In addressing global sustainability challenges, we are guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). The UN SDGs serve as our compass.
Many of the global sustainability challenges and calls for action are outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Introduced in 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals provide an inspiring framework for broad-based action. All the goals are linked to each other and Viessmann will use them as a guide to implement change.
Our most recent Viessmann climate report contains our climate strategy which explains our contribution to SDG 13, among others. In the next phase, we will be guided by the science-based Future-Fit Business Benchmark to define a complete sustainability strategy for the entire Viessmann Group. This will enable us to look at our current business models from the SDGs and thus create a clear perspective on how we can impact the SDGs today. And then, how we can optimise our efforts to achieve the SDGs by 2030. The SDGs provide us with guidance on how to develop Viessmann activities, set targets and work with our partners. By exceeding the limits of what the planet can handle and falling short of realising the social foundations, we are not on the right track in terms of achieving the SDGs globally. What is required is a rapid, active changeover to business models with only positive effects on people and planet - and that is exactly what we are doing at Viessmann.
In our first approach to the SDGs, we assessed the 17 goals in terms of their relevance to our group. In the end, the following eight SDGs were found to be particularly relevant.
This means ending all forms of discrimination against women and girls and protecting them from all types of violence. For our company, we focus on the equal participation of women in the labour market and on the reconciliation of family and working life for women and men, with the aim of a fair distribution of family tasks between partners.
Water is a scarce resource among many others. MDG 6 calls for, among other things, access to safe drinking water, improvement of water quality, efficient use and sustainable withdrawal of water by all sectors, implementation of integrated water resources management, and protection and restoration of water-dependent ecosystems. As a company, we want to take all these points into account in our production processes and have already integrated them into our environmental management.
One of the biggest changes that mankind will have to make on this planet in the future is the transition to an energy supply based on renewable resources. This means using energy as efficiently as possible now to conserve our planet's resources and reduce the pressure on energy production. Viessmann's energy systems are already designed according to these principles. We are constantly striving to make all our processes, products and services as energy efficient as possible.
In industrialised countries around the world, economic growth is the basis for prosperity. It ensures the creation of new jobs and forms the basis for a competitive welfare state. But the aim in the future must be to decouple economic growth from resource and energy consumption. At Viessmann, we work every day to develop technical solutions that conserve our resources. We treat our employees fairly. They are part of the Viessmann family.
More and more people around the world live in cities. Even though cities only occupy about 2% of the earth's surface, they are already home to over 50% of the world's population. Cities are therefore central stages of sustainable development: they drive our economies, culture and innovation. Around 75 per cent of CO2 emissions are generated in cities. This is why we must pay special attention to the sustainability of cities. At Viessmann, we make a significant contribution to this with our technologies.
In concrete terms, this means maintaining and increasing prosperity while preserving the planet's limited resources. A particular challenge is to link individual behaviours to their global impact, as well as to take into account the complexity of global interdependencies. Our company strives to integrate sustainability into all its processes and to orient its management, production and sales accordingly.
Climate change does not stop at national borders and its consequences affect us all. Protecting the global climate is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. Rapid and ambitious measures to reduce climate-damaging emissions and to adapt to the consequences of climate change are essential for global sustainable development. In the latest Viessmann climate report we published our climate strategy, which describes our contribution to SDG 13.
Ultimately, the 17 goals can only be achieved if many actors around the world cooperate. Through networking, new partnerships can be created, creative solutions found and best practices disseminated. This is also Viessmann's goal.
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