Report - COP Prototype

2022 Communication on Progress

Zühlke Group

Published date

June 29, 2022

No. of questions

Supplemental files

CEO Statement

Signed

Governance

Policies and Responsibilities

1. Does the Board / highest governance body or most senior executive of the company:

Issue an annual statement about the relevance of sustainable development to the company

Issue an annual statement that addresses impacts on both people and the environment

Issue an annual statement highlighting a zero tolerance for corruption

Sign off on organizational sustainability targets

Supervise Environmental, Social, and Governance reporting

Regularly review potential risks related to the business model

None of the above

Optional comment

The Zühlke Corporate Responsibility Report 2021 is our first ESG report addressing sustainability topics. We will continue to report annually and issue the annual statements referenced here.

2. Does the company have a publicly stated commitment regarding the following sustainability topics?

	No, this is not a current priority	No, but we plan to have a commitment within 2 years	Yes, and the commitment is focused on our own operations	Yes, and the commitment includes our own operations and the value chain	Yes, and the commitment includes our own operations and the value chain along with communities and society
Human Rights
Labour Rights / Decent Work
Environment
Anti-Corruption

Optional comment

In the report period (2021), we did not have a public commitment for these areas. However, we are now committed to the UN Global Compact Business Ambition for 1.5°C initiative and we have published our Code of Conduct on our website, which fully endorses anti-corruption.

3. Does the company have in place a code of conduct regarding each of the following sustainability topics?

	No, this is not a current priority	No, but we plan to have a code of conduct within two years	Yes, focused on employee conduct	Yes, focused on employees and suppliers	Yes, focused on employees, suppliers, and other business relationships
Human Rights
Labour Rights / Decent Work
Environment
Anti-Corruption

4. Has the company appointed an individual or group responsible for each of the following sustainability topics?

	No one is specifically responsible for this topic	Yes, with limited influence on outcomes (e.g., limited access to internal information, limited decision-making authority)	Yes, with moderate influence on outcomes (e.g., has access to relevant information, reports to senior manager)	Yes, with direct influence of some outcomes (e.g., has access to relevant information, includes one or more senior manager with decision making rights	Yes, with direct influence at the highest levels of the organization (e.g., has access to relevant information, includes most senior members of organization)
Human Rights
Labour Rights / Decent Work
Environment
Anti-Corruption

5. Does the company have a formal structure(s) (such as a cross-functional committee) to address each of the following sustainability topics?

	No formal structure	Yes, and with limited influence on outcomes (e.g., limited access to internal information necessary to understand risks, poor representation from relevant departments or functions)	Yes, with moderate influence on outcomes (e.g., it includes representatives of some functions, departments, or business units most relevant for addressing the risks concerned, has access to relevant information, reports to senior manager)	Yes, with direct influence on some outcomes (e.g., it includes representatives of functions, departments, or business units most relevant for addressing the risks concerned, has access to relevant information, it involves one or more members of senior management)	Yes, and with direct influence at the highest level of the organization (e.g., full access to relevant information, it involves members at highest level of organization)
Human Rights
Labour Rights / Decent Work
Environment
Anti-Corruption

Optional comment

For human rights, labour, and decent work, there are no specific formal structures, but the issues are addressed by the HR / people team. For anti-corruption, is is envisaged to set up a compliance committee, although this was not in place yet in the reporting period. For the environment, we have set up a cross-functional sustainability coordination team.

Prevention

6. Does the company have a process or processes to assess risk?

	No, this is not a current priority	No, but we are planning to develop one in the next two years	Yes, related to our own operations	Yes, related to our own operations and entire value chain and other business relationships
Human rights risks
Labour rights risks
Environmental risks
Corruption risks

Optional comment

Zühlke has a strong corporate risk management process which includes compliance risks. The specific risks mentioned have not been among the top risks for our business in the past. We are reviewing our process for environmental and corruption risks.

7. Does the company have a due diligence process through which it identifies, prevents, mitigates, and accounts for actual and potential negative impacts on sustainability topics?

