Sustainability
at Rosenbauer
Ever since its foundation in 1866, Rosenbauer has been a company geared towards innovation in the firefighting industry. The family business has always considered stable growth and responsible, sustainable practices to be a high priority.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT
Social and environmental responsibilities have always played an important role in the more than 150-year company history of Rosenbauer. The Executive Board fundamentally rejects shortterm thinking about quarterly results in favor of management decisions with a long-term perspective, taking environmental, social, and governance considerations into account, which ensure lasting positive growth for the Group.
Sustainability at Rosenbauer is the responsibility of the Executive Board. A sustainability management system was established in 2016 to embed these principles into the organization in a centralized way. The system is assigned to the Investor Relations division, which reports to the Executive Board. This is where measures taken to date are consolidated and systematically incorporated into goal-setting processes, and new initiatives are launched. Equally important is reflecting current trends and new topics of interest and gaging these for relevance to the sustainability program and the company’s business success.
SUSTAINABLE GOVERNANCE
Rosenbauer considers itself a partner. Our cooperation with customers is above all professional and conscientious and follows internationally accepted guidelines and principles. The sustainable management of our business is built on good corporate governance. Both the Executive Board and Supervisory Board base corporate governance and supervision on Austrian and internationally recognized principles, and are committed to upholding the Austrian Code of Corporate Governance (ÖCGK). The companies satisfies the relevant provisions (see page 23 et seq. of the 2021 Annual Report).
In accordance with the law, the Articles of Association and the Rules of Procedure approved by the Supervisory Board, the Executive Board of Rosenbauer International AG manages the company on its own responsibility. It performs its management duties as required for the good of the company, taking into account the interests of all internal and external stakeholders, in particular those of the owners and employees. At regular meetings it discusses current business performance and makes the necessary decisions and resolutions. A constant and open exchange of information between the members of the Executive Board, management and all employees is one of Rosenbauer’s key management principles. The Executive Board reports to the Supervisory Board regularly and exhaustively on all relevant issues relating to business development, including risk exposure and risk management in the Group. Furthermore, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board maintains regular contact with the CEO, with whom he discusses strategy and ongoing business development.
As well as monitoring the Executive Board, the Supervisory Board also sees it as its duty to support the Executive Board in its management of the company, particularly in decisions of fundamental significance. All members of the Supervisory Board attended more than half of the meetings of the Supervisory Board in the reporting period.
Further information on the composition and working methods of the Executive Board and Supervisory Board and on Rosenbauer’s diversity policy can be found on page 23 et seq. of the 2021 Annual Report.
RISK AND OPPORTUNITY MANAGEMENT
Comprehensive risk and opportunity management is a vital pillar of responsible corporate governance. Rosenbauer takes care to include all business units and corporate divisions in this system. Responsibility for risk policy is borne by the Executive Board. The ongoing identification, assessment and management of risks are an integral part of the management, planning, and controlling process.
During compilation of the annual Sustainability Report, social and environmental risks and opportunities are identified and their impact assessed. None of the sustainability risks were deemed to be of significance.
Further information on risks, opportunities and the impact of Rosenbauer’s business activities can be found in the risk report section in the 2021 Annual Report starting on pages 57 and 138 et seq.
The fire truck of the future, “Revolutionary Technology”, runs on electric power
MANAGEMENT OF CLIMATE RISKS
In 2020, an analysis of climate-related risks and opportunities for Rosenbauer was conducted. The recommendations of the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)1 were applied. Rosenbauer is a supporter of the TCFD.
The first step was to identify climate-related risks and opportunities that could potentially be financially relevant to Rosenbauer. These were determined by analyzing publicly available information from peer companies, climate science reports and other relevant sources. In addition, interviews were conducted with relevant departments in the company such as Risk Management, Purchasing and Innovation. Opportunities and risks from the transition to a decarbonized economy were identified, as were physical opportunities and risks, as shown in the following table:
The identified climate-related risks and opportunities were subjected to an analysis of the financial effects on Rosenbauer and the likelihood of occurrence. The climate-related opportunities and risks were integrated in the annual risk management process. The physical risks to Rosenbauer’s production and assembly locations were identified as the material climate-related risk. The most important climate-related opportunity is the generally increasing need for fire protection products and the opportunities for new Rosenbauer products and services.
