HERTLING is committed to sustainable corporate management
– Corporate Sustainability Program

Hertling is a family business that has been in existence since 1865 and is still run by the founding family today. We are aware of our responsibility towards the environment, our workforce, society as a whole, and the economy. Using a measurement framework based on the criteria of environment, social, and governance (ESG), we pursue a holistic, responsible, and thus sustainable corporate strategy, which can also be summarized under the term corporate sustainability. Overall, we want to anchor sustainability in all our actions, achieve measurable goals in terms of ecological, social, and economic criteria, and minimize risks in order to increase our overall resilience and competitiveness. All our actions are therefore geared toward preserving the company and ensuring its long-term success.

As a nationally and internationally active moving company, HERTLING strives to minimize the impact of its business activities on the environment in terms of emissions and resource consumption.

As a company, we therefore focus our attention, together with our dedicated and environmentally conscious employees, on the opportunities available to us in our daily decisions to minimize our impact on the environment.

This approach, which favors the efficient use of resources and the application of innovations to prevent environmental pollution, is part of our self-image.

We involve our employees in these thought processes so that they become increasingly aware of how their own behavior and that of those around them affects the environment. Every employee at every level of the company is called upon to get involved, contribute ideas, and inspire others to actively contribute to an environment that serves us all but belongs to none of us.

At our sites, we analyze processes, plants, vehicles, equipment, and materials to identify options for mitigating negative environmental impacts and derive concrete measures from them. In doing so, we pay close attention to the applicable legal regulations, compliance with which we consider to be only the minimum requirement of our commitment.

We measure the improvements we continuously strive for through the ongoing development of awareness and technology using meaningful key performance indicators and draw conclusions about the effectiveness of our environmental program.

By taking ecological concerns into account, we are not only acting sustainably, but also economically, thereby increasing our competitiveness.

As a company, we want to take into account the interests and needs of all stakeholders and thereby treat people responsibly. In addition to our company's employees, this also includes our customers, our suppliers, our immediate neighborhood, and many more. Not only our company management, but also each and every employee contributes to bringing our corporate principles to life and achieving our common goals.

In terms of working conditions, this means that we offer our employees a safe and pleasant working environment. To this end, we ensure that all legally required inspections of, for example, vehicles and technical/electrical equipment are carried out regularly by approved inspectors, and we are in regular contact with our occupational safety specialist and company doctors on the topics of occupational safety and health protection. We analyze every accident at work in order to identify the sources of risk and effectively eliminate them in the future. We comply with the relevant laws and other regulations governing labor law, such as those governing working hours, vacation, and minimum wage. Child labor and forced labor do not occur in our company.

The quality of our company is based on the high level of training and experience of our employees. During the annual employee appraisals, we determine interest in further training and identify employees who are eligible for selected training courses. We maintain an action plan for further training and have a list of our employees' skill levels.

We are a cosmopolitan company and promote diversity, equality, and inclusion. Everyone is welcome here, regardless of gender, age, origin, religion, skin color, ideology, or sexual orientation, and everyone is treated equally. Our employees have the right to organize and be represented by an employee representative body.

As a company, we also recognize our responsibility towards the environment and society at our company locations. By preserving existing jobs and creating new ones, we are committed to the community around us. In addition, we support selected initiatives and associations that are connected to our company or our employees, without a fixed budget.

Our family business is managed responsibly, transparently, and in compliance with the law.

Data protection and IT security receive special attention due to their fundamental importance for our company.

Our corporate structure, responsibilities, and control mechanisms are regulated and reviewed at least once a year.

We maintain open and transparent communication with our employees, partners, and customers, and always act fairly.

To manage conflicts of interest, our company has transparent and direct communication structures in place, including the option of using the anonymous whistleblower portal.

We report regularly on our financial situation and sustainability criteria in a transparent manner in accordance with legal requirements and on the basis of the obligations we have imposed on ourselves to interested parties, whose interests are always taken into account in all our actions.

Through active risk management that always takes environmental and social factors into account, we identify risks in good time and make appropriate decisions to prevent or mitigate the occurrence of a risk.

With over 160 years of experience, we know that integrity and good corporate ethics build trust and ensure long-term success.

The framework for our activities and for ensuring corporate sustainability is our company's integrated management system. It sets out the responsibilities and accountabilities within the company and defines our requirements, environmental standards, and quality standards. It is designed in such a way that we can respond flexibly and agilely to changes without deviating from the specified framework.

When selecting partners and suppliers, we ensure that they also respect and adhere to the principles of a sustainable corporate strategy in terms of corporate sustainability.

If there is no specific reason to immediately investigate compliance with corporate sustainability goals, the company management reviews compliance with the principles of responsible corporate governance once a year as part of the management review, taking into account the evaluations of all key figures that we have committed to collecting on a regular basis.

Employees are informed about results, goals, and the status of implementation at least once a year during the staff meeting.

Our company does not have a newsletter or other printed or regularly published information. Communication of the goals set and the status achieved with regard to corporate sustainability will be provided via announcements on the website or via social media channels. This allows private and corporate customers as well as our suppliers to follow our activities, goals, and successes in the area of corporate sustainability.

Our managing director Erik Cock-Johnsen is responsible for ensuring and developing sustainable corporate governance within our company.