Sustainability Report 2023

A2 GRI Index

Declaration on application

Zeppelin GmbH has reported in accordance with the GRI standards for the period from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023.

GRI 1 used

GRI 1: Foundation 2021

Applicable GRI industry standard

none

 

GRI standard Location Notes
The organization and its reporting practices
GRI 2-1 ➔Company profile
➔Annual Report 2023, p. 18 ff.
 
GRI 2-2 A4 Overview of national subsidiaries  
GRI 2-3 A1 About this report
➔Annual Report 2023, p. 76
 
GRI 2-4 A1 About this report  
GRI 2-5 A1 About this report  
Activities and employees
GRI 2-6 ➔Company profile
➔Sustainable supplier management
➔Annual Report 2023, p. 21 ff.
 
GRI 2-7 ➔Human Resources
➔Annual Report 2023, p. 64 ff.
The number of employees (FTE) is stated in the Sustainability Report as of December 31, 2023 and in the Annual Report as an annual average. It is currently not possible to break down by employee with non-guaranteed working hours as per GRI 2-7 b iii, as this data is not yet recorded in an internationally standardized manner. Instead of the breakdown by full-time and part-time, a full-time rate is specified, which is calculated on the basis of the ratio of employees (FTE) to employees (headcount). The part-time ratio and the full-time ratio together add up to 100%. No distinction is made between full-time and part-time employees; all company benefits are also offered to part-time employees. This ensures compliance with the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG).
GRI 2-8 ➔Human Resources No significant proportion of the company’s activities are carried out by employees who are employed outside Zeppelin.
Corporate governance
GRI 2-9 ➔The Group Management Board and the Supervisory Board
➔Annual Report 2023, p. 4 ff. and p. 13 ff.
➔Website (www.zeppelin.com)
The main activities and obligations of the Supervisory Board are set out on the website and in the Annual Report. The term of office of the members of the Supervisory Board is based on the statutory provisions, in particular Section 102 of the German Stock Corporation Act (AktG). The term of office of the members of the Group Management Board is based on the individual provisions of the employment contract and generally amounts to three years when appointed for the first time and then five years in each case. The collection of further information has been initiated. Insofar as relevant for Zeppelin with regard to the legal form and shareholder background, reports will be made on this in the future.
GRI 2-10 ➔Annual Report 2023, p. 14 ff. The committees and activities are described in the report of the Supervisory Board in the Annual Report 2023. Information on the formation of committees can be found in the rules of procedure of the Supervisory Board. Further information can be found in the annual report of the Supervisory Board in the Annual Report 2023. Six employee representatives are elected by employees. Two of these employee representatives must be representatives of trade unions represented in the company. Criteria for nomination and selection procedures for members of the Supervisory Board on the shareholder side are increasingly based on competence and diversity. The mayor of the city of Friedrichshafen (as a representative of the Zeppelin Foundation as shareholder and Chair of the Supervisory Board) pre-selects suitable candidates with the help of an external consulting firm. Whether there are conflicts of interest is examined in detail during the selection process. Suitable candidates are presented to the Board of Trustees of the Zeppelin Foundation and then to the municipal council of Friedrichshafen. The municipal council then decides which candidates are to be appointed as members of the Supervisory Board and instructs the representative of the city of Friedrichshafen to elect these persons at the shareholders’ meeting. The collection of further information has been initiated. Insofar as relevant for Zeppelin with regard to the legal form and shareholder background, reports will be made on this in the future.
GRI 2-11 ➔The Group Management Board and the Supervisory Board ➔Annual Report 2023, p. 13 ff.  
