Fronius Earth Mission - Policy - Sustainable development

Policy Sustainability

Material sustainability issues

The materiality analysis presents the relevant economic, social and ecological aspects of Fronius, which are determined in a comprehensive process at regular intervals and with the involvement of internal and external stakeholders.

The materiality matrix consists of three dimensions:

the social, economic, and environmental impact of our business activities, including the upstream and downstream value chain (see x-axis),
the importance to stakeholders (see y-axis) and
the business relevance (mapped by the bubble size).

Responsible business practices

Social responsibility

Ecological responsibility

1. Economic performance

2. Business ethics & compliance

3. Sustainable products & services

4. Research & development, innovation

5. Sustainable procurement

6. Employment and working conditions

7. Employee development

8. Diversity and equal opportunities

9. Occupational health and safety

10. Customer health and safety

11. Decarbonization and climate protection

12. Resource conservation and cycles

13. Biodiversity and ecosystems

Our sustainability program

Derived from our mission statement and values, the company-wide sustainability program was redefined in 2021. The focus areas are based on the results of the materiality analysis and the topics that make the greatest contribution to sustainable development.

The following focal points were defined:

Priority area	Key figures	2021	2022	Development
Decarbonization	Comany Facilities	1,070 t CO₂e	754 t CO₂e	↓
Diversity	Percentage of women in relation to the total workforce	37 %	38 %	↑
	Percentage of women in leadership positions	13 %	14 %	↑
Human Rights	Proportion of preferred suppliers audited against sustainability criteria	-	35 %
Environment	Specific waste produced	0.23 t	0.22 t	↓

Sustainable development goals

Fronius is aware of the economic, social and environmental impacts caused by its own business activities and by the upstream and downstream value chain. With our measures and programs, we make an important contribution to achieving 7 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Their relevance was determined based on the results of the materiality analysis.

SDG 3: Good health and well-being

The health and safety of its employees is very important to Fronius. To promote physical and mental health, employees can take advantage of medical examinations and consultations with the occupational medical service as well as consultations with an in-house company psychologist. We also make an active contribution to raising awareness among our employees with various campaigns and information materials. (For more information, see the chapter "People - social responsibility"

SDG 4: Quality education

Education has a high priority at Fronius. A variety of professions are offered in apprenticeship training, and the number of apprentices is growing steadily. Every employee has the opportunity for training and continuing education. The Fronius training program, which is published every year, offers a wide and varied range of courses, from technical training and online courses to personality-building seminars and exciting keynotes on current topics. More details in the "People - Social Responsibility" section.

SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy

Fronius can make a particularly big positive impact on this goal. In the Business Unit Solar Energy, solutions are developed to generate and use solar energy efficiently and intelligently. In order to cover 100% of the entire energy demand from renewable sources all year round and around the clock, an efficient coupling of electricity, heat and mobility is also needed. Further information under "Profit - Responsible Business".

SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth

Fronius' steady growth is reflected in increasing production volumes, the steady expansion of manufacturing facilities and the creation of new jobs. In doing so, we are committed to providing attractive jobs with corporate values that are lived and breathed. We are also committed to respecting human rights, ensuring necessary working conditions and safe working environments, paying appropriate compensation, and promoting the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining. These and other behaviors are set out in our Fronius Code of Conduct and are also expected of our business partners. New suppliers are screened against social and environmental criteria, and ongoing monitoring is carried out for existing suppliers. For more information, see "Profit - Responsible business".

SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

We play an important role in the regional economy and source most of our goods from Austria and Europe. Innovation is an important driver for Fronius, enabling us to offer customers even more efficient and resource-saving products and services. In doing so, we pursue the goal of ensuring that our products are designed in an environmentally compatible manner that goes beyond the legal requirements. For more information, see "Profit - Responsible business".

SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production

Our products are durable, repairable and resource-saving over their entire life cycle. When selecting materials and components, we consciously pay attention to origin, environmental compatibility and recyclability. The devices undergo a variety of tests and inspections to ensure that they have a long service life in harsh conditions. Details in the "Profit - Responsible Business" section

SDG 13: Climate action

At Fronius, work is underway to continuously increase the energy efficiency of buildings and processes. By using renewable energy sources for heat and electricity through geothermal energy, biomass and photovoltaics, Fronius contributes to goal number 13 "Measures for climate protection". More details in the "Planet - Ecological Responsibility" section

Organization of sustainability management

Corporate Sustainability Desk im Überblick

Responsibility for sustainability

Since sustainability is an important matter for Fronius it is a key responsibility of the management board. The management board in turn regularly updates the supervisory board and the foundation’s board of directors about the progress in implementing the sustainability program.

The Corporate Sustainability team is responsible for developing strategy, managing activities, and implementing measures. It considers sustainability to be a cross-cutting issue that is relevant to all areas of the company.

A company-wide sustainability network, the Corporate Sustainability Desk (CSD), was set up in 2020 with 17 members from various departments with the goal to put sustainability matters into action. In addition, there are three sub-networks, including the area of research & development.

All info about the responsibilities

Sustainability management system To ensure that sustainability is anchored in all areas, Fronius has decided to introduce a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) management system in accordance with ONR 192500 (based on ISO 26000) and to have it successfully certified externally in 2021. Within the framework of the CSR management system, Fronius addresses the following fields of action:

Labour practices

Community envolvement and development

Fair operating practices

Consumer issues

Human rights

Environment

Labour practices

Community envolvement and development

Fair operating practices

Consumer issues

Human rights

Environment

Stakeholder Engagement

Holding an open and constructive dialog with our internal and external stakeholders is of central importance to Fronius.

It is crucial to understand and consider stakeholders’ interests and expectations when making assessments and decisions. By engaging in dialog, we can identify relevant and sensitive topics from which we can draw key conclusions for our activities.