Annual Report 2022
Annual Report 2022
Nature
Environmental contribution
Bühler develops services and solutions for material transformation and processing which improve the business outcome for our customers with a substantially lower ecological footprint. Bühler is committed to have solutions ready to multiply by 2025 at the latest that will reduce energy, waste, and water by 50% in its customers’ value chains. Furthermore, Bühler has developed a pathway to achieve 60% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in its own operations by 2030*.
* Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scopes 1 & 2, 2019 baseline.
Nature
Environmental contribution
Bühler develops services and solutions for material transformation and processing which improve the business outcome for our customers with a substantially lower ecological footprint. Bühler is committed to have solutions ready to multiply by 2025 at the latest that will reduce energy, waste, and water by 50% in its customers’ value chains. Furthermore, Bühler has developed a pathway to achieve 60% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in its own operations by 2030*.
* Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scopes 1 & 2, 2019 baseline.
Beatrice Conde-Petit, Sustainability Officer, explains the world was reminded again, in 2022, of the urgent need to accelerate progress on climate, but also on biodiversity, circularity, food security, education, and more. These are all parts of Bühler’s sustainability program. The company’s strategy remains, at heart, to balance the needs of nature, humanity, and economy in every decision. This year Bühler has sharpened its agenda with clear targets and rolled it out across the organization. Watch the video to learn more about Bühler’s sustainability strategy and how it will accelerate impact together with its partners.
Reporting of tracked indicators
2022 was the second year of our 5-year reporting cycle for the period 2021-2025. In total, 56 KPIs have been disclosed this year, with the intention to increase this over the course of the coming reporting cycles.
In 2022 we continued improving our reporting methodology across all categories relevant to our company footprint, in particular all 30 manufacturing sites.
The following reporting is based on full calendar year data, providing a basis for more reliable absolute figures.
Key Performance Indicators
Materiality assessment
Providing the overall guidance of Bühler’s sustainability strategy, the materiality assessment was conducted in 2020 by bringing together key stakeholders of the company. Bühler is working on a renewed Enterprise Risk Management process that embeds all sustainability topics. It will be published in the next Annual Report.
For the 2020 materiality assessment, Bühler sustainability team asked internal and external stakeholders to share their perspective on the company’s biggest impact areas. Balancing the needs of economy, humanity, and nature, 48 topics were predefined, using the materiality assessment topics based on the GRI standard and as well strongly individualizing them to fit Bühler’s business. The goal was to lower the risks of blind spots and increase global reach, therefore customers, various business areas and functions, partners from NGOs, and academia were all considered.
Our sustainability goals
We develop services and solutions for material transformation and processing, which improve the business outcome for our customers with a substantially lower environmental footprint. Our biggest impact comes from supporting our customers in reducing their energy consumption, waste generation, and water usage, reducing their CO₂e footprint and at the same time ensuring their productivity and yield.
We have clear targets on these topics. It is our goal to have solutions ready to multiply by 2025 that reduce energy, waste, and water by 50% in the value chains of our customers. We have developed a pathway to achieve 60% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in our own operations by 2030*. Sustainability is embedded in all functions, responsibilities, and activities of our company.
There are three key elements that contribute to the transition of our industries: new solutions, services, and people (education, ecosystems, and the ability to build partnerships across value chains).
* Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scopes 1 & 2, 2019 baseline.
Solutions
For Bühler, innovation and longevity are interconnected – the former is a cause for the latter. Since its origin in 1860, the world has undergone serial technological and market transformations. With its strong research and development (R&D) mindset, Bühler has always focused on how new scientific advances can provide potential benefits to customers at each evolutionary moment. We have for many years concentrated our R&D efforts on improving both commercial and sustainability performance.
Overall, reducing energy, waste, and water use along value chains and increasing circularity are core targets. Major opportunities lie in enabling a sustainable protein supply by reducing the CO₂e footprint and use of antibiotics in livestock, for instance with feed based on upcycling of side streams through insect rearing and processing. Developing great-tasting meat and dairy alternatives is another core theme which will be addressed through solutions leveraging plant-based protein valorization opportunities.
