Focus Topics
Bertelsmann puts Corporate Responsibility into action in a variety of ways. This website presents management approaches and indicators for selected CR priorities.
Climate Neutrality
Target
Bertelsmann aspires to become climate neutral by 2030. The greenhouse gas emissions generated at Bertelsmann's own sites, by the business travel of its employees, and by the manufacture of its own products are to be significantly reduced by 2030 and the remaining emissions offset with voluntary climate protection measures. At the same time, Bertelsmann is pursuing the reduction target of cutting absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030 compared to 2018. In addition to emissions from sites, employees and the company's own products, the latter also include all other accounted emissions. The reduction target was validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) in March 2021. The SBTi confirmed that Bertelsmann's climate target is ambitious and in line with the 1.5° target of the Paris Climate Agreement.
Climate Strategy
Climate change is one of Bertelsmann's eight CR priorities. The company thus assumes its responsibility for reducing and offsetting greenhouse gas emissions resulting from its business activities.
The climate strategy "Bertelsmann Climate Neutral 2030" prioritizes measures to avoid and reduce emissions – ahead of offsetting remaining emissions. It comprises three fields of action: "sites," "employees," and "products," and is concretized by Group-wide milestones and specific measure plans of the individual corporate divisions. All of the electricity used at Bertelsmann sites worldwide is to come from renewable energy sources in the future. The Executive Board regularly monitors target achievement on the basis of uniform Group-wide indicators.
In addition, the company defined further strategic objectives and developed measures from those, as part of the Bertelsmann ESG Program (2021–2024). These objectives include strengthening the governance for climate and environmental protection and further developing environmental planning and reporting. In addition, the company intends to increase the share of renewable energies (green electricity, photovoltaics), implement new mobility concepts, advance energy efficiency, “Green IT,” and the measurement of the digital footprint. Emissions from the print and digital products supply chains are to be presented in a transparent manner and reduced successively in a joint effort with business partners.
Unavoidable emissions are offset via a voluntary climate-protection project. Further projects are to be added in the years ahead and together form a project portfolio. Projects are carefully selected on the basis of defined criteria. For example, the projects must have a long-term orientation and ensure as best as possible that compensated CO2 emissions are not returned to the atmosphere. The projects should be independent and certified according to established standards (e.g. Verified Carbon Standard) and also provide other environmental and social benefits in addition to climate protection.
Environmental Data Collection
The basis for effective climate protection is transparency about all relevant direct and indirect emission sources. Bertelsmann has been reporting its global greenhouse gas emissions annually since 2014 in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and publishing them in its Sustainability Report . Since the financial year 2019, data collection and climate accounting has been carried out uniformly across the Group via the energy and environment platform "green.screen."
It includes Bertelsmann's direct emissions (Scope 1), which arise for example from its own electricity generation and the operation of printing plants as well as indirect emissions from the generation of purchased electricity and heat (Scope 2). In addition, all relevant indirect emissions (Scope 3) along the value chain are accounted for. This includes upstream emission sources, such as the purchase and transport of materials and the mobility of employees, as well as downstream steps such as the distribution of products.
In the 2024 financial year, the total of direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1, 2 and 3) accounted for was 2.3 million tons of CO2e. This figure can be broken down into 5 percent direct (Scope 1) emissions and 95 percent indirect (Scope 2 and 3) emissions.
Overview of total greenhouse gas emissions
in tons of CO2 equivalents (CO2e)
| 2024 | |
|---|---|
| Scope 1 emissions | 125,837 |
| Scope 2 emissions (market-based) | 12,267 |
| Scope 3 emissions | 2,198,086 |
| Scope 1, 2 and 3 total | 2,336,190 |