ROSENBAUER’S VALUE CHAIN
In order to live up to its responsibilities in the field of firefighting and disaster control, Rosenbauer incorporates sustainability issues into every aspect of its strategy. The focus is on the areas which the company can be instrumental in shaping.
The life cycle of a firefighting vehicle begins with the production of the primary raw materials – steel and aluminum – and extends from in-house production to use by firefighters and the recycling of obsolete materials.
MATERIAL SUSTAINABILITY TOPICS
In an analysis of the value chain, Rosenbauer has identified numerous topics in which social and/or environmental impacts stem from the company. The materiality matrix provides a summary of the results of the stakeholder assessment. The material sustainability topics are those with the greatest importance for stakeholders and the largest impact on people, the environment, and the economy. This Report provides qualitative and quantitative disclosures according to the GRI Standards on all of these topics.
DIALOG WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS
Rosenbauer is in continual contact with stakeholders. The company considers open communication and mutual dialog among partners to be the prerequisite for developing products and services that have their finger on the pulse and for remaining an innovation leader.
Among Rosenbauer’s most important stakeholder groups around the world are customers, fire services and firefighter associations, employees, suppliers and sales partners. Other important partners are the owner family, banks, shareholders and investors. Rosenbauer values collaboration with regional partners and so also counts local communities and residents as relevant stakeholders.
The company’s communication channels with stakeholders are as varied as our stakeholders themselves. Employees are actively informed about ongoing activities in the sustainability process by way of presentations, workshops, training and an in-house magazine. Regular board talks are held to exchange information with the Group’s executive board. This enables employees to ask questions directly.
Shareholders and investors are included in this process during conferences, roadshows and company presentations. Regular press releases and quarterly financial reporting supply additional data. The company holds in-depth discussions with customers and suppliers regarding the development of new products. Rosenbauer is also a member of several firefighter associations, industry clusters and corporate platforms and maintains an active dialog with educational institutions such as universities and colleges.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY
Sustainability at Rosenbauer is the responsibility of the Executive Board as part of the corporate strategy. That means clear responsibilities and resources have been defined, and sustainability has been integrated into all core processes. The Sustainability Strategy is implemented and evaluated by CSR management in accordance with the goals and measures determined annually.
Rosenbauer’s sustainability strategy is based on the existing Mission Statement and values in conjunction with the corporate strategy. Opportunities and risks arising from societal megatrends are important elements that were also considered. The analysis of the value chain and identification of material topics in terms of the impact on people, the environment, and the economy were the most important factors for defining the sustainability strategy.
Based on this foundation, 2017 was set as the starting point for Rosenbauer’s Sustainability Strategy. Working with all members of the Executive Board and operational managers, the relevant areas of activity were defined and corresponding guiding principles developed. Clear KPIs ensure the measurability of targets and measures and that processes are controlled. The inclusion of all operational managers and in-depth discussions of the topics enabled a broad consensus on the direction Rosenbauer’s strategic sustainability efforts should take in the coming years.
We want to change the world of firefighting for the long term. We are committed to this with our corporate strategy.”
DIETER SIEGEL, CEO
ROSENBAUER SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY 2030
Last year, we scrutinized and refined our corporate and sustainability strategy.
Megatrends such as climate change, digitalization, demographic change, and shifts in the global markets are continuously changing the parameters of our sustainable economic activity. We want to sustainably change the world of firefighting.
Responsibility and sustainable success are therefore at the heart of our new corporate strategy 2030. We have now integrated sustainability in our “Rosenbauer City 2030” corporate strategy. After all, only success enables us to assume responsibility. And we will only be successful if we assume responsibility.
By 2030, we want to go further in honoring our responsibility to our employees (Corporate People Responsibility), refine the way we think about responsibility to society and our planet (Corporate Social Responsibility) and, together with our sector, shape the development of the industry (Corporate Industry Responsibility).
- Emission-free firefighting
- Reducing CO2 emissions in logistics by 50%
- Aligning investments with ESG criteria
- Consuming and generating green energy
- Developing a Group climate strategy
- Promoting diversity
- Significantly increasing the proportion of women and
- Supporting managers in order to move Rosenbauer forward sustainably