Sustainable management and social responsibility are at the heart of our values.
We consider sustainable management to be a strategic task for corporate development. Our Roadmap 2020 defines the precise objectives for our four dimensions (corporate governance and corporate culture, employees and society, environment, and products).
In evaluating our performance, we use financial and non-financial indicators and criteria. It is essential that sustainability goals and measures create value. After all, only then will they be accepted within the company and seen as credible by those outside.
Our BASICS are the foundation of Continental’s success. These corporate guidelines outline our vision, mission and our values, which in turn define our corporate activities and the way we interact with one another and with all other stakeholders. They also underscore our careful use of resources, our social responsibility and our culture of working for one another. The BASICS are our compass in this time of digital transformation because our working world is changing profoundly. We believe this transformation presents considerable opportunities for our company, for climate protection and for road safety.
The interplay between our BASICS, our corporate governance guidelines, and our comprehensive code of conduct, to which all employees of the corporation are bound, gives rise to a responsible approach to corporate governance and oversight that is aimed at generating lasting added value.
Responsible corporate management also requires dealing with risks in a responsible manner. Continental has a corporation-wide internal control and risk management system that is used to analyze and manage the risks to the company.
As a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact, we support its 10 principles in the areas of human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption.
We outline the progress we are making on the sustainability front in our report prepared in line with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standard as well as online in our sustainability section at www.continental-sustainability.com.
In addition, we report for the Continental Corporation and Continental AG in a separate non-financial statement pursuant to sections 315b and 315c in conjunction with sections 289c to 289e of the German Commercial Code (Handelsgesetzbuch – HGB). This statement is published online in the Sustainability/Downloads section of our website.
In the year under review, the Executive Board launched a project to further ingrain sustainability in our organization and improve our existing processes. With the participation of all pertinent departments and involving the managers of the various divisions, specific recommendations and measures were defined, which are then to be implemented successively. These include the implementation of a new strategy for our commitment to society.
Employees and collaboration
Respecting people, valuing their achievements and fostering their abilities are the foundations of our HR work. Continental is a diverse company whose employees come, for instance, from various ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. We value and foster the diverse ideas and experiences of our employees. They are the key to our success. By supporting them in the course of their professional development and fostering their talents, we are creating added value not only for our employees, but also for the company, our customers and other stakeholders.
In addition to training and development opportunities – not to mention fair wages and salaries – we also offer our employees attractive social benefits. The health of our employees and job security are top priorities as well.
Environmental and climate protection
Environmental protection is an integral part of our company policy. For us, economics and environmental awareness are not contradictions, but are the foundation for sustainable value creation at Continental.
Our environmental management system is based on global megatrends, which also form the basis of the corporation’s overall strategy. This system incorporates all levels of the value chain and the entire life cycles of Continental products. As a result, our environmental responsibilities extend from research and development, the purchasing of raw materials and components, logistics and production, to the use and recycling of our products. Our service processes are geared toward continuously improving the use of resources in relation to business volume.
Social obligations and responsibility
Compliance with all the legal requirements that apply to Continental AG and its subsidiaries and adherence to internal regulations by all employees form part of our obligations and shape our corporate culture.
Through profitability, we lay the foundations for safeguarding jobs in many regions of the world. We also aim to create value for the people who live and work near our locations. Our voluntary activities focus on three areas in which we wish to position ourselves based on our business model, our challenges, and how we view ourselves as a company; and where we aim to promote forwardlooking development: social welfare and road safety, education and science, as well as sports.
