Sustainability
Acting sustainably and responsibly is one of the key principles by which the KION Group operates. The Group’s focus on sustainability is reflected in its efforts to manufacture products that are as eco-friendly and safe as possible, to use climate- and environmentally friendly manufacturing processes, and to provide a safe and non-discriminatory working environment. The KION Group and its Operating Units strive for a balance between environmental, economic, and social considerations in their activities. The ‘sustainability’ field of action is part of the KION 2027 strategy and is defined by the key aspects of the sustainability strategy. The KION Group’s values also have a clear link to sustainability.
In 2022, the Executive Board of KION GROUP AG approved the framework for the revised sustainability strategy. Still under the overarching theme of ‘We take responsibility’, the activities and strategic objectives in the three strategic dimensions – people, products, and processes – are now brought together in eight restructured fields of action that address the Company’s contribution to a climate-neutral, circular economy, its product portfolio, and its employees.
As part of the ongoing evaluation by external independent auditors and rating agencies, the KION Group’s sustainability performance was reaffirmed in 2022. Its rating from ISS remained at B–, which equates to prime status. The CDP Climate Change score improved to A- (Leadership). The rating from S&P Global CSA rose by a further five points to 62 points. EcoVadis awarded the KION Group its second-highest rating of Gold. The year under review also saw the KION Group achieve a total score of 26.6 in the ESG rating from Sustainalytics. In November, it notched up an ESG score of 48 as part of the broad rating from Vigeo Eiris. This put it in 48th place out of 51 companies in the peer group Industrial Goods and Services Sector.
The groupwide sustainability report for 2022, which will be published in April 2023, contains information on strategy, the management approach, and structures for sustainability as well as data on relevant key performance indicators. It also contains the KION Group’s non-financial declaration as required under German law. The 2022 report is the first that discloses not only the taxonomy-eligible but also the taxonomy-aligned business activities of the KION Group in regard to the first two environmental objectives defined in the EU Taxonomy Regulation. Because of this separate detailed reporting, the KION Group has not provided additional information in the 2022 combined management report.