The biggest opportunities for the mobility industries lie in ultra-large structural aluminum parts (megacasting), improved battery components as well as optical systems to allow for autonomous and safe transportation.
Services
Services enable us to improve the performance and productivity of our customers’ existing installed base and with this to minimize energy, waste, and water. With our services, we support our customers in their efforts to become more sustainable. We have over 1 million machines installed worldwide with more than 25,000 customers, and billions of people cover their basic needs for food and mobility every day with products manufactured using Bühler technology. By ensuring that our installed assets in the market run more efficiently, reduce energy, waste, and water, we and our customers together can make a major contribution to reducing the environmental impact of production.
People (education and ecosystems)
On a company level, sustainability is not just seen as an add-on but is fully embedded in all facets of the enterprise. On an industry level, it is all about collaboration and building ecosystems, as no individual or company alone has the intellectual or financial power to create the impact needed to ensure a high standard of living within the boundaries of our planet. On the individual level, it is about awareness and the right skills to take necessary decisions and actions.
Bühler has a strategy of people development and lifelong learning, starting from apprenticeship education, and internal programs, to schools and Application & Training Centers for our customers. People development has always been vital at Bühler. Our company was one of the first to establish systematic vocational training.
By expanding our collaborative ecosystem, we can accelerate meaningful and lasting impact in the food, feed, and mobility industries. Our growing global network of academic partners, start-ups, NGOs, customers, and suppliers contribute to delivering pioneering technology and business solutions that tackle issues such as climate change, food, and energy security, and accelerate the transition to more sustainable mobility. What makes our approach unique is our culture of innovation, experimentation and openness, and our willingness to share our ecosystem with our customers.
Addressing our environmental impact
We have developed a pathway to achieve a 60% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in our own operations by 2030.¹ We are also addressing energy, waste, water, and the associated emissions.
* Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scopes 1 & 2, 2019 baseline.
Energy, waste, and water
Why it matters and our approach
GRI disclosure 302, 303, and 306
To preserve resources, remain cost-efficient, and avoid risk to business operations, we manage our energy and water usage and minimize waste generated. Through this action, Bühler also contributes to minimizing greenhouse gas emissions.
By reducing the total consumption of energy and water, and production of waste, Bühler increases its profitability and conserves natural resources. With our R&D activities, we develop solutions that enable our customers to reduce waste, energy, and water use by 50% within their operations.
This approach covers Bühler’s 30 manufacturing sites and includes not only the factories, but also the offices, and the impact these sites have on their local areas. Currently, 46 other Bühler sales and service locations are being evaluated to understand the contribution they have to this impact. These represent sites with more than ten employees. Not included in this approach is raw material sourcing and the waste produced from this. Bühler has prioritized the largest sources of emissions and those where access is provided to the necessary information.
Bühler’s management of energy, water, and waste falls under its greater commitment to sustainability and reducing the negative impacts associated with overconsumption and the resulting business risks.
Bühler’s environmental policy governs the management and reduction of energy, water, and waste across Bühler’s global manufacturing footprint. The policy outlines the method for reporting and reduction of the relevant indicators and was authorized by the Executive Board. Within the policy, Bühler commits to ensure responsible use of resources throughout the business, including the conservation of resources and improvement of efficiency within its operations. These commitments go beyond the regulatory compliance in each of the countries it operates in. The goal is to operate the current and future growing footprint at a new sustainable level relative to the current level. The main consideration for reduction by a certain period is the increased business risk from a change in external factors. This falls under the responsibility of the COO.
The objective of mitigating the same negative impacts from the use of Bühler’s products is under the responsibility of the CTO, with the target set to have solutions ready to multiply by 2025 that reduce energy, water, and waste by 50% in our customers’ value chains.
