Scope 1 Emissions
2022 Communication on Progress
Roland Berger Group
Published date
July 1, 2022
No. of questions
70
Supplemental files
CEO Statement
Signed
Governance
Policies and Responsibilities
1. Does the Board / highest governance body or most senior executive of the company:
2. Does the company have a publicly stated commitment regarding the following sustainability topics?
Optional commentpublished on our website3. Does the company have in place a code of conduct regarding each of the following sustainability topics?
4. Has the company appointed an individual or group responsible for each of the following sustainability topics?
5. Does the company have a formal structure(s) (such as a cross-functional committee) to address each of the following sustainability topics?
Prevention
6. Does the company have a process or processes to assess risk?
6.1. During the assessment of risk, which business relationships are reviewed?
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?
7.1. During the due diligence process, which business relationships are reviewed?
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?
Optional commentRoland Berger offers its employees as well as its customers, and other business partners a secure whistleblower portal for providing information on possible severe compliance violations. Alternative channels for speaking up and raising possible issues are the employee's supervisor, HR representative, our Compliance Officer or our Managing Directors. All employees are regularly trained about these processes and compliance procedures in compulsory online training courses and kept informed through regular newsletters and updates. Formal policies regulating those topics are in place.8.1. Please provide additional detail regarding the process(es) the company has through which members of the company’s workforce can raise concerns about the company’s conduct.
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?
Lessons
10. How does the company capture lessons regarding each of the following sustainability topics?
Executive Pay
11. Is executive pay linked to performance on one or more of the following sustainability topics?
Board Composition
12. Percentage of individuals within the company’s Board / highest governance body by:
13. Do you produce sustainability reporting according to:
Optional commentRoland Berger plans to publish its first ESG report in the third quarter of 2022.Data Assurance
14. Is the information disclosed in this questionnaire assured by a third-party?
Optional commenthttps://www.southpole.com/clients/roland-berger-achieving-climate-neutrality-and-setting-sbtsHuman Rights
Materiality / Saliency
1. Which of the following has the company identified as material human rights issues connected with its operations and/or value chain, whether based on their salience (i.e., the most severe potential negative impacts on people) or another basis?
Commitment
2. Does the company have a policy commitment in relation to the following human rights issues?
2.1. For each human rights policy, is it:
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?
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?
5. Who receives training for the following human rights issues?
6. How does the company assess progress in preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with the following human rights issues?
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)?
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 following we want to describe our practical actions taken concerning 1) "Digital security/privacy": We treat all our clients' non-public information with strict confidentiality and keep proprietary and confidential information secure at all times. To ensure the utmost security in all our electronic communications, our information and communication equipment – IT infrastructure, hard- and software – fulfills the highest security and technology standards. We follow a risk-based approach in Data Security and Privacy. The ISO/IEC 27001 standard certification for Roland Berger Holding was renewed at the end of 2021. This entity operates all our IT infrastructure and guarantees that we meet high security standards. We operate our own IT infrastructure for business communication, using encrypted notebooks and secure mobile devices that allow e-mail encryption. Furthermore, all Roland Berger employees must know and comply with our IT User Policy, which is part of the company's Code of Conduct and as such also the subject of regular e-trainings. The IT User rules cover issues like password and access control, data protection, installing and using IT equipment, using e-mail and the Internet, mobile working and protecting against malware. Data exchange between companies of the Roland Berger group is governed by compliant contractual regulations. The protection of the personal data of our employees and clients is very important to us and we do our utmost to ensure that this data is handled with the greatest care. Implementing the GDPR as a European regulation was therefore a matter of special attention for us after its introduction in 2018, which particularly distinguishes