As a family-owned Holding Company, Haniel has been striving to increase the long-term value of the portfolio since 1756. The divisions’ forward-looking business models are the basis for this sustainable value enhancement. As the active owner, the Holding Company also sees its duty to advance initiatives for corporate responsibility (“CR”), working jointly with the divisions.
Common denominator
Haniel only holds those investments in the portfolio that are sustainably profitable – that is, those that harmonise the needs of people, companies and the environment so that subsequent generations have at least the same opportunities as those of their ancestors. This approach of “People Planet Profit” was developed in 2010 and is being implemented in stages since then by the Holding Company and the divisions – along and outside of the value added chain. The PPP formula thus offers an overarching framework for orientation that creates a clear understanding of corporate responsibility in the Haniel Group. The divisions align their actual activities based on the specific requirements that result from their respective business model, regional structure and value added chain. The goal is to be one of the most sustainable family-owned companies in 2020.
Reaching the goal systematically and transparently
The companies in the Haniel Group continually monitor how their economic activities impact the environment and society – and vice versa. They derive action plans and goals from the results in order to multiply the benefits for the common good and to avoid damage. That is why they are establishing professional CR management programmes. Since mid-2011, the divisions are being supported by a team established for that purpose in the new Shareholders + Sustainability department at the Holding Company. The efforts are intended to culminate in the first CR report on the corporate group’s major activities in 2014. The participants have agreed to this time table in the Haniel Sustainability Council. The board was conceived in 2010 to systematically implement Haniel’s PPP formula. The members – representatives from the top management of the Haniel Group as well as internal and external CR experts – set milestones, launch initiatives, and deliberate how projects can be networked across the Group.
Thinking outside the box
Irrespective of each company’s core business, the companies in the Haniel Group place themselves where they can provide true added value by virtue of their competencies. For the Holding Company, traditionally this means involvement in Duisburg. There, as a “corporate citizen”, Haniel not only provides financial support, but also tangible and intangible support, above all in the areas site responsibility and promotion of education. Detailed information on diverse CR activities of the divisions along and outside of the value added chain is available here.
