Targets
At present, sustainability is becoming a hot topic on the back of radical societal and regulatory changes. The uvex group is aware of its responsibility and intends to proactively support and shape this transformation process. protecting people is our mission. protecting planet is the natural continuation of this mission when it comes to treating people, society and nature responsibly. For this reason, we have set ourselves the target of holistically integrating sustainability considerations throughout the business. In the first step, we identified four specific focus areas based on our materiality analysis. These relate to ecological transformation, social responsibility, the circular economy as a driver of innovation and, finally, a commitment to not harm the environment or human health. Quantifiable, group-wide goals were developed for these respective focus areas to ensure that they are consistently anchored in our strategic approach. In a next step, these will be reinforced with the addition of standardised assessment frameworks and implemented at plant level.
Reducing emissions is already a priority at the uvex group and this is an aim which will continue to be pursued across all areas of the business. The uvex group intends to fulfil its responsibilities and commitments by contributing to the achievement of the 1.5 degrees Celsius target for global warming stipulated by the Paris Agreement.
In defining our climate protection targets, we shall adopt approaches that are led by the science. When it comes to achieving these climate protection targets, the uvex group has established a clear target achievement hierarchy. The top priority is the avoidance of greenhouse gases. Where it proves impossible to avoid greenhouse gas emissions, it is important to reduce them to the maximum minimum so that, in the end, only the ultimately unavoidable emissions are offset via certified climate protection projects.
We have set ourselves the goal of achieving climate neutrality for the uvex group, including the upstream and downstream value chain, by 2045.
Furthermore, the uvex group has defined targets for reducing waste and water consumption, in addition to steadily increasing the use of recycled materials and bioplastics, improving employee retention rates and the implementation of sustainable supplier management arrangements with a focus on climate protection, social values and transparency.
In order to constantly keep an eye on our progress in relation to achieving these goals, the uvex group as a whole must continually review its actions. To this end, we use our established metric systems allied with the compilation and further development of the uvex group sustainability report. This allows us to guarantee the maximum degree of transparency for our sustainability activities. After all, it is only by clearly fixing this target in our minds that we are able to establish future-orientated measures and, as such, optimally merge the issues of climate protection, social commitment and sustainable profitability.
The uvex group is also continuing to integrate the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) into its corporate activities. The areas of responsibility include Economic Sustainability, Ecology, Working Conditions and Human Rights in addition to Employees and Society, for which the following sustainability targets have been adopted:
Economic Sustainability
- Internationalisation
- Economic stability
- Independence
- Compliance
Working conditions and human rights
- Supply chain management
- Partner-based supplier relationship
- Customer satisfaction
Employees and society
- Vocational and further training
- Work-life integration
- Equal opportunities and diversity
- Social commitment through the Rainer Winter Foundation
Ecology
- Development towards a circular economy - development of environmentally-friendly products
- Increasing energy efficiency
- Optimised material use
- Elimination of harmful substance