the boundaries of our organization.

Compliance

With the Compliance Management System, Heraeus has defined content requirements, processes, and structures to ensure Group-wide compliance with legal obligations and voluntary guidelines.

In this context, the Heraeus Code of Conduct serves as a central framework for action for the global business activities of all business segments and has contributed to securing the long-term success of the company since 2007.

If employees or external parties believe that laws or internal regulations have been breached, they can report violations at any time, even anonymously, to the responsible compliance officer or via the web-based compliance hotline Heraeus Speakup to the Heraeus Compliance Officer or to an external ombudsman.