	No, this is not a current priority	No, but we are planning to develop one in the next two years	Yes, related to our own operations	Yes, related to our own operations and entire value chain and other business relationships
Human rights risks
Labour rights risks
Environmental risks
Corruption risks

Optional comment

We are working on a formal anti-corruption policy and on project impact assessments.

Concerns and grievance mechanisms

8. Are there any processes through which members of the company’s workforce can raise concerns about the company’s conduct related to human rights, labour rights, environment, or anti-corruption?

No, this is not a current priority

No, but we plan to within two years

Yes, we have an informal process (e.g., through supervisors, others)

Yes, we have a formal process

Optional comment

From March 2022 (after the reporting period), we provide an anonymous reporting process with our partner Integrity Line (https://zuehlke.integrityline.com) and a related integrity policy.

9. Does the company provide or enable access to effective remedy to right holders / stakeholders where it has caused or contributed to the adverse impact?

	No process to enable remedy to stakeholders	Remedy available to some stakeholders (i.e., some geographies, employees only)	Remedy is available to all affected stakeholders	Remedy is available to all stakeholders, and suppliers are expected to have similar policies
Human Rights
Labour Rights / Decent Work
Environment
Anti-Corruption

Optional comment

No formal process is in place, cases would be handled on an individual basis.

Lessons

10. How does the company capture lessons regarding each of the following sustainability topics?

	No lessons are regularly captured	Conducts root cause analyses/investigation of major incidents	Conducts root cause analyses/investigation and changes organizational policies, processes, and practices accordingly	Systematically conducts root cause analyses/investigation and leverages learnings to influence both internal and external affairs
Human Rights
Labour Rights / Decent Work
Environment
Anti-Corruption

Optional comment

Zühlke regularly reviews progress towards targets and the effectiveness of measures. There are no formal incident review processes in the four areas mentioned, because there were no significant incidents within the reporting period or in previous years.

Executive Pay

11. Is executive pay linked to performance on one or more of the following sustainability topics?

Optional comment

We are investigating how such a link would be feasible and beneficial.

Board Composition

12. Percentage of individuals within the company’s Board / highest governance body by:

	Number/Percentage	Not applicable (Please provide additional information)
Total number of board members (#)	5
Male (%)	100
Female (%)	0
Non-binary (%)	0
Under 30 years old (%)	0
30-50 years old (%)	0
Above 50 years old (%)	100
From minority or vulnerable groups (%)	0
Executive (%)	0
Independent (%)	40

Optional comment

Here, we interpret "Executive" members as having an active role in Zühlke business operations, and "Independent" as never having had an active role in Zühlke business operations.

Data Assurance

14. Is the information disclosed in this questionnaire assured by a third-party?

No assurance for any metrics

Limited assurance for minority of metrics (e.g., GHG emissions only)

Limited assurance on our GHG emissions is provided by our external partner for decarbonisation.

Limited assurance for majority of metrics

Reasonable assurance for minority of metrics

Reasonable assurance for majority of metrics

Other (Please provide additional information)

Human Rights

Commitment

2. Does the company have a policy commitment in relation to the following human rights issues?

	No, and we have no plans to develop a policy	No, but we plan to in the next two years	Yes, included within a broader policy	Yes, articulated as a stand-alone policy
Rights of women and/or girls
Freedom of expression
Rights of refugees and migrants
Digital security / privacy
2021
Rights of indigenous peoples
Access to culture
Free, prior and informed consent
Access to water and sanitation

Optional comment

Zühlke is ISO 27000 certified with a compliant ISMS (Information Security Management System) and all relevant policies for GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) compliance.

2.1. For each human rights policy, is it:

	Aligned with international human rights standards?	Publicly available?	Approved at most senior level of the company?	Applied to the company’s own operations?	Applied to the company’s supply chain and/or other business relationships?	Developed involving human rights expertise from inside and outside the company?	Other (Please provide additional information)
Freedom of expression
Digital security / privacy
Rights of women and/or girls
Access to culture
Rights of indigenous peoples
Free, prior and informed consent
Rights of refugees and migrants
Access to water and sanitation

Prevention

3. In the course of the reporting period, has the company engaged with affected stakeholders or their legitimate representatives in relation to the following human rights issues?