GRI 2-12 ➔Sustainability organization  
GRI 2-13 ➔Sustainability organization  
Corporate governance
GRI 2-14 A1 About this report  
GRI 2-15   Members of the Supervisory Board are committed to the interests of the company and may neither pursue personal interests nor take advantage of business opportunities to which Zeppelin is entitled. There is an obligation to disclose conflicts of interest, in particular those that may arise due to an advisory or executive function with customers, suppliers, lenders, or other third parties. In the event of significant and not only temporary conflicts of interest, the Supervisory Board member should resign from office. Advisory/service agreements between the Supervisory Board member and Zeppelin must be disclosed and require the approval of the Supervisory Board in order to be effective. The Zeppelin Foundation of the city of Friedrichshafen is a direct and indirect sole shareholder of Zeppelin GmbH. According to the Articles of Association, the mayor of the city of Friedrichshafen is Chair of the Supervisory Board. The collection of further information has been initiated. Insofar as relevant for Zeppelin with regard to the legal form and shareholder background, reports will be made on this in the future.
GRI 2-16 ➔Compliance
➔Data protection
➔Risk management
The Zeppelin Group has established a Trustline that enables anonymous submission of information that is reported independently by the Compliance organization to the Management Board and the Supervisory Board. The Chair of the Management Board and the entire Management Board also update the Chair of the Supervisory Board and his representatives outside board meetings on current developments and material processes. All members of the Supervisory Board are informed in writing of the Group’s performance on a monthly, timely and comprehensive basis; in addition, the Management Board informs them of the current developments and significant events at the meetings of the Supervisory Board.
GRI 2-17 ➔Sustainability organization  
GRI 2-18 ➔Sustainability organization  
Corporate governance
GRI 2-19 ➔Annual Report 2023, p. 161 Information pursuant to GRI 2-19 a. can be found in the Annual Report 2023 (p. 161). The collection of further information has been initiated. Insofar as relevant for Zeppelin with regard to the legal form and shareholder background, reports will be made on this in the future. Remuneration policy for managers: The different legal requirements of the various countries in which Zeppelin operates, as well as the different business models of the strategic business units, contradict the approach of comprehensive, globally harmonized remuneration systems. This means that the basic approach to remuneration is determined by local regulations and principles of the individual companies. Group management positions have been defined at a higher level, which serve, among other things, as orientation for remuneration. Furthermore, a uniform procedure is chosen for Group-wide special payments, taking into account the country-specific purchasing power. At present, sustainability targets are not yet part of the incentive models.
GRI 2-20   The amount of the annual remuneration of the Supervisory Board is determined by resolution of the shareholders’ meeting and thus indirectly by the municipal council of the city of Friedrichshafen. An appropriateness check is commissioned by the Chairman of the Supervisory Board. An external consulting firm is commissioned for this purpose, which uses publicly accessible investigations into Supervisory Board remuneration at comparable companies as a basis. The collection of further information has been initiated. Insofar as relevant for Zeppelin with regard to the legal form and shareholder background, reports will be made on this in the future.
GRI 2-21   The information according to GRI 2-21 cannot yet be evaluated. International reporting channels must be established in order to ensure reporting capability on the new requirements of the GRI and the CSRD (ESRS requirements).
Strategy, policies and practices
GRI 2-22 ➔Statement by the Management Board
➔Group and sustainability strategy
 
