Axel Springer opens new chapter in sustainability with 2019/2020 report

Axel Springer has published its sustainability report for the fiscal years 2019-2020, based on surveys of more than 40 top managers, 1,300 employees and several external experts. Titled “a_new chapter”, the relaunched report covers four fields of activity: Governance, Environment, People and Products & Services. It represents a new chapter in an ambitious sustainability initiative laid out by the company.

The new report is comprised of two parts. To establish transparency regarding its sustainability efforts, Axel Springer created a GRI report. This contains specific technical information and key figures for the Group for the years 2019 and 2020. It includes data regarding CO2 emissions in all three emission categories of the Greenhouse Gas Protocols (GHG). The balance sheet draws on the standards for sustainability reporting set forth by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and will henceforth be published annually.

Complementing the GRI report, the Axel Springer sustainability portal highlights current projects and the efforts of the employees who are working to make the media and technology company more socially and environmentally responsible.

According to the report, six Axel Springer units are already climate neutral: Ringier Axel Springer Poland, idealo, Bonial, Axel Springer Ideas Engineering, Axel Springer hy and APX.

Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Axel Springer, said: “The best way to achieve greater sustainability is not through restrictions, but through innovation and the use of smarter technologies. We are cognisant of our responsibility as a company to make a major contribution to securing the freedom of future generations. We do that by shaping the entire Axel Springer enterprise – our business decisions, processes, and products – in a manner that is sustainable across the board. This is how we aim to transform Axel Springer into a climate-neutral company over the long term.”

Marcus Werner Blank, Head of Sustainability at Axel Springer, commented: “As a media and technology company, we can make a major contribution to creating a more sustainable world. We are therefore working hard to infuse our corporate culture and all of our units and processes with a greater commitment to sustainability. We’re well on our way to realising that potential, but we must get even better, particularly as regards our data situation, and that is precisely what we intend to do. In doing so, we are laying the foundation for the implementation of our Group-wide climate strategy next year – with the ambitious goal of making the Axel Springer Group climate-neutral.”

Detailed insights into Axel Springer’s commitment to sustainability are provided on the Axel Springer Sustainability Portal and in the GRI Sustainability Report 2020.

Topics

Your first step to joining FIPP's global community of media leaders

Sign up to FIPP World x