	No engagement on this topic	To better understand the risks/ impacts in question	To discuss potential ways to prevent or mitigate the risks/ impacts in question	To agree on a way to prevent/ mitigate the risks/ impacts in question	To assess progress in preventing /mitigating the risks/impacts in question	To collaborate in the prevention/ mitigation of the risks/ impacts in question
Rights of women and/or girls
Freedom of expression
Rights of refugees and migrants
Digital security / privacy
Rights of indigenous peoples
Access to culture
Free, prior and informed consent
Access to water and sanitation

Optional comment

We have engaged with clients and suppliers.

4. What type of action has the company taken in the reporting period with the aim of preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with this human rights issue?

	Provided internal training/ capacity building for the direct workforce	Building capacity among relevant business relationships (e.g., partners, suppliers, clients, etc.)	Conducting an audit process and/or corrective action plan	Collective Action with peers or other stakeholders to address the issue	Collaboration with governmental or regulatory bodies	Other (Please provide additional information)	No action within reporting period
Rights of women and/or girls
Freedom of expression
Rights of refugees and migrants
Digital security / privacy
Rights of indigenous peoples
Access to culture
Free, prior and informed consent
Access to water and sanitation

Optional comment

We have provided internal security & privacy awareness trainings. We provide consulting services to clients and consume external consulting services. We have performed ISO 27001 audits.

5. Who receives training for the following human rights issues?

	No training provided	Select employees	All employees	Contractors	Direct suppliers of the organization	Indirect suppliers of the organization	Other – such as partners, clients, etc.
Rights of women and/or girls
Freedom of expression
Rights of refugees and migrants
Digital security / privacy
Rights of indigenous peoples
Access to culture
Free, prior and informed consent
Access to water and sanitation

6. How does the company assess progress in preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with the following human rights issues?

	No monitoring of progress	Review issues on ad-hoc basis	Set annual targets/ goals, track progress over time (internal programs only)	Set annual targets/ goals, track progress over time (internal and external programs)	Other (Please provide additional information)
Rights of women and/or girls
Freedom of expression
Rights of refugees and migrants
Digital security / privacy
Rights of indigenous peoples
Access to culture
Free, prior and informed consent
Access to water and sanitation

Response

7. During the reporting period, has the company been involved in providing or enabling remedy where it has caused or contributed to adverse impact associated with the following human rights issue(s)?

	Yes	No	Choose to not disclose	Not applicable (Please provide additional information)
Rights of women and/or girls
Freedom of expression
Rights of refugees and migrants
Digital security / privacy
Rights of indigenous peoples
Access to culture
Free, prior and informed consent
Access to water and sanitation

8. Briefly describe practical actions the company has taken during the reporting period and/or plans to take to implement the human rights principles, including any challenges faced and actions taken towards prevention and/or remediation.

In the reporting period, we have further strengthened our information security management system (ISMS) and have achieved certification according to ISO 27000. Data protection and cybersecurity are especially relevant for Zühlke because we deal with data from our clients, which are often highly sensitive. They include information about new products and processes as well as personally identifiable information.

Labour

Commitment

1. Does the company have a policy commitment in relation to the following labour rights principles?

	No, and we have no plans to develop a policy	No, but we plan to in the next two years	Yes, included within a broader policy	Yes, articulated as a stand-alone policy	Not applicable (Please provide additional information)
Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
Forced labour
Child labour
Non-discrimination in respect of employment and occupation
2021
Occupational safety and health
2021
Working conditions (wages, working hours)

1.1. For each labour rights policy, is it:

	Aligned with international labour standards?	Publicly available?	Approved at most senior level of the company?	Applied to the company’s own operations?	Applied to the company’s supply chain and/or other business relationships?	Developed involving labour rights expertise from inside and outside the company?	Other (Please provide additional information)
Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
Forced labour
Child labour
Non-discrimination in respect of employment and occupation
Occupational safety and health
Working conditions (wages, working hours)

Prevention

2. In the course of the reporting period, has the company engaged with affected stakeholders or their legitimate representatives in relation to the following labour rights issues?