GRI 2-23 ➔Human rights due diligence
➔Compliance
➔Sustainable supplier management
➔Supplier Code of Conduct (CoC)
Code of conduct for partners, suppliers and service providers: www.zeppelin.com/de/de/verantwortung/compliance/
GRI 2-24 ➔Human rights due diligence
➔Compliance
➔Sustainable supplier management
➔Supplier Code of Conduct (CoC)
 
GRI 2-25 ➔Compliance
➔Human rights due diligence
➔Sustainable supplier management
www.zeppelin-trustline.com
GRI 2-26 ➔Compliance www.zeppelin-trustline.com
GRI 2-27 ➔Compliance  
GRI 2-28 ➔Membership of associations and initiatives  
Stakeholder engagement
GRI 2-29 ➔Stakeholder and materiality analysis  
GRI 2-30 ➔Human Resources Due to the different structures, it is currently not possible to indicate the percentage of employees covered by a collective agreement required by GRI 2-30 a. More detailed information on collective agreements can be found in the Human Resources section.
Material topics
GRI 3-1 ➔Stakeholder and materiality analysis  
GRI 3-2 ➔Stakeholder and materiality analysis  
Compliance    
GRI 3-3 ➔Compliance
➔Risk management
 
GRI 205-1 ➔Compliance
➔Annual Report 2023, p. 87 f.
Within the framework of the approved audit plan, the audit department carries out random checks with regard to abnormalities. Potential corruption risks can thus be identified when reviewing benefits, consultancy contracts, memberships and sponsorships. A description of the audited companies is included in the Annual Report 2023.
GRI 205-2 ➔Compliance GRI 205-2 b: The anti-corruption policy is stored centrally in Sharepoint and is therefore visible, valid and mandatory for all employees. GRI 205-2 c: Business partners receive the Code of Conduct for Suppliers, which includes the topic of anti-corruption. A list of the total number of business partners and region is not available at this time. Whether and to what extent this data will be evaluated in the future still needs to be reviewed.
GRI 205-3 ➔Compliance There were no confirmed incidents of corruption in the 2023 fiscal year and no employees were dismissed or warned about corruption. There have been no confirmed incidents where contracts with business partners have been terminated or not renewed due to violations related to corruption. No public law proceedings related to corruption have been initiated against the organization or its employees during the reporting period.
GRI 206-1 ➔Compliance  
Dataprotection
GRI 3-3 ➔Data protection
➔Risk management
 
GRI 418-1 ➔Data protection  
Qualitymanagement
GRI 3-3 Quality management  
Sustainable supplier management
GRI 3-3 ➔Sustainable supplier management
➔Risk management
 
GRI 308-1 ➔Sustainable supplier management  
GRI 308-2 ➔Sustainable supplier management The information according to GRI 308 cannot yet be evaluated. As part of the project to implement the requirements of the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act, the required processes are currently being set up and can therefore only be reported in a standardized manner across all companies in the next fiscal years.
GRI 408-1 ➔Human rights due diligence
➔Sustainable supplier management
The information according to GRI 408-1 cannot yet be evaluated. As part of the project to implement the requirements of the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act, the required processes are currently being set up and can therefore only be reported in a standardized manner across all companies in the next fiscal years. The Zeppelin Group is not aware of any child labor, forced labor or compulsory labor at its sites in the reporting period ending December 31, 2023.
GRI 409-1 ➔Human rights due diligence
➔Sustainable supplier management
The information according to GRI 409-1 cannot yet be evaluated. As part of the project to implement the requirements of the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act, the required processes are currently being set up and can therefore only be reported in a standardized manner across all companies in the next fiscal years. The Zeppelin Group is not aware of any child labor, forced labor or compulsory labor at its sites in the reporting period ending December 31, 2023.
GRI 414-1 ➔Sustainable supplier management The information according to GRI 414 cannot yet be evaluated. As part of the project to implement the requirements of the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act, the required processes are currently being set up and can therefore only be reported in a standardized manner across all companies in the next fiscal years.
GRI 414-2 ➔Sustainable supplier management The information according to GRI 414 cannot yet be evaluated. As part of the project to implement the requirements of the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act, the required processes are currently being set up and can therefore only be reported in a standardized manner across all companies in the next fiscal years.
Sustainable products & services
GRI 3-3 ➔Sustainable products & services
➔Risk management
 
