For the first time, the sustainability report covers all 24 production sites of the commercial vehicle supplier in the four regions EMEA, Americas, APAC and China. "This underlines the global orientation of our management approach to the sustainability of our business activities," says Alexander Geis, CEO of SAF-Holland (pictured). By recording and analyzing environmental impacts at all locations, it is now possible to provide complete information across the Group, for example on the energy consumption of the individual plants. On this basis, SAF-Holland will be able to identify hotspots at various stages of the product life cycle and take targeted countermeasures, for example to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The medium-term goal is a climate strategy that systematically reflects the requirements of climate change in operational risk management and also utilizes them as new business opportunities.

Life cycle analysis as the basis for product innovations

In order to investigate and improve all environmental impacts - for example of a complete axle assembly - SAF-Holland has drawn up a comprehensive life cycle assessment for a trio axle assembly and examined various usage scenarios. The largest part of the life cycle is the product use phase in driving operation. The decisive parameter here is fuel consumption. "With product innovations that reduce weight or bearing friction, we can save fuel and thus effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We have been working hard on this for years and it will continue to be a focus of our developments in the future," explains the SAF-Holland CEO.

Strengthening sustainability in the supply chain

Responsibility does not stop at the factory gate: In 2019, SAF-Holland took a close look at the topic of "Sustainability in the supply chain". The company sees compliance with these standards as an important value creation factor. At the same time, permanently monitoring business processes enables risks to be identified, evaluated and ultimately minimized in the long term. For example, SAF-Holland takes into account potential risks from climate change, such as extreme weather events like prolonged periods of heat or flooding, in its warehousing and delivery routes. This applies equally to the supply chains and the company's own production facilities.

Updated Code of Conduct

In order to qualify as a supplier for SAF-Holland, all suppliers undergo a review process. Among other things, this includes a questionnaire for self-disclosure, for example on the topics of the environment or human rights. Recent audits - carried out in 2019 for 56 suppliers of production materials across the Group - have shown that all trading partners checked met the required standards. SAF-Holland has expanded its self-disclosure to include sustainability criteria and communicates its updated Code of Conduct to all suppliers in order to further sensitize auditors and purchasers and identify relevant topics in individual regions. The guideline for value-oriented and legally compliant action, which was first published in 2013, was extensively revised and adapted in 2019.