	No engagement on this topic	To better understand the risks/ impacts in question	To discuss potential ways to prevent or mitigate the risks/ impacts in question	To agree on a way to prevent/ mitigate the risks/ impacts in question	To assess progress in preventing/ mitigating the risks /impacts in question	To collaborate in the prevention/ mitigation of the risks/ impacts in question	Other (Please provide additional information)
Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
Forced labour
Child labour
Non-discrimination in respect of employment and occupation
Occupational safety and health
Working conditions (wages, working hours)

3. What type of action has the company taken in the reporting period with the aim of preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with this labour rights issue?

	Provided internal training/ capacity building for the direct workforce	Building capacity among relevant business relationships (e.g., partners, suppliers, clients, etc.)	Conducting an audit process and/or corrective action plan	Collective Action with peers or other stakeholders, in particular workers' organizations, to address the issue	Collaboration with governmental or regulatory bodies	Other (Please provide additional information)	No action within reporting period
Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
Forced labour
Child labour
Non-discrimination in respect of employment and occupation
Occupational safety and health
Working conditions (wages, working hours)

4. Who receives training for the following labour rights issues?

	No training provided	Select employees	All employees	Contractors	Direct suppliers of the organization	Indirect suppliers of the organization	Other – such as partners, clients, etc.
Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
Forced labour
Child labour
Non-discrimination in respect of employment and occupation
Occupational safety and health
Working conditions (wages, working hours)

5. How does the company assess progress in preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with the following labour rights issues?

	No monitoring of progress	Review issues on ad-hoc basis	Set annual targets/ goals, track progress over time (internal programs only)	Set annual targets/ goals, track progress over time (internal and external programs)	Other (Please provide additional information)
Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
Forced labour
Child labour
Non-discrimination in respect of employment and occupation
Occupational safety and health
Working conditions (wages, working hours)

Performance

6. What is the percentage of employees covered under collective bargaining agreements?

	Percent of employees (%)	Unknown
Employees covered under collective bargaining (%)

Optional comment

Zühlke determines compensation based on individual performance and circumstances.

7. What is the percentage of employees in a trade union or other workers' organization?

	Percent of employees (%)	Unknown	Not applicable (Please provide additional information)
Employees in a trade union or on a worker committee (%)

Optional comment

Zühlke does not collect data on membership in trade unions or similar organisations.

8. In the course of the reporting period, what was the percentage of women in:

	Percent of women (%)	Unknown
Senior leadership level position	20
Non-executive board	0

9. What was the average ratio of the basic salary and remuneration of women to men (comparing jobs of equal value) during the reporting period?

	Salary ratio (%)	Unknown	Choose to not disclose
Women / Men (%)

Optional comment

We are currently investigating an appropriate method for compiling such a salary ratio. Issues we are facing are the diverging salary levels by function and region and small data sets that give rise to privacy concerns.

10. In the course of the reporting period, how frequently were workers injured (injuries per hour worked)?

	Frequency of injury	Unknown	Choose to not disclose
Frequency of injury	5

Optional comment

As a service provider, Zühlke does not run production facilities or industrial processes. Our frequency of injury is low, with fewer than 5 recordable work-related injuries per 1,000,000 hours worked across all our locations.

11. In the course of the reporting period, what was the company’s incident rate?

	Incident rate	Unknown	Choose to not disclose
Incident rate

Optional comment

We do not currently collect data on the number of work days lost due to occupational accidents, injuries and diseases.

Response and Reporting

12. In the course of the reporting period, has the company been involved in providing or enabling remedy where it has caused or contributed to the adverse impact associated with the following labour rights issues?

