Materiality and goals
GRI 103-1/-2
Target |
Target horizon |
Status as of 2021 |
|---|---|---|
Define and implement appropriate protective measures for addressing 100 per cent of our production raw materials that harbour a higher risk of human rights violations |
2028 |
|
Milestone: Review 70 per cent of all the production raw materials we use that pose an increased risk of human rights violations and define any necessary remediation measures |
2025 |
|
Milestone: Examine 40 per cent of all raw materials posing an increased risk |
2022 |
|
Milestone: Examine 30 per cent of all raw materials posing an increased risk |
2021 |
31 per cent |
Review 100 per cent of the commodities from the services supply chains that pose an increased risk of human rights violations |
2026 |
24 per cent |
The goal of the Mercedes-Benz Group is to combine achieving business success with acting responsibly toward the environment, people and society — and doing so along the entire value chain.
The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which had been passed unanimously by the UN Human Rights Council, celebrated their tenth anniversary in 2021. We are committed to these principles, which describe how companies are responsible for respecting human rights.
In addition, the German Bundestag und Bundesrat passed the Act on Corporate Due Diligence in Supply Chains (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz - LkSG) in the reporting year. This law will take effect in 2023.
The expansion of electric mobility in particular is further increasing public interest in respect for human rights in automotive supply chains, because the production of battery cells requires the use of raw materials such as lithium and cobalt. These raw materials often come from countries where there is a risk that they are mined under conditions that could be critical from a human rights standpoint.
In addition to the interest expressed by consumers and civil society organisations, we are also observing increasing interest in human rights issues by shareholders, investors and rating agencies. Indeed, human-rights issues are increasingly having an influence on investment decisions.
For us, respect for human rights is a fundamental component of responsible corporate governance. The goal is clear: we only want products that have been produced without violating human rights. We are committed to ensuring that human rights are respected and upheld in all of our Group companies as well as by our business partners and suppliers. To ensure that this is the case, we have developed a due diligence approach called the Human Rights Respect System (HRRS).
We are firmly convinced that we can only be successful over the long term if we fulfil our corporate responsibility for respecting human rights on both the local and global level.