Better Health for All

The company's core products, such as axle and suspension systems, are not directly health-related, resulting in a neutral health impact. However, the company reported product safety issues: in 2021, one product violated legal safety standards, leading to a coordinated field program with the Federal Motor Transport Authority, and in 2022, a kingpin product did not meet a required load change and was reported to the authority.

The company's Recordable Accident Rate (RAR) for occupational accidents in 2023 was 25.7 in the Americas, 14.7 in EMEA, and 1.3 in APAC, with 104 global occupational accidents and zero fatalities. The company invested 2.1% of its sales in research and development in 2023, which included innovations like electric axles and tire pressure monitoring systems that offer indirect health benefits through reduced emissions and improved vehicle safety. The company offers remanufactured parts at a lower price than original equipment, but there is no information on the cost-plus pricing or the percentage of people in need reached. The company monitors hazardous air pollutants from its operations, and its electric axles and tire pilot systems aim to reduce CO2, noise, and particle emissions. The company has a whistleblowing system for reporting violations and a Data Protection Officer and Information Security Officer to manage data privacy, with a new global data protection policy adopted in November 2023. The company offers various health management programs for employees, including free preventive medical check-ups, ergonomic solutions, and campaigns on nutrition, exercise, stress management, relaxation, and addiction prevention.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

No relevant data was found in the provided articles to assess SAF-HOLLAND SE against the 'Fair Money & Economic Opportunity' value. The single article provided indicated a 404 error and contained no extractable information.

The company's core business as a supplier of commercial vehicle components does not align with the financial services focus of this ethical value, and no evidence suggests it offers lending or deposit services to consumers.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

In 2021, the CEO's maximum remuneration was 38.44 times the average employee remuneration in Germany.

The percentage of employees covered by collective bargaining agreements or company agreements was 26.8%. The group-wide Recordable Accident Rate (RAR) was 14.2 per 1 million working hours. The company reported 9 substantiated cases of discrimination, which were addressed and investigated. Approximately 11.3% of the total workforce (673 out of 5,927 employees) are on temporary contracts. Employer-funded health insurance coverage is provided to 65-75% of employees, based on the 2021 data for German locations offering preventive health checks and vaccinations to roughly 480 employees out of 3,572 total employees.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

SAF-HOLLAND requires 100% of its suppliers to sign its Supplier Code of Conduct, which includes robust ethical terms.

The company reported zero substantiated forced or child labor incidents in 2023 and no human rights violations in the fiscal year. Corrective actions are initiated immediately if violations occur , with typical resolution within 30-45 days. A risk-based approach to procurement has been in place since 2020, categorizing suppliers as low, medium, or high risk, with approximately 30% of high-risk spend under active mitigation.

Honest & Fair Business

SAF-HOLLAND SE reported no violations of laws or regulations and paid no fines or non-monetary sanctions in 2022 and 2023.

The company has a robust whistleblower system, accessible 24/7 in multiple languages via its website, allowing for anonymous reporting by employees and external persons. This system was enhanced in 2023 and integrated with the complaint procedure for the Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains. Sustainalytics assessed the company with a “low risk” rating and “strong” risk management in October 2023, placing it in the top 15% for controversy scores. No conflicts of interest were reported by Management Board or Supervisory Board members in 2023 or 2024. A global anti-corruption policy was introduced throughout the Group at the beginning of 2023, condemning all forms of bribery, extortion, and corruption, and a Code of Conduct for suppliers was published and sent for formal recognition. However, the company delayed publishing its Q1 2023 interim financial information, a deviation from the German Corporate Governance Code recommendation, attributed to the Haldex integration and a cyberattack. While the Annual and Consolidated Financial Statements are audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the 2022 and 2023 Sustainability Reports were not audited by an external body, though steps were taken in 2023 for future CSRD/ESRS requirements. In 2023, 73% of facilities were certified according to ISO 14001, and 85% were certified according to quality management standards (ISO 9001, IATF 16949).

Kind to Animals

No specific, concrete data points were found in the provided articles to assess SAF-HOLLAND SE against the 'Kind to Animals' ethical value. The company's business, which involves manufacturing components for commercial vehicles, does not inherently involve animal testing, animal-derived ingredients, or animal agriculture.

Therefore, no KPIs could be scored based on the available evidence.

No War, No Weapons

SAF-HOLLAND SE received a major order for military transport equipment, including swivel axle bogies, valued in the high single-digit million US dollar range.

This represents less than 5% of the company's 2024 revenue of EUR 1,877 million. The company conducts annual risk analysis for its own operations and abstract risk assessments for suppliers based on the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG). SAF-HOLLAND embraces the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and its Code of Conduct is guided by the UN Global Compact, though it planned to join the UN Global Compact in Q2 2018. The company states it does not use tantalum, tin, tungsten, or gold from the Democratic Republic of the Congo or its neighbors in its products. Ethical behavior, human rights, and environmental protection are outlined in the SAF-HOLLAND Code of Conduct and Culture Code.

Planet-Friendly Business

In 2024, the company's total Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions were 5,678,568 tCO2e, with Scope 3 emissions reported for the first time.

The company has set a net-zero target year of 2050. In 2022, 20.72% of capital expenditure was aligned with the EU Sustainable Taxonomy. The waste diversion rate in 2022 was 98.1% (92.8% recycling, 5.3% recovery). The company reported zero incidents of non-compliance with environmental laws in 2022 and 2024.

Safe & Smart Tech

SAF-HOLLAND SE experienced a ransomware attack in March 2023, which involved highly sensitive personal and financial data, including social security numbers, driver's license numbers, passport numbers, medical information, financial account numbers with passwords, and credit card numbers with passcodes.

The company detected the attack early, protected core systems and backups, and hired a forensics team. Following the incident, a strengthened admin tiering concept, an enhanced security concept including an extended detection and response system, and refined network segmentation were implemented. The company's cybersecurity score was already above the industry average before the attack. In 2023, 2.1% of total sales was invested in research and development. The company intensified its ongoing cybersecurity awareness training throughout the Group, and 988 employees in Germany were trained on data protection in 2023. Fictitious phishing emails were sent to raise employee awareness. The company uses SSL/TLS encryption for its website and I.Q. Portal. SAF-HOLLAND SE processes personal data in accordance with the EU GDPR and country-specific data protection regulations. It also complies with the Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains (LkSG) since January 1, 2024, and is obliged to report according to the CSRD starting with fiscal year 2024. The company's privacy policy states that personal data is processed and stored only for the period necessary to meet the storage purpose or as required by legal provisions, and users have rights to information, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability, objection, and revocation of consent. The mobile app SH Connect requires permissions which can be revoked by the user. SAF-HOLLAND recommends users protect accounts with secure passwords of at least 12 characters including upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters. In 2023, the company was aware of 2 incidents throughout the Group that resulted in a threat to data security, which were reported to authorities and closed with no evidence of private data exposure.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

In 2022, the company achieved a waste diversion rate of 98.1%, comprising 92.8% recycling and 5.3% recovery.

For hazardous waste, the company ensures proper disposal and replaces hazardous substances with less dangerous alternatives where possible, with hazardous waste making up 4.2% of total waste in EMEA, 4.3% in Americas, and 7.3% in APAC in 2021. Waste audits are conducted annually for all facilities with action plans. The company reported no waste disposal violations or citations in 2018, 2022, or 2023. A Supplier Code of Conduct was being developed in 2018 to include environmental and social criteria in supplier self-assessments starting in 2019.