What we achieved
Energy
This year we have built on the foundation that we built last year. Our manufacturing sites have a more comprehensive understanding of how they consume energy and how we will approach reducing consumption. We have three internal targets regarding energy: (1) address the source of electricity and move to a higher percentage of renewable sources; (2) address moves away from fossil-based sources for heating and cooling at our sites; and (3) address reduction of overall energy consumption. Employees are still encouraged to propose solutions to improve energy efficiency at a site or within a region, and the regional sustainability teams assess the proposed ideas and their feasibility.
This year, we have switched to renewable electricity sources with several of our energy providers, including in Curitiba and Almere. We have installed smart meters at several locations, with the goal to extend to more sites, to have a better understanding of our largest areas of consumption. This has already led to significant insights and actions to reduce energy consumption. Our targets and action plans are set for 2023.
What we achieved
Waste
We have continued to raise awareness of the importance of waste reduction at sites, and our current focus in on diverting waste from disposal.
In 2022 we have significantly increased our understanding of where waste is coming from at our manufacturing sites and we have piloted several small projects with suppliers to reduce waste. In Bühler Sanmak we have developed returnable packaging with some suppliers, which allows us to reuse the same material for several deliveries. In China, we have also extended the request for industrial packaging from suppliers.
We have set clear reduction targets for all sites in 2023 and are increasing our knowledge of how different waste materials can be diverted from disposal.
What we achieved
Water
Water continues to be an important topic at our manufacturing sites. We have implemented water flow management systems on taps across our Changzhou site in China and are planning its roll-out to other key locations. In Minneapolis, we have restored an area around the site to a Natural Minnesota Prairie, as opposed to watered grass, to reduce unnecessary water consumption.
We have also been assessing several options to reduce water consumption in manufacturing processes, and aim to develop these in 2023, to move away from just office consumption.
Impact on the SDGs
The management approaches and subsequent actions directly linked to the Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) 6, 12, and 13.
Emissions
Why it matters and our approach
GRI disclosure 305
Climate change is the most pressing issue faced by all life on earth. Bühler is committed to contributing to mitigating its impacts. With this we commit, in the interest of all stakeholders, to take action before the effects become irreversible.
Through the conservation of resources, reduction of waste generated, and collaboration to decarbonize heavy emitting areas of its value chain, Bühler can contribute to the required mitigation of emissions into the atmosphere. This reduces the impact on the industries which Bühler has served for the past 162 years and avoids a significant risk to its core business.
The measured and managed boundary of this management approach extends to almost all areas of Bühler’s value chain. Bühler’s 30 manufacturing sites globally, which includes not only the factories but also the attached offices, and the Scope 1 and 2 emissions from them, are at the core. Also included are the upstream activities of purchased goods and services, capital goods, fuel, and energy related activities, upstream transportation, waste generated from operations, business travel, and upstream leased assets. The same applies for downstream activities: downstream transportation and use of Bühler’s sold products.
All other areas are not included either due to lack of primary, secondary, and tertiary data or because it is not relevant to business operations. However, it is the intention of Bühler to measure and manage all sources of emissions in the near future.
Bühler’s mitigation of emissions falls under its commitment to sustainability, which is to reduce all avoidable emissions it is responsible for and drive the change towards a more socially and environmentally conscious business, while also balancing its financial performance.
With regard to Bühler’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions at its 30 sites globally, which includes their factories and offices, and the Scope 3 categories of purchased goods and services, capital goods, fuel, and energy related activities, upstream transportation, waste generated from operations, upstream leased assets and downstream transportation, the responsibility falls under the COO and their department Manufacturing, Logistics & Supply Chain.
What we achieved
Emissions
In Scope 1, most emissions are the result of natural gas consumption used in operations and heating of buildings. Thus, it has been the primary focus over the year to reduce consumption of gas. One focus is employee engagement through training. Moreover, the implementation of energy-efficient systems to manage the use of fuels is being examined along with possibilities to improve and replace high-emitting processes and decarbonize the source of heating. An example of this is the implementation of a biomass boiler which, when operational, can replace the use of natural gas at the Bühler Uzwil site in Switzerland by up to 30%.