	Yes	No	Choose to not disclose	Not applicable (Please provide additional information)
Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
Forced labour
Child labour
Non-discrimination in respect of employment and occupation
Occupational safety and health
Working conditions (wages, working hours)

13. Briefly describe practical actions the company has taken during the reporting period and/or plans to take to implement the labour rights principles, including any challenges faced and actions taken towards prevention and/or remediation.

Zühlke has formed a diversity & inclusion board and is working on a policy for diversity and inclusion. We have started to identify specific goals to ensure non-discrimination, for example in our recruitment and promotion processes. Regarding employee health, we have identified mental health as a focus area because most of us are knowledge workers. We have started several initiatives in this area, for example mental health first aiders and trainings for people leaders.

Environment

Commitment

1. Does the company have a formal policy on the following environmental topics?

	No, and we have no plans to develop a policy	No, but we plan to in the next two years	Yes, included within a broader policy	Yes, articulated as a stand-alone policy	Not applicable (Please provide additional information)
Climate Action
Water
Oceans
Forests / Biodiversity / Land Use
Air Pollution
Waste (e.g., chemical spills, solid waste, hazardous, plastic, etc.)
Energy & Resource Use

Optional comment

Zühlke is committed to climate action and seeks to minimise waste and other negative effects on the environment. We are working on making these commitments more specific and explicit.

Prevention

2. In the course of the reporting period, has the company engaged with affected stakeholders or their legitimate representatives in relation to the following environmental issues?

	No engagement on this topic	To better understand the risks/ impacts in question	To discuss potential ways to prevent or mitigate the risks/ impacts in question	To agree on a way to prevent/ mitigate the risks/ impacts in question	To assess progress in preventing/ mitigating the risks/ impacts in question	To collaborate in the prevention/ mitigation of the risks/ impacts in question	Other (Please provide additional information)
Climate Action
Water
Oceans
Forests / Biodiversity / Land Use
Air Pollution
Waste (e.g., chemical spills, solid waste, hazardous, plastic, etc.)
Energy & Resource Use

Optional comment

Zühlke has engaged with decarbonisation specialist Planetly in Germany to measure, reduce, and offset greenhouse gas emissions.

3. What type of action has the company taken in the reporting period with the aim of preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with these environmental topics?

	Provided internal training/ capacity building for the direct workforce	Building capacity among relevant business relationships (e.g., partners, suppliers, clients, etc.)	Conducting an audit process and/or corrective action plan	Collective Action with peers or other stakeholders to address the issue	Collaboration with governmental or regulatory bodies	Other (Please provide additional information)	No action within reporting period
Climate Action
Water
Oceans
Forests / Biodiversity / Land Use
Air Pollution
Waste (e.g., chemical spills, solid waste, hazardous, plastic, etc.)
Energy & Resource Use

Optional comment

Zühlke has started an industry network to address circular solutions and related issues like GHG emissions, waste, recycling, and energy use. Zühlke has switched to renewable energy in a number of locations across the group.

4. How does the company assess progress in preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with the following environmental topics?

	No monitoring of progress	Review issues on ad-hoc basis	Set annual targets/ goals, track progress over time (internal programs only)	Set annual targets/ goals, track progress over time (internal and external programs)	Other (Please provide additional information)
Climate Action
Water
Oceans
Forests / Biodiversity / Land Use
Air Pollution
Waste (e.g., chemical spills, solid waste, hazardous, plastic, etc.)
Energy & Resource Use

Optional comment

We are planning to introduce specific targets for GHG reduction.

5. In the course of the reporting period, has the company been involved in providing or enabling remedy for any actual impacts associated with the following environmental issue(s)?

