Respectful treatment of people and the environment

Autoneum is continuously striving to improve its environmental performance by reducing and recycling waste generated in manufacturing as well as lowering energy and water consumption. In 2021, the Company contributed to environmentally friendly production with 67 eco-efficiency projects at 23 locations and introduced further energy efficiency measures and recycling methods for feedstock and other materials used in the production process at various sites. In addition, seven locations obtain more than 80% of their electricity from renewable certified energy. To improve the Company’s environmental performance, Autoneum trained a team of experts comprised of Research & Development employees in the life cycle analysis (LCA) of products and also committed to reducing its Scope 3 emissions by 20% by 2027 compared to 2019.

In order to ensure the health and safety of employees at all Company locations, regular training sessions were held at all plants also in 2021. Dedicated modules provided employees with important knowledge about the safe use of machines in order to protect themselves from safety hazards in production. In addition, a safety manual with standardized measures to mitigate risks in felt production was developed and introduced worldwide. The Safety Leadership program launched in the previous year was continued in 2021, mainly virtually and, in particular, in plants with higher accident rates, in order to sensitize all plant, shift, and EHS managers to the early identification of hazards and new safety aspects. Moreover, to further improve ergonomic standards in the plants, process engineers and EHS staff were trained in the use of software tailored to Autoneum’s manufacturing processes. Compared to the previous year, Autoneum recorded a decrease in accidents in 2021. To protect employees from the coronavirus, all Autoneum plants worldwide continued to implement strict health requirements and measures again this year. In 2021, three more plants were awarded ISO 45001 certification, the leading international standard for occupational safety and health. Thus, a total of 32 Autoneum plants are now ISO 45001 certified.

Our employees are Autoneum’s most important asset. A motivated, committed and culturally diverse workforce is the key to Autoneum’s long-term economic success. Frequent interruptions in operations due to the semiconductor crisis required the Company to be more agile and efficient in 2021, thus posing new challenges for employees. Autoneum therefore adapted its staff development strategy in 2021 and increased the focus on corporate culture, engagement, leadership, skills development, and succession planning for key positions. In this context, a survey of all employees provided a comprehensive picture of their engagement. Based on the results, corresponding improvement measures will be developed and implemented at all Autoneum locations in 2022. In addition, Autoneum offered a wide range of professional and personal development projects. For example, virtual courses and high-performance leadership programs were conducted for managers and other employees to promote their skills and development.

Autoneum aims to act in an exemplary and ethical manner both within the Company and in all business relations. The value basis for these actions is the Code of Conduct, which is binding for all employees and whose implementation is managed through a comprehensive Compliance Management System (CMS) and the guidelines, processes, and objectives defined therein. The global compliance risk assessment is used to evaluate the development status of the CMS on a continuous basis and identify potential for improvement. As in the previous year, managers were again made aware of their role model function and appropriate behavior in their interaction with staff as part of training courses in 2021 (“Tone at the Top”). Regular training sessions for all staff on the Code of Conduct and on topics such as anti-corruption, sexual harassment in the workplace, competition law, data protection, and cybercrime serve as preventive action to ensure that Autoneum employees do not endanger themselves or the Company through incorrect actions.

With more than 50 locations in 24 countries, collaborative relationships with local communities are of great importance to Autoneum. By means of social and environmental projects, Autoneum helps raise public awareness of local sustainability issues and targets and develop long-term relationships with regional stakeholders. For example, Autoneum employees in Bursa, Turkey, initiated a donation and collection campaign for the children’s shelter in their community. Thanks to their extraordinary commitment, a generous donation for the “Violence against Children” campaign was collected. In France, 15 employees from the Blainville plant cleaned up a nearby beach in Normandy of marine debris, separating the waste from recyclable materials and disposing of it correctly. Employees from our Chinese plant in Guangzhou delivered healthy meals to elderly people in need in their community every day for a month. For ten years, employees at our plant in Bloomsburg, USA, have been supporting “Camp Victory” in Millville, Pennsylvania, with regular maintenance work: In 2021, another roof was repaired for the project, which provides a carefree vacation experience to children with health restrictions, bringing the total number of roofs repaired over the last decade up to 12.