In Scope 2, the use of non-renewable electricity is the largest contributor to the category’s emissions. In 2022, Bühler has made significant progress to decarbonize its source of electricity with the sites in Almere and Curitiba switching to procuring electricity from renewable sources. For electricity consumption in 2022, we will also purchase a corresponding amount of renewable electricity certificates to cover several locations that are not able to switch currently with their energy providers. Bühler understands that there are other procurement methods that can have a greater positive impact on the availability of renewable electricity and is currently undergoing an assessment to determine the correct strategy going forward.
For Scope 3, the focus on the management of emissions over the past year has been on the largest emitting subcategories. The other subcategories within the boundary – capital goods, fuel and energy related activities, waste generated in operations and upstream leased assets – are either indirectly reduced from actions taken with regards to Scope 1 and 2 or not prioritized due to the relative size compared to the other subcategories.
With regards to emissions generated from the purchased goods and services, the primary focus has remains to engage with suppliers in three distinct categories. The first is the energy used in its operations and the possibility to only use renewable electricity; the second is reducing the packaging used to supply materials; and the third is changing the type of transportation used in upstream activities. With nearly 9,000 suppliers globally, Bühler set priorities on engaging with suppliers who have already established targets and those with heavy emitting processes, thus far engaging with more than 120 suppliers, which account for 20% of its total spend.
This year in the category of purchased goods and services, we have also validated our emissions calculations externally.
In both Scope 3 subcategories, excluding our sold goods and services, Bühler has engaged suppliers on the local and global level to set joint actions to decarbonize the transportation and packaging used.
One area of action has been with already mature suppliers in the field and their availability to support Bühler in its emission reduction ambition. Bühler has investigated several different options this year to understand key levers for emissions reduction with suppliers, including a pilot using intermodal transport with a local supplier responsible for a route between Italy and Switzerland, and an internal project to optimize inbound logistics routes in Germany.
Examples of actions to mitigate the emissions associated to Bühler’s sold products can be found in the section Impact Solutions and Services.
Impact on the SDGs
The management approach and subsequent actions are directly linked to the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) 12, 13, and 17 and indirectly linked to SDGs 7 and 9.
Quantification of our environmental impact
GRI disclosure 103-1 and 103-2
Every day, the food, feed, and materials processed on Bühler technologies help to feed an estimated 2 billion people and provide mobility for 1 billion people. With this global reach comes responsibility. This is why Bühler has set goals to have solutions ready to multiply by 2025 that reduce energy, waste, and water by 50% in the value chains of our customers (50/50/50). This focus was selected as we have the capability to bring impact in these areas. By doing this, we seek to support our customers to reach their sustainability targets, minimize their greenhouse gas emissions, and mitigate climate change. We believe it is only through ambitious targets that we will be able to sustainably feed and transport a growing global population by 2050.
To achieve these goals and to better understand our impact, Bühler launched its environmental quantification program in February 2020, to quantify the CO₂e footprint of the products processed through our technology, and the impact of our solutions and services on the CO₂e footprint of our customers’ finished products.
Mitigating climate change is complex and will not be achieved if we are unable to measure the impact of our actions. The purpose of Bühler’s environmental quantification program is to achieve just that. Measuring emissions is the priority in the emissions hierarchy. A major focus has been placed on quantifying the emissions occurring in the entire value chain and identifying the carbon hotspots and then taking appropriate action to maximize avoidance and reduction of CO₂e through services for more efficient processing, new solutions, and renewable energy sources. For this, Bühler quantifies the impact of our new
solutions compared to previous solutions, to track our progress toward our 50/50/50 goals as well as the corresponding CO₂e reduction potential. Lastly, there is the need to draw down unavoidable emissions from the atmosphere in collaboration with companies such as Climeworks or Ecosystem Regeneration Projects from the Crowther Lab. This process aims at supporting our customers to actively and credibly compensate and/or neutralize their emissions.
