Bechtle : AGM Document

S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y R E P O R T 2 0 2 0

Grown together.

Growing together.

2 C o n t e n t s 

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Bechtle AG Sustainability Report 2020

3

FOREWORD	4
ABOUT THIS REPORT	6
RESPONSIBLE LEADERSHIP	8	Bechtle's business model.
	9	Responsibility at Bechtle.
	10	Effective response to the coronavirus pandemic.
	12	Bechtle's sustainability strategy.
	14	The Bechtle Sustainability Code.
	16	Sustainability requires commitment.
	17	Essential non-financial risks.
	17	Essential non-financial topics.
	19	Stakeholder communication.

BUSINESS ETHICS 30 Responsibility in the supply chain.

33 Remarketing.

1. Human rights due diligence and labour conditions.
2. Compliance.

43 Quality management.

EMPLOYEES AND SOCIETY 44 Employer attractiveness.

52 Occupational health and safety.

1. Employee development, vocational and further training.

1. Lead to succeed.

1. Diversity and equal opportunity.

1. Social commitment.

1. Creative AI on German Unity Day.

ENVIRONMENT	76	Energy consumption and emissions.
	85	Sustainable IT - Energy-efficent IT
	87	Logistics and packaging.
	91	Refuse and recyclables.
GRI CONTENT INDEX	93
CONTENT OF THE NON-FINANCIAL	98
GROUP REPORT
LEGAL NOTICE & CONTACT	99

Bechtle AG Sustainability Report 2020

4 F O R E W O R D 

GRI 102-14

D E A R R E A D E R S ,

The past year was nothing like we've ever seen before. All the same, our Sustainability Report 2020 is a continuation of the proven and natural principle of comparing our performance with the previous year and, as astounding as it may seem, it has been pretty good. There are of course some figures that were exceptional in the reporting year and we will continue to track these extraordinary developments into the future. The slump in the number of kilometres travelled with our fleet of vehicles and the surge in the number of virtual conferences are just two such examples and it will be interesting to see in what ways the pandemic will change us in the long run. Incidentally, the past twelve months have shown us just how important Sustainability Reports are. They don't only document changes, but frame them within an economic, ecological and social context.

2020 was a year of unprecedented challenges for each and every one of us - public life ground to a halt, our jobs turned upside down, and meeting people face to face happened largely through a screen. But was it all negative? By no means.

Despite not knowing how the pandemic will progress, and how long it will be before life can begin to return to normal, one thing is very clear, when we look back over our ability to act and deliver, our flexibility and resilience, we didn't just "get through" 2020, we grew with the exceptional conditions. We have learned a lot, stayed on our toes, been a reliable partner for our customers, and embraced a new spirit of togetherness. In fact, Bechtle has proven to be robust, resilient and impressively successful in the face of crisis, which says a lot about our own sustainability and, ultimately, our outlook well into the future.

Bechtle AG Sustainability Report 2020

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Of course, 2020 called for a monumental effort with the pandemic testing us to the limits. The lines between personal and professional have blurred in a way we never thought possible before and the initial euphoria surrounding New Work has given way to a more realistic view as time has gone on. Here too, concepts and long-term measures took on new meaning and were approached in a wholly different manner. For example, our Leadership Initiative put a focus on the topic of remote leadership, training courses took place online rather than on-site, Corporate Health Management switched their courses to a digital platform, and our in-house IT very efficiently updated the security specifications in order to align the increased use of cloud services, video conferences and new applications with modern defences against the ever-growing risk of cyber criminality. While there were some teething problems, much was implemented in record time.

Another thing we have learned from the past year is that a willingness to change, an ability to grow, and agility are the qualities that count above all else when it comes to long-term success. It's entirely up to us to make the best out of every situation and seize the opportunities brought about by the new and unfamiliar. With this in mind and against the backdrop of our belief that a business not only has a responsibility for its own employees, but also society as a whole, we have created this report. It is also a reflection of the momentum that the topic of sustainability is gaining amid the growing interest of our key stakeholders, and, increasingly, the capital market and the general public.

For this reason, we have once again put our processes under the microscope, are currently working on a dedicated Sustainability Strategy and are making organisational changes that will enable us to address new aspects and collect even more KPIs in order to greatly improve transparency. We have seen that building this report on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards was an important step in the right direction. We first used theGRI Standard in our 2019 Sustainability Report and therefore have a consistent basis for comparison for the current reporting year. With this report, we invite you to discover more about Bechtle's extensive sustainability measures and to see to what extent we have pur- sued, achieved or even surpassed the goals set in previous years, and how they are now being superseded with new, more ambitious ones.

Safe in the knowledge that anything is possible with the backing of a strong team, we at Bechtle are continuing on a path to success, constantly facing and overcoming new challenges responsibly and sustainably. Step by step with clear goals for the future. Join us on our journey.

Kind regards,

Dr Thomas Olemotz

Bechtle AG Sustainability Report 2020