Oerlikon to be Operationally Climate Neutral by 2030
- Oerlikon publishes first Sustainability Report
- Aligned with United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
- 2030 targets reflect Oerlikon’s focus on the most material ESG contributions
Pfäffikon, Schwyz, Switzerland – March 2, 2021 – Oerlikon (SIX: OERL) today makes a strong public commitment to sustainability by publishing its first Sustainability Report, Innovation for a Sustainable Future.
“Sustainability has been an integral part of our strategy that drives our innovations and operations to serve our customers’ needs for many years,” states Dr. Roland Fischer, CEO Oerlikon Group. “With the report, we now make a public commitment and join the ranks of people proactively engaging with sustainability and inspiring others to do the same.”
Helping customers in key industries to achieve more with less is an integral part of Oerlikon’s value proposition, technologies and operations. Based on the materiality analysis, Oerlikon has selected 8 out of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) where the company can make the most difference for its stakeholders.
Environmental, social and governance targets for 2030 have been set by the Group in areas that align most closely with its operations, policies and capabilities. These targets, for example using only energy from renewable sources and increasing the number of women in leadership roles, have been selected with care and consideration in areas where Oerlikon can make the greatest impact.
“Setting ambitious targets, such as achieving climate neutrality in our operations by 2030, clearly underlines our commitment,” added Dr. Fischer. “We also intend to have 100% of our R&D investment in new products to cover the ESG criteria. We have always seen innovation and sustainability as interdependent – for example, in 2019, our innovative technology solutions for jet engines helped our customers in the aerospace industry to save 25 million tons of CO2. At the same time, the CO2 impact of our own global operations was only 157 000 tons.”
Oerlikon has many other tangible examples of how its engineering and processing of materials and surfaces contribute to sustainability in collaboration with its customers. Oerlikon’s technologies lengthen the useful life of machinery and tools, improve automotive and aerospace fuel efficiency and pioneer advances in textile manufacturing and the future of mobility.
Oerlikon’s 2020 Sustainability Report is prepared according to the internationally recognized GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards1, underlining the Group’s commitment to transparently sharing its sustainability achievements and progress, and is accessible online at www.sustainabilityreport.oerlikon.com.
About Oerlikon
Oerlikon (SIX: OERL) engineers materials, equipment and surfaces and provides expert services to enable customers to have high-performance products and systems with extended lifespans. Drawing on its key technological competencies and strong financial foundation, the Group is sustaining mid-term growth by addressing attractive growth markets, securing structural growth and expanding through targeted mergers and acquisitions. A leading global technology and engineering Group, Oerlikon operates its business in two Segments – Surface Solutions and Manmade Fibers – and has a global footprint of more than 11 100 employees at 182 locations in 37 countries. In 2019, Oerlikon generated CHF 2.6 billion in sales and invested more than CHF 120 million in R&D.