us as a consultancy of European origin. We are in the process of working towards certification to ISO/IEC 27701 as soon as this certification, which is an extension of ISO/IEC 27001, will be obtainable in Germany. Trade secrets are key to Roland Berger's business and strategy. Against the background of the introduction of a new standard on the protection of know-how and trade secrets in the European Union, a new policy regarding the proper "Treatment of Trade Secrets" has been introduced. In particular, as a prerequisite to protecting trade secrets, everyone at Roland Berger must actively take adequate protective measures. Relevant information has been classified to differentiate between secret/confidential and public information, for instance. The policy has been communicated and rolled out to all Roland Berger employees in order to ensure protection of trade secrets. 2) "Rights of women and/or girls": The Partnership of Roland Berger has agreed on "diversity, equity & inclusion" being one of the core items on our strategy agenda. We promote diversity of gender, race, religion, disability, age, sexual preference, socio-economic and educational backgrounds in our work environments. Among the different aspects of diversity, the topic of women in consulting is receiving special attention. Although women are increasingly active in business today, there is an imbalance higher up in the hierarchies. Creating a gender-balanced work environment remains at the top of our management agenda, and it is for this reason that Roland Berger hosts several women's events at different venues during the year such as career talks with female business leaders, fireplace talks with members of our management, internal role models and alumnae, regular networking meetings and trainings for women at Roland Berger We also launched three new seminars for female consultants in 2021. Our company supports various initiatives such as Women in Africa, which aims to create the first global network of women executives and leaders in Africa, and to promote their role and economic, social and political influence in Africa and beyond. We are member of the "Beyond Gender agenda" and our Roland Berger Foundation for European Management supports gender topics through studies and awards. Among our female-focused activities, growing our senior female colleagues into the Partner ranks of our company is of special importance to us. We believe that home grown role models are paramount in driving our change and therefore part of our commitment. To support this process, we have introduced a mentoring and coaching system through which women are empowered on their career path. As diversity is not only about women, we introduced a new "Interview Technique" training, including sessions on unconscious bias, which was launched in 2021, and which is mandatory for all interviewers in DACH. The "Diversity Dashboard" is helping us to track activities and progress of this initiative. The existence of other initiatives like "Black@RB", "Just be" (LGBTQ+) or "Parenting@RB" reflect that we do not only promote women's rights initiative, but also the concerns of other affinity groups and communities. We express how much we value diversity through our membership of the "Charta der Vielfalt" (Diversity Charta).Labour
Commitment
1. Does the company have a policy commitment in relation to the following labour rights principles?
Optional commentPrinciples 1-3 are besides governmental laws and regulations part of our business ethics, our values and our general understanding and our values. Hence, we do not see the need to declare them in a separate policy.1.1. For each labour rights policy, is it:
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?
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?
Optional commentPrinciple 2-3: Part of European law - no need for action; Principle 4: LGBTQ+ and diversity initiatives in place; Principle 5: Corona Taskforce and collaboration with authorities to mitigate risks4. Who receives training for the following labour rights issues?
5. How does the company assess progress in preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with the following labour rights issues?
Performance
6. What is the percentage of employees covered under collective bargaining agreements?
7. What is the percentage of employees in a trade union or other workers' organization?
8. In the course of the reporting period, what was the percentage of women in:
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?
Optional commentThe salary ranges are fixed per function level and do not depend on the gender of the position holder.10. In the course of the reporting period, how frequently were workers injured (injuries per hour worked)?
Optional commentRoland Berger operates in the non-manufacturing sector. Hence, the risk of injuries is very low.11. In the course of the reporting period, what was the company’s incident rate?
Optional commentRoland Berger operates in the non-manufacturing sector. Hence, the risk of injuries is very low.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?
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.