GRI 301-3 ➔Sustainable products & services The information according to GRI 301-3 cannot yet be evaluated. It will be examined how this data can be collected internationally via new reporting channels.
GRI 302-5 ➔Sustainable products & services The information according to GRI 302-5 cannot yet be evaluated. It will be examined how this data can be collected internationally via new reporting channels.
Customer health and safety
GRI 3-3 ➔Customer health and safety
➔Risk management
The information according to GRI 3-3 e and f cannot yet be reported. The topic of customer health and safety has only been included in the Sustainability Report since 2022. International processes and reporting structures must be implemented further in the coming years.
GRI 416-1 ➔Customer health and safety The indication according to GRI 416-1 a of a percentage of all reviewed product and service categories cannot yet be reported. The products and systems supplied by Zeppelin are subject to the Machinery Directive. For European customers, we issue a CE certificate for all machines and systems. The same quality standards apply to non-European customers at Zeppelin, but in these cases we do not issue a CE certificate. International processes and reporting structures on the topic of customer health and safety must be implemented further in the coming years.
GRI 416-2 ➔Customer health and safety The information according to GRI 416-1 and 2 cannot yet be reported. The topic of customer health and safety has only been included in the Sustainability Report since 2022. International processes and reporting structures must be implemented further in the coming years.
Carbon neutrality
GRI 3-3 ➔Carbon neutrality
➔Risk management
 
GRI 302-1 ➔Carbon neutrality  
GRI 302-2 ➔Carbon neutrality
➔Current priorities and projects
The information according to GRI 302-2 cannot currently be evaluated. Scope 3 emissions were determined for the first time in 2023 in a cross-SBU project for all 15 categories. The data is based on 18 out of 45 relevant companies. All major companies are included. Due to identified data gaps, the focus is initially on closing these gaps and improving processes.
Carbon neutrality
GRI 302-3 ➔Carbon neutrality  
GRI 302-4 ➔Carbon neutrality
➔A3 Conversion factors for CO2 emissions
The information according to GRI 302-4 cannot yet be evaluated.
GRI 305-1 ➔Carbon neutrality
➔A3 Conversion factors for CO2 emissions
GRI 305-1 c: Biogenic CO2 emissions are not currently relevant for Zeppelin and are therefore not reported separately.
GRI 305-2 ➔Carbon neutrality  
GRI 305-3 ➔Carbon neutrality
➔Current priorities and projects
The information according to GRI 305-3 cannot currently be evaluated. Scope 3 emissions were determined for the first time in 2023 in a cross-SBU project for all 15 categories. The data is based on 18 out of 45 relevant companies. All major companies are included. Due to identified data gaps, the focus is initially on closing these gaps and improving processes.
GRI 305-4 ➔Carbon neutrality  
GRI 305-5 ➔Carbon neutrality The report lists various measures that represent progress towards reducing CO2 emissions. The scope of greenhouse gas emission reductions, which are a direct consequence of emission reduction initiatives, cannot yet be presented. A standardized procedure will be developed in the future.
Reduce water consumption
GRI 3-3 ➔Reduce water consumption
➔Risk management
 
GRI 303-1 ➔Reduce water consumption The information according to GRI 303-1 cannot yet be evaluated.
GRI 303-2 ➔Reduce water consumption Wastewater discharge is checked regularly and legal regulations are complied with. More detailed information in accordance with GRI 303-2 is not yet possible. International reporting channels must be established in order to ensure reporting capability on the new requirements of the GRI and the CSRD (ESRS requirements).
GRI 303-3 ➔Reduce water consumption Currently, the data is not yet available in the depth of detail required by GRI 303-3. International reporting channels must be established in order to ensure reporting capability on the new requirements of the GRI and the CSRD (ESRS requirements).
GRI 303-4 ➔Reduce water consumption Currently, the data is not yet available in the depth of detail required by GRI 303-4. International reporting channels must be established in order to ensure reporting capability on the new requirements of the GRI and the CSRD (ESRS requirements).
Reduce water consumption
GRI 303-5 ➔Reduce water consumption The information according to GRI 303-5 c and d cannot yet be evaluated. International reporting channels must be established in order to ensure reporting capability on the new requirements of the GRI and the CSRD (ESRS requirements).
Circular economy
GRI 3-3 ➔Circular economy
➔Risk management
 
