CEO & CSO Letter
Dear Stakeholders
The Glasgow Climate Change Conference (COP26) captured the attention of the world as global leaders collaborated and debated on effective policies for responding to the climate crisis. The resulting Glasgow Climate Pact calls for a 45% decrease in carbon emissions by 2030 in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C compared to 2010 levels as mandated by the Paris Climate Accords.
The disagreements at the conference highlighted how challenging it will be to reach these targets – and how important it is that every public and private sector entity play an active role. It is not an easy task, nor one that can be accomplished overnight. But it is a task in which we, at Oerlikon, are committed to playing our part in supporting countries to reach the climate goals.
Since publishing our first sustainability report, we have made good progress in advancing our sustainability efforts, both internally and externally, as we continue on our sustainability journey.
In our approach to sustainable innovation, collaboration remains a hallmark as we remain focused on extending tool life, reducing fuel consumption in cars and airplanes, improving textile machinery efficiency, increasing recycling of fibers and materials and pioneering technologies that will enable the future of mobility. In this report, you will find many case studies and examples of how we are continuing to help customers in key markets to build their businesses by implementing cost-effective, climate-friendly solutions and services.
We recognize that ESG practices are inextricably linked to products and profitability. Thus, we have shared the methodology of how we are qualifying and classifying our coatings, components, materials and equipment as sustainable – and their relation to our R&D investments. This will facilitate a better understanding of the sustainability contributions and road map of our technologies toward our R&D investment target.
Around the globe, Oerlikon employees actively participated in our sustainability programs and initiatives. You will find stories of their innovative ideas throughout this report: How our first Diversity Conference raised the awareness of the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion. How we successfully hosted a “topwomentech” jobinar. How fresh perspectives on workplace practice and process sparked changes that reduced operational costs and increased productivity.
We have also achieved milestones on environmental and governance topics. To name a few, we implemented energy management systems at another 12 sites, thus bringing the total to 30 sites, which account for around 54% of our total energy consumption. We have started the project to define our Scope 3 emissions. Our procurement is collaborating with EcoVadis for the assessment of suppliers, and we issued new and updated policies in the areas of sustainability, human rights, anti-child labor and health and safety.
In a year when the pandemic continued to play a major role in our personal and business lives, we were confronted by pandemic-induced challenges that impacted areas such as recruitment and the safety of our employees. We demonstrated that we were well equipped to respond swiftly and effectively to ensure the safety, health and wellbeing of our employees, customers, vendors and communities. This gives us greater confidence in our ability to respond effectively and with minimal disruption to our operations and business for future crises.
In this report, you will find many examples of our progress and actions and stories on how sustainability is at the heart of our products, solutions, operations and in our people.
We take great pride in our ability to attract and retain the exceptional professionals who convert the principles of sustainability to action on behalf of our customers, our partners, our suppliers, our investors and our planet. Only in engaging our workforce are we able to secure the link to sustainability as we work together toward profitable growth.
There is naturally scope for improvement and no quick fix that will shrink the global carbon footprint overnight. We will continue to make progress and recognize the need to implement improvements on an ongoing basis – as a continuum, not as an advance toward the finish line, because there is no finish line in caring for our planet.
On behalf of our Executive Committee and the entire Oerlikon team, we thank each of you, our stakeholders, for accompanying us on this journey. We are grateful as always for your collaboration, interest and support.
In partnership
Dr. Roland Fischer Georg Stausberg
Chief Executive Officer Chief Sustainability Officer
