Sustainability Management

Brenntag has established an international team which successfully pursues the systematic development of sustainability at Brenntag. The Board of Management and regional top management support the activities of this team.

In addition, Brenntag also has a Sustainability ManagerBrenntag Group who is based in Brenntag AG’s Corporate Development department. He initiates and coordinates global projects and initiatives, promotes the ongoing development of the company’s sustainability strategy worldwide and maintains a dialogue with those colleagues responsible for sustainability issues at Group level and in Brenntag’s regions.

OUR APPROACH: OUR SUSTAINABILITY TARGETS

TOPIC	TARGETS / BY	STATUS
Safety	LTIR_{1 day/1 million} <1.0 for Brenntag Group by 2020	The Group accident rate LTIR_{1day/1 million}was 1.5 in 2018. (2017: 1.7)
Sustainable procurement	Check 80% of our total chemical spend (in EUR) through sustainability assessments and audits as part of the membership of “Togetherfor Sustainability” by 2020	The supplier assessments carried out by the end of 2018 cover around 70% of the total chemical spend (in EUR). (2017: around 64%) We were able to achieve our previous goal of covering 50% by the end of 2017, which is why we are now aiming for 80%.
	70% of our suppliers undergoing reassessment should be able to improve their score by at least one point. by 2020	The target applies from Jan. 1, 2019 and for all reassessments taking place from then on.
Environmental protection	Reduce Scope 1 and 2 CO₂ emissions (per warehouse tonne sold) by 6% (compared with 2016) by 2020	2018 Brenntag Group (per 1,000 warehouse tons of goods sold): Scope 1: 18.08 tons (2017: 16.56 t) Scope 2: 6.69 tons (2017: 7.03 t) Change compared to base year 2016: +3.11%
Compliance	To achieve and sustain full coverage in compliance training for the relevant employees by 2019	The coverage rate for global e-learning training on the Brenntag Code of Business Conduct and Ehics was approx. 89% at the end of 2018. (2017: approx. 89%) We have extended the period for achieving the target to the end of 2019.
Employees	Provide a working environment where the best people want to work ongoing	Various measures were initiated and implemented in 2018 related to the issues of HR development, identification and development of potential, and succession planning before being honed and rolled outmore broadly as required.
Sustainable solutions	To become the preferred distributor for sustainable solutions by setting up pilot projects with ten selected key suppliers by 2020	BASF project: concluded; Grüner Punkt: started; Schütz IBCs: started; Gas Engine Service Program: started
Rating	To achieve and sustain an EcoVadis score of at least 62 points and gold status ongoing	Scoring in November 2018: 68 points, gold status (October 2016: 66 points)

„Our concrete sustainability targets for 2020 serve to enhance our sustainability strategy in a targeted manner.”

Steve Holland, CEO Brenntag AG

Further information and tools

EcoVadis Sustainability Assessment: Gold Recognition Level

EcoVadis is a leading provider of sustainability assessments. The company’s sustainability performance is evaluated in terms of four different categories: environment, labor practices, fair business practices and sustainable procurement. EcoVadis evaluates several thousand companies every year in this way, in around 190 different industrial sectors in 150 countries. More than 50,000 companies use EcoVadis to reduce risk, drive innovation and foster transparency and trust between trading partners.

Brenntag belongs to the top companies assessed

Brenntag already has voluntarily undergone several EcoVadis assessments. In its November 2018 assessment, Brenntag Group was awarded 68 points and thereby maintaining our gold status already achieved in 2016 (Gold Recognition Level). The result ranks Brenntag among the top companies in our industry as well as among the top suppliers assessed overall by EcoVadis across all industry categories.

Steven Holland, CEO Brenntag AG: "We are pleased that Brenntag’s sustainability achievements have been recognized externally and are rated as above average within our industry."

Brenntag is keen to achieve further scoring improvements. Moreover, as part of its TfS membership, Brenntag encourages its own suppliers to undergo an EcoVadis self-assessment.

More information on EcoVadis.