Diversity and non-discrimination lie at the heart of our Code of Conduct and are thus part of our business and personal behavior. We acknowledge and value the differences among our workforce, clients and business partners and consider them an opportunity. Germany's Equal Treatment Act (Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz or AGG) is part of every employee's contract in Germany. To underscore its importance, all new employees are required to participate in an e-learning course on this subject. We actively target to hire and develop people from different backgrounds with different talents and strengths, with diverse cultural and ethnic origins and different genders and sexual orientations at Roland Berger. Together we drive a modern work culture based on respect. We also care about the wellbeing, health, and safety of all our employees, and it is our ultimate goal to keep them safe when at work, traveling or in the office, especially in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic. We have an extensive network of health and safety measures in place. But we do not leave it at that. In "New ways of working for Roland Berger", we have implemented an activity program designed to support a better work-life balance and boost health, wellbeing, and motivation. The program includes a variety of different initiatives driven by each country: An individual budget to support health and wellbeing in remote work situations at home, additional budgets for teambuilding activities and partnering with a company fitness provider to help our employees adopt and sustain a well-balanced lifestyle are only few examples of these initiatives. Furthermore, to offer optimal care and coverage, Roland Berger has engaged a global service provider to help us with medical, health, insurance and security matters. The services it provides include a 24/7 hotline for all colleagues, emergency services worldwide (for health or security problems) and pre-travel advice on security situations, medical standards and visa information. In light of the Covid-19 pandemic we pushed the provider’s app to employees' mobiles to ensure they get immediate alerts on Covid-19 restrictions and unforeseen events such as terrorist attacks or natural disasters in the country they are traveling in. We also maintain a foreign travel health insurance policy for our employees.Environment
Commitment
1. Does the company have a formal policy on the following environmental topics?
1.1. For each environmental policy, is it:
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?
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?
4. How does the company assess progress in preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with the following environmental topics?
4.1. For each environmental topic in which the company sets timebound goals / targets, what kind of targets has the company set?
4.2. For each environmental topic in which the company sets timebound goals / targets, how is progress against target / goal tracked?
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)?
Climate Action
6. What were the company’s gross global greenhouse gas emissions for the reporting period?
Scope 2 Emissions
Scope 3 Emissions
Optional commentLatest figures from 20207. What percentage of the company's revenue was invested in R&D of low-carbon products/services during this reporting period?
8. Has the organization acted to support climate change adaptation and resilience?
Optional commentWe provided consulting services to clients to decarbonize operations and adopt to climate changeEnergy / Resource Use
9. Please report the company's renewable energy consumption as a percentage of total energy consumption in the reporting period.
Optional commentfor German offices - unknown for global locationsTechnology
10. What percent of the company's revenue came from environmentally friendly products / services during this reporting period?
Sector-specific Questions
11. Which sector(s) does the company operate in? If diversified, choose top 3 by revenue.
Optional commentConsultingSector-specific: Water
12. Please provide details regarding the company's water withdrawal and consumption (own operations) during the reporting period.
Water withdrawal (volume of water in megaliters):
Water consumption (volume of water in megaliters):
13. Please provide details about the company’s water intensity of products in regions with high or extremely high water stress.
Sector-specific: Air pollution
17. Where applicable, please report the company's emissions of the following pollutants during the reporting period.
Sector-specific: Waste
18. Please report the company's total weight of waste generated in metric tonnes during the reporting period.
Optional commentWe are a professional service company and the waste generated is almost negligible.19. Please report the percentage of the company's waste that was hazardous waste (i.e., hazardous waste ratio) during the reporting period.
20. Please report the company's estimated metric tonnes of single-use plastic consumed wherever material along the value chain during the reporting period.
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.