The measured and managed boundaries of this management approach expand to all key products and the impact of all key technologies and services across the Group.
The management approach and its boundaries are under direct responsibility of the Bühler’s Chief Technology Officer and Group Sustainability Officer. As a result, the respective team has been tasked to strategize and implement actions to mitigate the negative impacts which result from energy consumption.
Over the last year, Bühler has continued its engagement with colleagues on the topic of sustainability and CO₂e quantification. Also, the environmental quantification team has extended the quantification to be able to evaluate other environmental metrics: water depletion and land use.
Quarterly training and meetings took place with ambassadors and management in the regions and in the businesses to raise awareness of the topic and identify gaps in the quantifications. During these meetings, participants are encouraged to understand how we can further embed this in daily business activities to support our customers in reducing their carbon footprint.
What we achieved
With targets comes the need for metrics. For our ambitions to be credible, we need to understand what impact we are having on our sustainability targets. Therefore, in February 2020 we launched the environmental quantification program, designed to map out and measure key environmental metrics (such as CO₂e emissions, land, and water use) for the products processed through Bühler technology, covering around 90% of the products processed by Bühler customers. The program is designed to calculate and/or measure environmental impact across our customers’ entire value chains, from the production of the raw materials to the manufacturing process and then on to distribution and retail.
For CO₂e specifically, we use a quantification method compliant with ISO 14067 standards, using an external partner, Société Générale de Surveillance SA (SGS), to audit the calculations. We have now assessed 20 value chains, over 40 different solution
areas, and 71 high-impact technologies and services. We have externally validated our CO₂e quantification methodology with SGS for seven product/solutions. Bühler will continue to work with external partners to ensure all aspects of sustainability are considered.
Since 2021, Bühler started to quantify avoided CO₂e emissions. This is the amount of CO₂e that is not being pumped into the atmosphere because of the new Bühler technologies and services that efficiently process our customers’ products (compared to our benchmark year, 2017). This metric is helping to highlight the importance of retrofit technologies on existing processes and showing that retrofit is one of the fastest ways to cut emissions. In 2022, Bühler also started automatically tracking these emissions with the aim of covering all new projects and equipment installed.
How we measure it
Through its detailed knowledge of production processes, Bühler has been able to calculate how much CO₂e is emitted relative to any specific manufacturing activity. This is known as the emission factor. For example, a flour milling process is divided into eight phases, with an emission factor attributed to each phase. It reveals that the bulk of CO₂e emissions occur during milling, followed, to a far lesser degree, by the blending and screening phases.
CO₂e distribution for 1 tonne of flour with transport emissions
Breakdown of emissions from grain storage to distribution
Sector analysis
The environmental quantification program has also made it possible to calculate an emission factor where Bühler technology is not being used. This enables the program to scale up the emission metrics throughout the whole value chain to give a sector or industry calculation. For example, the global average emission factor for wheat production is 700 kilograms of CO₂e for every metric ton of wheat (source: ecoinvent v3.8). It also means that emissions can be broken down into geographical regions.
To accurately assess progress towards achieving our goal of having solutions ready to multiply that reduce energy, waste, and water by half in the value chains of our customers by 2025, the environmental quantification program can calculate emissions linked to the raw materials being processed on its technologies and services. Only by producing this sort of comprehensive data is it possible not only to compare metrics throughout the value chain but also between industries.
To track progress towards meeting the 50/50/50 goals, the environmental quantification program can calculate CO₂e reduction in terms of the technology used by the customer, the emissions generated by the customer’s plant, and the emissions embedded within the customer’s value chain.
Scopes
We quantify high-impact technologies and services at three scopes:
- Technology: to focus R&D and quantify impact and reductions of energy, waste, and water.
- Plant: to quantify the impact for our customers and support their journey to CO₂e neutrality.
- Value chain: to define the impact of technology and services up and downstream using CO₂e.
