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 157-year company history of Rosenbauer. The Executive Board fundamentally rejects short-term 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 Group Communication, Investor Relations & CSR 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.
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 in the 2022 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 2022 Annual Report.
PANTHER electric: ARFF vehicle with electric drive train.
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
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.
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.
Rosenbauer sustainability strategy 2030
In the reporting year, we finalized our “Rosenbauer City 2030” corporate and sustainability strategy and presented it to a broad public at Interschutz in Hanover in June 2022.
Responsibility and sustainable success are at the heart of our new corporate strategy 2030. We have now integrated sustainability in our 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).
As a first step, we therefore developed a climate strategy in 2022 based on the specifications of the Sciences Based Targets initiative (SBTi) as an essential part of the sustainability strategy and submitted it for evaluation.
We will continue to implement the strategy at all levels in the future to strengthen our position as a sustainable and responsible systems supplier.
Key points of the sustainability strategy 2030
- 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
For more on our corporate strategy “Rosenbauer City 2030,” see
Our climate strategy
Sustainability is a central component of our long-term “Rosenbauer City 2030” Group strategy. As part of this, we developed a climate strategy in the reporting year and submitted it to the Science Based Targets Initiative. The first evaluation dates are planned for summer 2023.
In the future, it will form the framework for our corporate actions and contain measures to achieve the targets set out in the Paris Climate Agreement.
As a starting point, Rosenbauer is publishing its carbon footprint for the first time in this Sustainability Report. In this interview, CEO Sebastian Wolf provides an outlook on how Rosenbauer plans to reduce its emissions in the coming years.
How important is climate protection to Rosenbauer, and how is it anchored in the Group’s strategy?
Sebastian Wolf: Rosenbauer is aware of its responsibility as a leading company and trendsetter in the firefighting industry and is also taking on a pioneering role in climate protection. We are quite ambitious in this endeavor, and not only pay attention to our own efficient use of resources but also take into account the use of our products by customers in our corporate carbon footprint. This is reflected in particular in our strategic conviction that the fire engine of the future will no longer be powered by a combustion engine.
The goals set out in Rosenbauer’s climate strategy were defined in the reporting year. What are these?
Sebastian Wolf: We are committed to the Paris target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees if possible, but in any case well below 2 degrees Celsius. That is why we want to reduce our direct greenhouse gas emissions by around 50% and our indirect greenhouse gas emissions by around 30% by 2030 compared with 2019. Where we can directly influence our carbon footprint, this target is mandatory; for indirect emissions, including those generated by firefighting work or material purchases, which we cannot directly control, this is to be understood as just a target.
How large is Rosenbauer’s carbon footprint?
Sebastian Wolf: We determined our emissions using data from 2019 and prepared a science-based carbon footprint in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. The footprint along our entire value chain was around 1.5 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents, with direct emissions from the company, for example from the operation of boilers, paint shops or our own vehicle fleet, together with indirect emissions due to purchased energy, accounting for just 1% (15,951 metric tons). Around 15% of our emissions are caused by material procurement and transportation, travel to the workplace, business trips, etc. At over 80%, by far the largest part of the footprint is attributable to emissions generated in use after the sale of our products.
What measures are planned to reduce the company’s direct and indirect emissions?
Sebastian Wolf: We are focusing on increasing our use of renewable energies, intend to increase energy efficiency in processes and infrastructure and also hope to make ourselves less dependent on natural gas for our energy supply. An energy roadmap has already been drawn up for the Leonding location, including a CO2 reduction strategy based on business criteria up to 2030. We are also planning a roll-out for other locations.
How can Rosenbauer influence the share of the carbon footprint generated by customers through the use of its products?
Sebastian Wolf: We are primarily talking about the vehicles that we put into circulation. Around the world, these vehicles are powered by diesel engines, which make it almost impossible to achieve the necessary reduction targets. So, as in the case of private transport, the only way is through a technological shift away from the internal combustion engine and toward electromobility. We set the course for this years ago and were the first manufacturer to offer fire departments a complete line-up of emergency vehicles with electric drive trains.
We are convinced that electromobility is now also being vigorously pursued by truck manufacturers – our most important partners – and that more efficient batteries will be available in the future, making the operation of firefighting vehicles cheaper on balance than before.
We are therefore also forecasting that, by 2030, around half of all Rosenbauer vehicles sold will have an electric drive train, with a correspondingly positive impact on our carbon footprint and the carbon footprint of firefighting organizations, cities, municipalities, airports and industrial companies. Together with our customers, we are thus making a significant contribution to achieving the Paris climate targets.
Is there independent proof of Rosenbauer’s climate commitment
and its progress?
Sebastian Wolf: Yes, there is. We take part in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) precisely for this purpose and were rated “C” when we first submitted in 2021. In 2022, we improved to “B-”. By 2025, we want to achieve the top rating of “A” and thus the Leadership Level.
Mr. Wolf, thank you very much for the interview.
Our climate objectives and carbon footprint
The starting point of our path to climate neutrality is the determination of our corporate carbon footprint. To evaluate the scientific basis of our climate strategy, we submitted it to the Science Based Targets Initiative.
Rosenbauer is committed to the Paris target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius if possible, but in any case well below 2 degrees. That is why Rosenbauer wants to reduce direct greenhouse gas emissions by 46.2% and indirect greenhouse gas emissions by 27.5% by 2030 compared with 2019. In the case of indirect emissions, including those arising from firefighting work or materials purchasing that Rosenbauer cannot directly control, this is to be understood as just a target.
Climate neutral
Climate neutrality is established by offsetting carbon emissions through inclusion in carbon sinks. Companies can reduce or neutralize their own emissions generated within the organization in addition to avoiding emissions through offset projects.
Net Zero
According to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), achieving net zero means reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 1.5° Celsius by 2050. Remaining residual emissions can be removed from the atmosphere in this process through the use of carbon credits.
1 The Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) is a working group established by the International Financial Stability Board (FSB) to address risks and opportunities from climate change for the global economic and financial system. It was established to develop voluntary, standardized disclosures on climate-related financial risks.