Biodiversity Policy.

For this reason, it is the goal of the Mercedes-Benz Group to act in a more sustainable manner and to continuously improve its operational environmental performance.

We are committed to the three fundamental goals of the International Convention on Biological Diversity  (CBD):

• Conservation of biological diversity (genetic diversity, species diversity, habitat diversity)
• Sustainable use of biological diversity
• Equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources

To implement these goals, we have initiated activities in key areas of action in our own operations and will continue to expand these in the future. In doing so, we follow the principle of the mitigation hierarchy and prioritize avoiding impacts on the environment before reducing and compensating. We are also working on strategy implementation in our supply chain: We set minimum requirements for our partners, which are set out in the Responsible Sourcing Standards (RSS) , the Group's central contractual document for sustainability requirements towards suppliers. These aim to minimize the use of natural resources. Business activities must not contribute to or benefit from the illegal conversion of natural ecosystems. Furthermore, we commit our partners to take appropriate due diligence measures for their supply chain as well.

At our own sites and production plants, we have established numerous measures to maintain and promote biological diversity and will continue to expand these in the future. For example, a large proportion of our German plants assess the ecological value of their land using the in-house developed Biodiversity Index (BIX). Continuous improvement is being pursued through targeted site design and enhancement measures. This also includes measuring areas accordingly in terms of their potential for enhancing biodiversity.

The Mercedes-Benz Group is consistently pursuing the goal of contributing to reducing CO₂ emissions and has enshrined this in its sustainable business strategy. In our “Ambition 2039” we have set ourselves the target of making our fleet of new vehicles net carbon-neutral^[1]Net carbon-neutral means that carbon emissions that are not avoided or reduced at Mercedes-Benz are compensated for by certified offsetting projects.
along the entire value chain and over the vehicles’ entire life cycle by 2039.

We are also involved in conservation outside of our own operational business activities by continuously supporting projects to promote biodiversity and the renaturation of ecosystems. In this context, we rely on the support of external organizations and foundations, such as the Global Nature Fund. The Mercedes-Benz Group is also involved in various associations, committees, and sustainability initiatives.

Through regular internal communication, we raise awareness among our workforce about the importance of biodiversity and thus support the successful implementation of our goals. In addition, we communicate current measures and developments regarding biodiversity in our Sustainability Report.

This article was last updated in November 2024.