Technology scope
Bühler compares how a new technology will improve emissions relative to an older technology. For example, when the SWAKT-Eco was introduced, it reduced gas consumption by 20% relative to its predecessor. Bühler ensures that any research and development program will target the 50/50/50 goals as a priority.
Plant scope
This part of the program quantifies the impact of CO₂e reduction from the perspective of the customer. For example, the Mill E3 reduces CO₂e produced within the mill by 9%. This is an important calculation for our customers, who are themselves under pressure to demonstrate to the market that they are taking steps to reduce their own carbon footprint. Many Bühler customers are already starting to commit to becoming net-zero.
Value chain scope
By calculating CO₂e emission reduction across the whole value chain it is possible to ensure the focus is on the carbon hotspots. For example, a technology that reduces 90% of waste gases may have a minimal impact on CO₂e emissions across the whole value chain.
By combining these three areas of scope, we can focus our R&D activities on maximizing the reduction of CO₂e concentration in our atmosphere.
Impact on the SDGs
The management approach and subsequent actions directly linked to the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) 9, 12, and 13. They are indirectly linked to SDGs No. 6, 7, and 15.
Impact solutions and services
To objectively track progress on our goals to have solutions ready to multiply by 2025 that reduce energy, waste, and water by 50% in the value chains of our customers, and to support our customers to quantify and reduce their environmental footprint, we have quantified the environmental footprint of all the key products processed through Bühler technology and quantified the impact of our key technologies and services. The environmental quantification includes CO₂e, land use, and water use.
Water depletion of key food and feed products
Agricultural land occupation of the key food and feed products
The quantifications cover 20 value chains, over 40 different solution areas, and 71 high-impact technologies and services. We quantify the impact of technology to understand reductions in energy, waste, and water, and the CO₂e reduction at customer plants and within the entire value chain (from raw materials through to distribution). This carbon foot-printing method follows the ISO 14067 methodology and has been externally verified by an independent third party SGS.
We have also developed a service to enable customers to quantify, reduce, and certify the environmental footprint of their sites and products and to understand key reduction methods. More information on our environmental quantification service can be found here.
Bühler quantifies the impact of its new solutions, compared to previous solutions, in order to track our progress toward our goals to have solutions ready to multiply by 2025 that reduce energy, waste, and water by 50% in the value chains of customers, as well as measuring the CO₂e reduction potential. Also, with its environmental quantification service Bühler is able to quantify the impact of its customers’ operations and products and link this with technologies and services that reduce impact.
In 2022, Bühler included land use as an important indicator in its environmental quantification. Insects for animal feed is an example of a solution that has the potential to contribute to saving land and, in turn, to creating a positive impact on biodiversity. High impact solutions for increasing circularity in terms of biomass and technical material have also been quantified. Examples include the utilization of protein-rich side streams for plant-based meat analogues and the service for remanufacturing die casting machines.
Cleaning and sifting solutions
Grain handling technologies
Insects in animal feed: alternative ingredients
Technology in biscuit production: TurboE
Bühler Leybold Optics architectural glass coater
With our environmental quantification service, we support customers to quantify the environmental footprint of their production sites and products and, through certifications, provide transparency and credibility to communicate the results.
For example, we supported Swiss confectioner and chocolate producer Kägi with a holistic sustainability approach:
- Bühler experts conducted a Performance Assessment Workshop at Kägi to identify optimization possibilities.
- With Bühler Insights and the overview of processes and KPIs, Kägi expects significant cost savings and an OEE increase.
- We quantified Kägi Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions from the operations and the upstream-value chain to identify key levers for reductions.
- The assessment included an analysis of the impact of renewable energy.
- The assessment transferred knowledge on CO₂e accounting and aims to enable effective communication of Kägi’s sustainability efforts and support strategy development.
We also supported US-based small-batch malt house Epiphany Malt by:
- Quantifying product CO₂e footprints of barley production, barley logistics, malting, and distribution logistics;
- providing a breakdown of the barley agriculture emissions;
- Estimating water and land use of raw materials;
- Offering an overview and know-how to accompany Epiphany on its pathway to CO₂e neutrality and support it in purchasing carbon credits .
