Ten key messages on sustainability at Evonik

We aspire to create sustainable, value-added solutions for our customers. That promise is expressed in our purpose: Leading beyond chemistry to improve life, today and tomorrow. We lead beyond chemistry by networking competencies, perspectives, and partners.

We engage in constant dialogue with our stakeholders on relevant developments, expectations, and transformation requirements. We use this extensive feedback to address future trends at an early stage and respond with agility to global developments and changing market requirements.

We have integrated sustainability comprehensively into our corporate strategy—from research & development through portfolio management to our corporate culture. The core process is the sustainability analysis of our business. Research & development play a key role in the ongoing transformation of our portfolio. In 2022, Evonik generated additional sales of over €600 million with innovative solutions for health, cosmetics, and membranes (reference base 2015).

We already generate 43 percent of our sales with products and solutions that have a strongly positive sustainability profile. We aim to increase the proportion of sales generated with these Next Generation Solutions to over 50 percent by 2030.

Evonik supports the objectives of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. This is underscored by our commitment to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Between 2021 and 2030, we aim to reduce our scope 1 and 2 emissions by 25 percent. For the reduction in our scope 3 emissions, we are committed to a target of 11 percent¹. Our targets are aligned to the SBTi target level of “well below 2 °C”².

¹ Exact target: 11.07 percent. ² Validation of the targets by SBTi not yet completed.

We integrate sustainability into our human resources processes at all levels, from recruitment through vocational training and continuing professional development to engagement programs and remuneration.

Evonik supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and intensively examines its own contributions to achieving them. We have identified the four most important SDGs for the Evonik Group and pay special attention to them (SDG 3, SDG 6, SDG 12, SDG 13).

Our contributions to achieving the UN SDGs are pooled in four Sustainability Focus Areas: fight climate change, drive circularity, safeguard ecosystems, and ensure health & wellbeing. For each of these SFAs, we show how Evonik reduces its own ecological footprint and highlight the handprint resulting from the use of our products and solutions in the relevant markets.

We systematically address the positive and negative effects of our business activities along the value chain (inside-out) and the external influences on Evonik (outside-in). Early identification of future opportunities and risks makes our business model more resilient and sharpens our understanding of the long-term value that our activities create for society.

We achieve our transparency aspirations by continuously improving our sustainability reporting. The capital markets notice and value our strategic and operational progress towards greater sustainability. Evonik is positioned among the leaders in renowned sustainability ratings and rankings. In May 2022, we successfully issued our second green bond.