Becoming a sustainable company is a major part of our corporate strategy. In October 2020, an international team of internal sustainability experts embarked on a project aiming to improve sustainability at Roland Berger by developing a holistic strategy, with close involvement of the entire organization. The project team carried out an in-depth analysis of the sustainability status quo to identify best practices and existing initiatives. At the core of our sustainability strategy is the ESG framework. This widely accepted framework, which we have customized for our specific requirements at Roland Berger, is powered by an integral understanding of sustainability along the dimensions of Environment, Social and (Corporate) Governance. By assessing the status quo in each of these dimensions, evaluating competitors and incorporating the feedback from an employee survey, six focus areas were identified that will serve as pillars of our sustainability strategy. All pillars build on and will further develop initiatives that already exist at our firm. The focus is on the first pillar: Reducing our carbon footprint. Our firm has committed to making Roland Berger net zero by 2028 and carbon negative beyond 2028. We are currently studying the latest net-zero guidance to develop a road map to achieve these targets. For now, reducing our overall environmental footprint will rest on two key activities: 1) actively reducing our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions along the entire value chain and 2) offsetting our emissions by purchasing carbon credits. In 2020, we conducted our first GHG footprint exercise for RB's 2019 emissions and fully offset our 2019 emissions with carbon credits. All the carbon credits are generated by projects accredited by independent accreditors such as Gold Standard and Verified Carbon Standard (VCS). In recognition of our efforts, we were awarded the "Climate Neutral" label by South Pole in December 2020 – our first milestone. We have made conducting our GHG footprint and offsetting our emissions an annual exercise and at the time of writing, we are conducting our GHG footprint exercise for our 2021 emissions. Going forward, we are looking into reporting our emissions to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). To be transparent about our commitment and progress, we have also submitted our emission reduction targets to the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi). Our targets cover all three emission scopes: • Reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 60% by 2028 from a 2019 base year • Increase sourcing of renewable electricity from 24% in 2019 to 100% by 2028 (Scope 2) • Reduce scope 3 GHG emissions from business travel by 40% per full-time equivalent by 2028 from a 2019 base year In July 2021, the SBTi's Target Validation Team approved these targets and classified our scope 1 and 2 target ambition as being in line with a 1.5°C trajectory. To achieve our Science Based Targets, we have begun the following high-level initiatives: Scope 1: Reviewing our company car policies in relevant offices with the goal of encouraging the switch to electric vehicles and promoting alternative mobility options. Scope 2: Switching to renewable energy in all RB office locations where possible. For offices we are unable to switch, we will study the possibility of purchasing local Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) closer to our 2028 target date. Scope 3: Setting up an internal team to review our business travel policies globally, with a view to reducing our travel activities through a mix of guidelines, incentives and leveraging of digital tools. It will ultimately be the responsibility of the individual offices to implement these three initiatives so that they are best suited to local circumstances. To this end, we have nominated teams of colleagues in each office (Sustainability Ambassadors) who will implement these initiatives based on guidelines provided by the Group. Our Sustainability Ambassadors are also encouraged to implement other local initiatives (e.g. reduce waste). We are developing more initiatives in the upcoming months to get closer to our goal as fast as possible.Anti-corruption
Commitment
1. Does the company have an anti-corruption compliance programme?
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?
Prevention
3. Who receives training on anti-corruption and integrity?
3.1. How often is such training provided?
Optional commentUpdated approx. every two years - refresher training is planned4. Does the company monitor its anti-corruption compliance programme?
Response and Reporting
5. Please report the company's total number and nature of incidents of corruption during the reporting year.
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?
7. Does your company engage in Collective Action against corruption?
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.
We have taken several practical actions - some of them are described in the following: 1) To prevent abuse, all payments to freelancers or senior advisors are made via bank transfer, without exception. Furthermore, contracts for all Roland Berger freelancers and senior advisors have been standardized and their payment is controlled using a specific tool, a tool for avoiding disproportionate remuneration. Contracts need sign-off by a different entity and four eye principle is ensured in the process. During our annual audit, the contracts for senior advisors and all related payments are subject to strict scrutiny. Contracts involving special elements or discounts, need approval by global management. 2) We have implemented an anti-corruption and anti-bribery policy as a separate supplement to our Code of Conduct, underlining the importance of this issue. The policy covers topics such as bribes and kickbacks, facilitation payments, gifts, hospitality and expenses, charitable donations, business relationships (freelancers, subcontractors, senior advisors, agents, joint venture partners) and accounts and controls. We regularly update our Compliance Portal and have improved its structure for better clarity and transparency in the context of the roll-out of our new intranet. We regularly communicate updates to our employees. 3) Within our KYC check one element is a “bad press” screening. Through the Company’s compliance training and reporting lines including an external whistleblower tool, the Company is making sure that potentially relevant topics can be addressed from internal and external sources and are managed in an appropriate and diligent manner.