Our Sustainability Strategy

Challenge

SDG 4 calls for equal access for all to high-quality technical and vocational education and training and higher education.

Our contribution

The STIEBEL ELTRON Group offers all employees (of all genders) equal access to high-quality technical and vocational training, including university education. Training at STIEBEL ELTRON has been a high priority for decades. During an excellent apprenticeship, our trainees and dual students work on exciting projects and benefit from the prospect of being taken on. All employees worldwide also have the opportunity to further their professional and personal development. In total, STIEBEL ELTRON offers eleven different apprenticeships and seven different dual study programs in Germany, for example at the Holzminden and Eschwege sites.

Through targeted training measures for all employees, we promote the skills and motivation of our employees to think and act in a customer- and quality-orientated manner as well as in an environmentally and energy-conscious way. In addition to professional expertise, we also promote the personal development of our employees. We stand for an open error culture and give our employees room for creativity and the realisation of their own ideas.

In the area of personnel development, STIEBEL ELTRON's high-potential programme is aimed at all employees who would like to take on management tasks within the company. This programme prepares managers and junior managers for taking on a new senior management role. The programme is structured in such a way that candidates are prepared individually and together with other participants in a targeted manner for their new role.

At management level, our "Lean & Leadership" management development programme teaches methods for improving processes together with your team, making wastage visible and eliminating it, as well as tackling cross-divisional improvement measures. The aim is to focus on value creation and increasing efficiency. Employees in production are trained in the area of group work. Group work equips employees with responsibilities and competences for their group task so that additional tasks and responsibilities can be taken on.

STIEBEL ELTRON therefore prioritises the positive effects on SDG 4, in particular targets 4.3 and 4.4, and thus contributes to a well-trained skilled workforce. Educational opportunities through training and skills development strengthen society, but also promote motivation and open up career opportunities.

Challenge

SDG 5 calls for an end to all discrimination against women and girls and for unrestricted access to economic and natural resources regardless of gender. It is about equal participation and equal opportunities for women, including in the context of taking on leadership roles. In addition, the core objective of SDG 10 is to promote self-determination and equal opportunities for all people, regardless of age, gender, disability, ethnicity, origin, religion, or other differences.

Our contribution

The STIEBEL ELTRON Group does not tolerate discrimination against its employees. No one may be disadvantaged, favoured, or harassed on the basis of characteristics such as gender, skin colour, religion, nationality, political or other convictions, ethnic origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected characteristics. We promote diversity within the company and an open, inclusive corporate culture. In addition to its own business activities, the STIEBEL ELTRON Group also prioritises the issue of discrimination and equal rights in the supply chain. The company's Supplier Code of Conduct emphasises that our business partners are prohibited from discriminating against people on the basis of a characteristic.

Regardless of gender, STIEBEL ELTRON supports employees on their way to management levels. This is based on qualifications and suitability. In addition to a high-potential programme, STIEBEL ELTRON offers a management development programme that is open to all genders on an equal basis. STIEBEL ELTRON thus makes a positive contribution to the achievement of goal 5 and 10, in particular targets 5.1, 5.5 and 10.2, thus enabling equal opportunities for all.

Challenge

The challenge of SDG 7 is to give people access to affordable, reliable, and modern energy.

Our contribution

The STIEBEL ELTRON Group believes in the future of electricity from renewable energies and therefore in the success of the energy transition. Electricity from the sun, wind and hydropower is energy that will still be available to us the day after tomorrow. With intelligent green building technology, STIEBEL ELTRON ensures independence, investment security and thus a sustainable future for its customers. We work every day to provide our customers with energy-efficient heat pumps and ventilation systems through more than 120 sales organisations and representatives worldwide.

At STIEBEL ELTRON, various factors are already taken into account when developing our products: environmentally friendly materials, durability, repairability, modular design for easy replacement of parts, maximising energy efficiency and ensuring compliance with fair working conditions and ethical practices. Our product portfolio is characterised by a strong focus on renewable energy, innovative future technologies, and a contribution to reducing CO2 emissions. Our products are in the top efficiency classes in terms of energy efficiency. In future, we plan to record the product carbon footprint (PCF) for each of our products. This approach enables a detailed assessment and minimisation of the environmental impact at every stage of the product cycle.

We prioritise the positive effects of SDG 7, as our products enable us to increase the proportion of the population that primarily uses clean energy sources for heat generation and ventilation and as the energy efficiency of our products is constantly increasing (SDG 7, e.g. targets 7.1 and 7.3).

Challenge

SDG 9 is aimed at sustainable and resilient infrastructures and industries. The goal calls on industries to establish sustainable processes and utilise resources and clean technologies efficiently. SDG 12 also aims to change the way we do business. This is specifically about both consumption and production, which must take place within planetary boundaries. It is about reorganising value creation patterns, the circular economy and sustainable supply chains as well as responsible waste management. Companies should also be encouraged to report on their sustainability information.

Our contribution

STIEBEL ELTRON has set itself the goal of reducing a significant proportion of greenhouse gas emissions from its own business activities by 2030 and achieving climate neutrality on the balance sheet in Germany by 2040. To achieve this, STIEBEL ELTRON is implementing various energy efficiency measures and increasingly using cleaner and more environmentally friendly technologies. The company's own production processes are being upgraded. For this purpose, targets and measures have been developed to make its own processes more sustainable and resource efficient. Our Integrated Management System (IMS) provides the basis for these resource conservation initiatives.

STIEBEL ELTRON is certified according to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 50001, and ISO 45001. The ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 certifications in particular ensure that environmental and energy requirements are met in our production. At STIEBEL ELTRON, the issue of recycling is also reflected in our choice of suppliers, the durability and repairability of our products, and the issue of recycling and waste management. We incorporate environmental and social concerns into our decision-making processes wherever this is compatible with technical and economic requirements. In this way, we reduce our negative impact on both our products and our own operations. Starting in FY 2025, STIEBEL ELTRON will annually disclose its sustainability information regarding waste management, energy efficiency, resource recycling, supplier relations and other non-financial topics. In this way, STIEBEL ELTRON will contribute in particular to environmental goals 9.4, 12.5 and 12.6.

Challenge

At its core, SDG 13 deals with both climate protection and adaptation to the consequences of climate change. Climate protection measures should be included in planning and strategies so that a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is driven forward to mitigate climate change.

Our contribution

Our corporate vision has always been to enable an environmentally friendly and comfortable life. The future is electricity from renewable energies. STIEBEL ELTRON enhances the quality of life and investment security of its customers with electricity-based, future-proof, highly efficient solutions for the provision of space heating, space cooling, hot water, and ventilation in buildings. STIEBEL ELTRON remains an independent family business through sustainable business practices.

We provide our customers with solutions that offer the highest level of comfort while enabling them to make a contribution to climate protection. Our mission is therefore "To make a significant contribution to the worldwide diffusion of highly efficient, electricity-based home technology products". Our efficient products significantly reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the building sector worldwide. We were one of the first companies in Germany to start developing, manufacturing, and selling heat pumps back in 1976 and are now one of the technology leaders in the field of environmentally friendly heating. Climate change is the greatest challenge facing humanity and its consequences affect us all. STIEBEL ELTRON is therefore committed to implementing ambitious measures to minimise the effects of climate change, including in its own production. These measures are implemented in strategies and plans that include climate protection measures. We are therefore making a positive contribution to achieving SDG 13, in particular target 13.2.