	Yes	No	Choose to not disclose	Not applicable (Please provide additional information)
Climate Action
Water
Oceans
Forests / Biodiversity / Land Use
Air Pollution
Waste (e.g., chemical spills, solid waste, hazardous, plastic, etc.)
Energy & Resource Use

Climate Action

6. What were the company’s gross global greenhouse gas emissions for the reporting period?

Scope 1 Emissions

Full

None

At the time of CoP submission, we were still in the process of assessing the GHG emissions across all Zühlke operating companies. We publish our GHG emissions in Scope 1, 2, and 3 in our corporate responsibility report.

Emissions (tCO2e)

Scope 2 Emissions

Full

None

Emissions (tCO2e)

Scope 3 Emissions

Full

Partial

None

Emissions (tCO2e)

Optional comment

7. What percentage of the company's revenue was invested in R&D of low-carbon products/services during this reporting period?

Percent of revenue (%)

Unknown

Not applicable (Please provide additional information)

Optional comment

In the reporting period, there was no separate tracking of such investments.

8. Has the organization acted to support climate change adaptation and resilience?

We have taken action to increase organization-wide resilience to climate change

We have taken action to increase resilience in our supply chains

We have taken action to increase resilience in the communities in which we operate

We have provided funding for climate change adaptation and resilience initiatives and projects

We have not taken actions to build climate change resilience in the reporting period

Other (Please provide additional information)

Unknown

Energy / Resource Use

9. Please report the company's renewable energy consumption as a percentage of total energy consumption in the reporting period.

% of total energy consumption

Unknown

Optional comment

In the reporting period, there was no separate tracking of renewable energy consumption. We plan to switch to renewable electricity in all locations.

Technology

10. What percent of the company's revenue came from environmentally friendly products / services during this reporting period?

Percent of total revenue (%)

Unknown

Not applicable (Please provide additional information)

Optional comment

We plan to track revenue linked to sustainability starting 2022.

Overall Environment

21. Briefly describe practical actions the company has taken during the reporting period and/or plans to take to implement the environment principles, including any challenges faced and actions taken towards prevention and/or remediation.

Zühlke has selected climate action as a focus area for our sustainability efforts. We can make the biggest impact through our client projects and have started to develop services that help our clients reach their goals related to climate and environment. One example is the adoption of circular solutions to reduce emissions and waste. In addition, we have set a target to become carbon neutral from 2021 onwards for all group locations and will work on specific carbon emission reduction goals.

Anti-corruption

Commitment

1. Does the company have an anti-corruption compliance programme?

No, it is not an immediate business priority

No, but we plan to in the next two years

Yes

Optional comment

Zühlke has always been committed to anti-corruption, which is also embedded in our code of conduct. We are working on a specific policy addressing anti-corruption in more detail and on a training program.

2. Does your company have policies and recommendations for employees on how to act in case of doubt and/or in situations that may represent a conflict of interest, e.g. with regard to gifts and hospitality, donations, sponsorship, or interactions with public officials?

No, and we have no plans to develop a policy

No, but we plan to in the next two years

Yes, included within a broader policy

Yes, articulated as a stand-alone policy

Optional comment

We are working on an integrity policy, which will be rolled out in 2022.

Response and Reporting

5. Please report the company's total number and nature of incidents of corruption during the reporting year.

	Number of incident(s)	Unknown	Choose to not disclose
Confirmed during the current year, but related to previous years	0
There were no such incidents in the reporting period.
Confirmed during the current year, and related to this year	0
There were no such incidents in the reporting period.

6. Within the reporting period, what measures has the company taken to address suspected incidents of corruption independently or in response to a dispute or investigation by a government regulator?

Initial case assessment

Internal investigation

Review by risk / ethics committee

Review by board of directors

External audit / review

Other (please provide additional information)

Not applicable/no incidents in the reporting period

7. Does your company engage in Collective Action against corruption?

No, it is not an immediate business priority

No, but we plan to in the next two years

Yes (please explain)

8. Briefly describe practical actions the company has taken during the reporting period and/or plans to take to implement the anti-corruption principle, including any challenges faced and actions taken towards prevention and/or remediation.

Started implementation of a whistleblower reporting mechanism (integrity line). Planning to develop anti-corruption policy & trainings.