GRI 306-1 ➔Circular economy At present, information in accordance with GRI 306-2 can only be provided for German companies. Regulations within the non-German companies may vary.
GRI 306-2 ➔Circular economy At present, information in accordance with GRI 306-2 can only be provided for German companies. Regulations within the non-German companies may vary.
GRI 306-3 ➔Circular economy  
GRI 306-4 ➔Circular economy Currently, the data is not yet available in the depth of detail required by GRI 306-4. International reporting channels must be established in order to ensure reporting capability on the new requirements of the GRI and the CSRD (ESRS requirements).
GRI 306-5 ➔Circular economy Currently, the data is not yet available in the depth of detail required by GRI 306-5. International reporting channels must be established in order to ensure reporting capability on the new requirements of the GRI and the CSRD (ESRS requirements).
Occupational health and safety
GRI 3-3 ➔Occupational health and safety
➔Risk management
 
GRI 403-1 ➔Occupational health and safety About 65% of employees are part of the occupational safety management system.
GRI 403-2 ➔Occupational health and safety  
GRI 403-3 ➔Occupational health and safety  
GRI 403-4 ➔Occupational health and safety In Germany, employee participation is sometimes covered by the works council. Studies such as sight tests and flu vaccinations were regularly coordinated. The works council is also involved at an early stage in major projects such as the design of the new work rooms at headquarters.
Occupational health and safety
GRI 403-5 ➔Occupational health and safety  
GRI 403-6 ➔Occupational health and safety Measures to promote health are described in the section on occupational health and safety. The health services are available to Zeppelin employees. Third-party service providers are briefed annually and their ability to work is checked.
GRI 403-7 ➔Occupational health and safety  
GRI 403-8 ➔Occupational health and safety Temporary workers and freelancers, etc. are covered in the OH&S Management System. The information according to GRI 403-8 a iii is not currently available. It will be assessed whether and how this data can be reported.
GRI 403-9 ➔Occupational health and safety The required information in GRI 403-9 b cannot yet be reported. It will be assessed whether and how this data can be reported.
GRI 403-10 ➔Occupational health and safety Due to the differences in legislation regarding the options for collecting country-specific medical data, the required data on work-related illnesses cannot be collected reliably.
Employee satisfaction
GRI 3-3 ➔Human Resources
➔Employee satisfaction
➔Risk management
 
GRI 401-1 ➔Employee satisfaction The requirement of GRI 401-1 a is reported for the first time in this Sustainability Report 2023. The presentation of new hires by region can currently only be mapped via the strategic business units. It is not yet possible to report the data in accordance with GRI 401-1 b. International reporting channels must be established in order to ensure reporting capability on the new requirements of the GRI and the CSRD (ESRS requirements). Instead of fluctuation, the sustainability report currently shows the average length of service and the rate of voluntary resignation.
GRI 401-2 ➔Human Resources
➔Employee satisfaction
Company benefits are also offered to part-time employees.
GRI 401-3 ➔Employee satisfaction A breakdown according to GRI 401-3 cannot currently be reported. The Employee satisfaction section lists the total number of all employees in the Group who took parental leave in the reporting year. International reporting channels must be established in order to ensure reporting capability on the new requirements of the GRI and the CSRD (ESRS requirements).
Diversity
GRI 3-3 ➔Diversity
➔Risk management
 
GRI 405-1 ➔Diversity A breakdown per employee category according to GRI 405-1 b has not yet been drawn up. International reporting channels must be established in order to ensure reporting capability on the new requirements of the GRI and the CSRD (ESRS requirements).
GRI 405-2 ➔Diversity The information according to GRI 405-2 cannot currently be evaluated. International reporting channels must be established in order to ensure reporting capability on the new requirements of the GRI and the CSRD (ESRS requirements).
GRI 406-1 ➔Diversity The number of cases of discrimination as per GRI 406-1 cannot yet be reported. International reporting channels must be established in order to ensure reporting capability on the new requirements of the GRI and the CSRD (ESRS requirements).
Donations & sponsorship
GRI 3-3 ➔Donations & sponsorship
➔Risk management
 
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