Certificates
CDP
CDP is a not-for-profit organization that runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states, and regions to manage their environmental impacts. The benefits of annually disclosing to CDP include better visibility of Bühler’s sustainability practices among stakeholders, as well as ensuring transparency of the company’s climate impact.
After submitting for the first time in 2019 and receiving a score of “C-” in the Climate Change questionnaire, Bühler significantly increased its performance in 2020, achieving a score of “B” when responding to the full version of the questionnaire. In 2021, Bühler maintained its “B” rating, indicating to its stakeholders that it continues to take coordinated actions on climate related issues. Bühler also maintained its rating in supplier engagement at “B-”, an additional rating provided on actions taken in its supply chain over the course of 2020.
With the actions taken in 2021 and 2022, which are reflected in the sustainability report, Bühler seeks to tackle its improvement areas from the scores received in both rating categories and will continue to work within its value chains on actions to mitigate climate change.
EcoVadis
EcoVadis is a globally recognized platform for grading a company's environmental, social, and ethical performance for the year. With over 75,000 companies involved, it allows Bühler’s customers to compare companies to their competitors and prove that their supply chain complies with verified sustainability standards. Internally it helps to direct a company's focus to the areas of improvement over the next year.
Achievements: 2022 is Bühler’s fifth assessment with the platform, having achieved a silver medal score in 2019, before losing it in 2020 due to a change in the EcoVadis ranking system. By focusing on the relevant improvement areas, Bühler regained the silver medal in 2021. In this year’s EcoVadis assessment Bühler gained the bronze medal as a consequence of changes in the scope and ranking system in EcoVadis’ assessment. Bühler continuously strives to work on improvement areas in order to enhance environmental, social, and ethical performance.
ISO
ISO certification standards are the global environmental standard for validation of a company’s conduct. The standards are internationally agreed by experts in quality management, environmental management, food safety, and health and safety, to be in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set out by the United Nations.
The ISO certification recognizes Bühler’s effective environmental management systems using global environmental standards for validation. The company has undergone several on-site assessment programs including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001. With these certifications, we can show to all relevant stakeholders our current standards and our intention to further be aligned with the standards set out by ISO and in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
SEDEX
SEDEX (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange) helps organizations manage data on labor practices, health and safety, environment, and business ethics in their supply chains. SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit) covers ETI Base Code principles and additionally reviews performance with regards to human rights, land rights, responsible recruitment practices, the right to work of migrant workers, management systems implementation, and the presence of sub-contracting and home working.
NQC / Drive sustainability
Drive Sustainability is an automotive partnership between BMW Group, Daimler AG, Stellantis N.V., Ford, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Scania CV AB, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, Volvo Cars, and Volvo Group.
The partnership, facilitated by CSR Europe, aims to drive sustainability throughout the automotive supply chain by promoting a common approach within the industry and by integrating sustainability in the overall procurement process. In 2020, Bühler passed the assessment, which at time of publication is still valid.
Our impact on UN Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainability Committee
The Sustainability Committee was formed by the Executive Board to strengthen Bühler’s sustainability strategy and execution plans. Its members include renowned international experts from outside Bühler as well as internal experts. It focuses on the delivery of environmental targets for climate with Scopes 1, 2 and 3, on circular economy, nature, and biodiversity.
Chairman
Stefan Scheiber
Committee Members
Dr. Ian Roberts
Dr. Mark Macus
Dr. Holger Feldhege
Expert external Committee Members
Prof. Dr. Tom Crowther
Prof. Dr. Lino Guzzella
GRI content index
Bühler Group has reported the information cited in this GRI content index for the period from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022 with reference to the GRI Standards. GRI 1 used: GRI 1: Foundation 2021.
The full GRI content index can be found on page 77 in the Annual Report 2022 PDF.
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