Deutsche Bahn is a leading mobility and logistics provider with more than 320,000 employees in over 130 countries. As a globally active company, we are aware of our great social and environmental responsibility. We therefore want to ensure responsible and sustainable value creation along our supply chain, respecting and protecting human rights.
For us, economic success and socially responsible action are not contradictory, but rather mutually dependent. We also expect our suppliers and other business partners to treat people and the environment with respect as the basis for a reliable and sustainable partnership.
Sustainability is a central principle of our business activities and is firmly anchored in our Group's Strong Rail strategy. We pursue an integrated approach that encompasses the environmental, social and economic dimension of sustainability.
In order to achieve sustainable and responsible value creation in our own business activities and along our supply chain, we are committed to upholding and promoting internationally recognized human rights, respecting labor standards and protecting the environment as part of our business activities.
When it comes to complying with our human rights and environmental due diligence obligations, we have high expectations of ourselves and our business partners. Our commitment to respecting human rights and the environment is reflected in our internal Code of Conduct, in which we set out binding standards and expectations for our daily conduct. All management board members, managing directors, managers and employees worldwide are committed to the principles set out in our internal Code of Conduct.
At the same time, we are aware that we as an international company have a responsibility that goes beyond our own actions. We therefore not only set high standards for ourselves, but also demand social and environmental standards from our business partners.
We have set out our specific requirements and principles for cooperation with our business partners in our DB Code of Conduct for Business Partners. Suppliers and other business partners pledge to comply with our Code of Conduct or equivalent requirements.
We work closely with our suppliers and other business partners to ensure that they adhere to the same high standards as we do and communicate these standards along their supply chain. We promote transparency and information-sharing to ensure that they understand and meet our expectations.
German Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains
With the adoption of the Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz, "LkSG"), a framework for ensuring responsible and sustainable value creation along the supply chain has been established in German legislation. At Deutsche Bahn, we comply with the requirements of the LkSG.
We have put in place an appropriate risk management system and carry out regular analyses in order to identify and minimize potential human rights and environmental risks and to prevent or end any violation of human rights or environmental obligations or minimize the extent of any such violation.
We also take appropriate preventive measures to lower the risk of human rights and environmental responsibilities being neglected in our own business activities or in those of our suppliers. Good to know: the Deutsche Bahn subsidiaries that are also subject to the LkSG publish their own policy statements. These can be found on the companies' respective websites.
