Q beyond : Sustainability Report 2020(29.04.2021)

Non-Financial (Group) Report

Sustainability Report 2020

Our Highlights in 2020

CO2

Sustainability now	Significantly lower	New Code
part of our strategy	CO2 emissions	of Conduct

Certified	Diversity Charter	New role model:
top employer	signed	boss turns coach

DNK	Clear goal:
	q.beyond will be
meets requirements of German
Sustainability report now	climate neutral
Sustainability Code (DNK).
	by 2025.

01

q.beyond is the key to successful digitalisation - and thus also to sustainable Cloud, SAP and IoT solutions. Digital technologies make a major con­ tribution to cutting CO2 emissions. q.beyond itself already operates its data centres with 100% green electricity. Now we are taking a further crucial step: by 2025, we aim to be climate neutral. In future, we will be the key to successful and climate-neutral digitalisation.

"We are committed to our ecological­ and social responsibilities and are aligning these with our economic targets."

Jürgen Hermann

CEO q.beyond AG

03

For years now, we have supported our customers in choosing and operating the best and most secure digital solutions and thus assisted them in their own efforts to become more sustainable. After all, digital technologies reduce the volume of resources con­ sumed, optimise production and logistics, facilitate efficient operations and enhance customer benefits. In view of this, since 2020 sustainability has also been a key component of our corporate strategy and the core of our brand. We are clearly committed to our ecological and social responsibilities and are aligning these with our economic targets.

q.beyond to become climate neutral

Climate change is without doubt the ecological challenge of our time. q.beyond will make its own contribution­ to cutting CO2 emissions and has set itself a clear target: by 2025, our company aims to be climate neutral. To this end, we will significantly reduce our CO2 emissions from electricity, fuel and business travel. For our customers, this means that drawing on q.beyond's Cloud, SAP and IoT solutions is a good way to support their own commitment to climate protection. Today, all the electricity we use at our data centres already comes from regenerative energy sources.

The overview of our company's current emissions is a core topic in this, our second sustainability report. For the first time, this report satisfies all criteria of the German Sustainability Code (DNK) and also in­ cludes a CO2 balance sheet prepared in accordance

with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Our CO2 emis­ sions fell massively in the 2020 financial year com­ pared with 2019. This was largely due to the corona­ virus crisis and the resultant avoidance of mobility and business travel. That being said, once the pande­ mic is over we will not simply return to our old habits. Our employees have learned to appreciate the ad­ vantages of working from home, video conferences and collaboration tools. We will retain the resultant flexibility and thus reduce our CO2 footprint.

Digitalisation and sustainability are our future

At the same time, our SME customers will signif­ icantly step up and speed up their digitalisation activities,­ also a knock-on effect of the pandemic. This way, they are revolutionising their business models, opening up new growth opportunities­ for q.beyond and promoting the overall trend towards sustainable business. Digital and sustainable - two sides of the same coin - are the best way to describe our future.

I wish you an enjoyable read.

Cologne, April 2021

Jürgen Hermann

CEO