TÜV organisations sign Guiding Principles for Environmental and Social Sustainability

Berlin, 21 September 2022 – The TÜV organisations have agreed on shared guiding principles for sustainability and corporate responsibility at the TÜV Sustainability Conference in Berlin.

“Globalisation, digitalisation and the environmental and climate crisis have fundamentally changed the framework conditions for economic activity”, said Prof. Axel Stepken, President of the TÜV Association and CEO of TÜV SÜD AG, at the TÜV Sustainability Conference in Berlin. “Today, each company must answer the question of how it can contribute to preserving our vital resources and improving the circumstances of people’s lifes.” This is especially true for companies that operate on the international stage.

Stepken: “As assessment organizations with worldwide operations, TÜV companies are integrated into global supply chains. They must accept their responsibilities wherever they operate – for environmental and climate protection, the adherence to human rights and the assurance of the highest safety-levels. This prompted us to develop these guiding principles. We want to demonstrate that we take our responsibility seriously.” The Chairs of the Management Boards and the CEOs of the TÜV companies and the TÜV Association today signed the “Guiding Principles for Responsible Conduct” at the TÜV Sustainability Conference 2022 in Berlin. Among others, they build on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (UN), the Principles of the UN Global Compact and the core labour standards of the International Labour Organization (ILO) for decent working conditions.

Dr Michael Fübi, Chairman of the Management Board TÜV Rheinland AG: “The TÜV organisations were established over 150 years ago to protect people and the environment from technical risks. We want to remain the number one partner for safety and sustainability – in the physical and digital world. To do so, we must adhere to our core values, while still facing up to the challenges of our times. The Guiding Principles for Responsible Conduct provide an important benchmark in codifying our actions.”

Dr Dirk Stenkamp, Chairman of the Management Board TÜV NORD AG: “Sustainability has been a topic for the TÜV organisations for a long time already. We all have already initiated our own sustainability strategies and are now working hard to put them into practice. However, global changes demand that we move even faster to protect the environment and climate and to ensure social sustainability. So our actions as the TÜV family must become more concerted on the basis of jointly developed guiding principles.”

Volker Höhnisch, Chairman of the Management Board TÜV Thüringen e. V.: “We will integrate the guiding principles into our internal company structures and implement them consistently. To do so, we must also establish new structures and revise current processes. We are equally committed to the ongoing development of these guiding principles. In this regard, we will seek to engage with interested stakeholders from the business community, academia and civil society.”

The TÜV companies and the TÜV Association have agreed on the following guiding principles, among others:

• Climate neutrality: The TÜV companies have set themselves the goal of achieving climate neutrality no later than 2030.
• Due diligence: The TÜV organisations develop measures to ensure adequate compliance with human rights and environmental due diligence.
• Sustainability strategy: The TÜV companies are committed to developing an environmental, economic and social sustainability strategy, publishing it and tracking it in an appropriate form. To do so, they establish suitable structures and appoint sustainability officers.
• Qualification: The TÜV companies offer their employees regular training on environmental and social sustainability. 
• Transparency and dialogue: The TÜV organisations want to engage even more with the outside world and enter into continuous dialogue with stakeholders from politics, businesses, NGOs and civil society. The results will be used to update the guiding principles.

For more information on the “TÜV Guiding Principles for Responsible Conduct”, click here.