thyssenkrupp

Sustainability strategy and accountability 

thyssenkrupp provides evidence of linking performance criteria in senior executives’ remuneration policies to targets and objectives which cover nature, including biodiversity, and social issues. 

Solid and air pollution 

thyssenkrupp discloses the proportion of hazardous waste treated to reduce pollution compared to total waste, the hazardous waste diverted from disposal and the waste directed to disposal. The company reports some activities to reduce plastic use and waste in its own operations, developing its own manufacturing process for bioplastic which is applicable in large-scale plants in order to conserve resources. 

No leading practices were identified for the company in the social inclusion and community impact area

Sustainability strategy and accountability 

thyssenkrupp discloses its process for identifying and prioritising its most relevant sustainability impacts as well as the outcome of this process, in relation to its sustainability strategy. While the company discloses indirect financial targets such as numbers of supplier sustainability audits and sustainability R&D intensity and reports progress against them, no evidence the company explicitly set group-wide targets on most of its key sustainability topics in nature and social issues has been found in the public domain.  

While thyssenkrupp mentions its supervisory board’s strategy, finance and investment committee dealt with sustainability topics and the audit committee examined non-financial statements, no evidence the company assigned decision-making and oversight responsibility of sustainability strategy has been found in the public domain. While the company lists out the industrial expertise of the Supervisory Board members, it was unclear what specific expertise, knowledge and experiences on nature did the Directors possessed. 

Stakeholder engagement 

thyssenkrupp does not disclose an overview of the issues raised during its stakeholder engagement activities. While the company discloses the formats of stakeholder dialogue, it is unclear who the stakeholder is for every channel and the frequency of it. 

Lobbying 

thyssenkrupp does not report on its lobbying and advocacy practices on nature-related issues, nor whether these activities align with its sustainability strategy. 

Impact and dependencies assessment 

thyssenkrupp has not holistically assessed its impacts or how it depends on nature, including biodiversity. It has an opportunity to start such an assessment across its value chains, focused on quantification of its impacts or dependencies. 

Key areas and species 

thyssenkrupp does not disclose key species or areas important for biodiversity affected by its operations or suppliers. It has an opportunity to increase its transparency. 

Ecosystem conversion and restoration 

No evidence was found regarding thyssenkrupp‘s efforts to avoid ecosystem conversion, including deforestation, or promote restoration. The company has an opportunity to develop a strategy and publicly report on specific, time-bound targets. 

Resource exploitation and circularity 

While thyssenkrupp mentions it provides the carbon footprint of many of its products, no evidence the company discloses its inputs, including its material footprint, according to an international standard.  While the company states its has multiple internal targets, no evidence the company reports quantitatively on its group-wide standardised circularity performance (e.g. circular material productivity).  

While thyssenkrupp mentions its remediation to past pollution and mining subsidence to minimize operation risks, no evidence has found that the company discloses activities to improve soil health or agrobiodiversity in its production or sourcing practices. The company does not disclose a target to improve soil health in its production or sourcing practices. 

Water 

While thyssenkrupp discloses the amount of water consumption, the amount increased compared to the previous year. The company does not disclose other relevant information related to water, in its operations or supply chains. 

Solid and air pollution 

While thyssenkrupp discloses data on hazardous waste, no evidence the company addresses the reduction of hazardous waste. No evidence that the company reduces plastic use and waste in its own operations was found. The company does not report on the amount of plastic waste generated and proportions directed from or to disposal.  

thyssenkrupp reports regularly on air quality parameters of emissions of harmful air pollutants. The company does not report time-bound targets to reduce air pollutants across the most material parts of its value chain. 

GHG emissions 

While thyssenkrupp discloses its scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, no evidence that the company reduces its emissions compared to the previous year and achieves a year-over-year reduction since the baseline year. The company sets targets that aims to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions by 30% and scope 3 emissions by 16% from a 2018 baseline by 2030. While the company’s scope 1, 2 and 3 target was closely examined by SBTi, it is a well-below 2°C target instead of a target that aligns with 1.5°C trajectory.  

Invasive species 

thyssenkrupp has not identified any activities that could lead to the introduction of invasive alien species in its own operations. 

Safe, healthy, clean environment 

While thyssenkrupp ensures all products make a positive contribution to environment, it has an opportunity to explicitly commit to respect the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The company tracks its actual or potential negative impacts on the health of local communities. While the company mentions its exclusion of acts of violence, threats, intimidation or harassment in the company, no evidence that the company commits to zero tolerance for acts of violence, threats, intimidation or judicial harassment committed specifically against land and environmental rights defenders. 

Indigenous peoples’ and land rights 

While thyssenkrupp mentions Indigenous Peoples’ rights, it reports no commitment to respect their rights which references the relevant part(s) of ILO Convention No. 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples or the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The company does not disclose its processes for identifying and recognising the rights of Indigenous Peoples when activities in its own operations may impact their rights, nor does it describe how it obtains Indigenous Peoples’ free, prior and informed consent.  

thyssenkrupp does not disclose a commitment to respect ownership and use of land and natural resources and related legitimate tenure rights, as set out in the relevant part(s) of the VGGTs or the IFC Performance Standards. No evidence was found that the company requires its business relationships to have a process to identify legitimate tenure rightsholders, paying particular attention to vulnerable or marginalised tenure rightsholders, and to negotiate with them to provide adequate compensation. 

While thyssenkrupp discloses several processes to support the respect for Human Rights, it has an opportunity to specify that it conducts human rights due diligence that includes a process for identifying human rights risks and impacts through its business relationships. The company has an opportunity to describe a process for assessing the human rights risks it has identified and to disclose what it considers to be its salient human rights issues. A description of this process would include how relevant factors are considered, such as geographical, economic and social factors. No evidence was found that the company has a global system to act on its salient human rights issues.

While thyssenkrupp discloses the categories of stakeholders it engages with generally on sustainability issues, it is not clear if these stakeholders are those whose human rights have been or may be affected by its activities. No evidence that the company provides examples of its engagement with stakeholders whose human rights have been or may be affected by its activities was found.

thyssenkrupp has a publicly available policy statement which shows that it is committed to respecting the health and safety of workers and that it expects its suppliers to also commit to it. While the company indicates that it pays reasonable remuneration, it has an opportunity to disclose a time-bound target for paying all workers a living wage or that it has achieved paying all workers a living wage. No evidence that the company describes how it determines a living wage for the regions where it operates was found. While the company states that it expects its suppliers to pay wages that are sufficient for workers and their families to fulfil their basic needs, it has an opportunity to disclose how it works to support the payment of a living wage by its suppliers.

No evidence that thyssenkrupp discloses the proportion of its total direct operations workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements was found. While the company states that it encourages its suppliers to respect employees’ right to freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, it has an opportunity to describe how it works to support the practices of its suppliers in relation to those.

thyssenkrupp discloses a tax strategy, but it is not applicable to all its operations. The company takes steps to identify and address bribery and corruption. The company includes anti-bribery and anti-corruption clauses in its contracts with direct business relationships. The company outlines its approach to lobbying and political engagement but does not formalise this approach in a public policy document. The company specifies that it does not make political contributions.