We are convinced that we can only stay successful if we act ethical and legally responsible. This is especially the case during times of turmoil and transformation such as those we are experiencing today. Integrity is therefore a top priority at Mercedes-Benz Group.
For us, ethical behavior means doing the right thing. In other words, we not only comply with internal and external rules but also follow our inner compass and align our actions with shared principles, which particularly include fairness, responsibility, respect, openness, and transparency. Integrity is therefore a central element of our corporate culture, and an important basis for success in the strategic action areas of our sustainable business strategies.
Integrity in action cannot be imposed from above. Instead, we have to work together to define a scale of values that provides orientation for us and our colleagues even in difficult situations.
Renata Jungo Brüngger
Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG. Integrity, Governance & Sustainability
Integrity management at Mercedes-Benz
At Mercedes-Benz Group, integrity, compliance, and legal affairs are combined into a single executive division. The Integrity and Legal Affairs division supports all of our corporate units in their efforts to embed these topics in our daily business activities.
The employees of Integrity Management are responsible for creating the basis for a shared understanding of integrity, promoting ethical behavior within the company, and further developing it with target-group-specific measures. The goal is to identify and avoid potential risks due to unethical behaviour, and thus contribute to the long-term success of the company and its reputation as a trustworthy partner. The head of Integrity Management & Corporate Responsibility reports directly to the Board of Management member for Integrity and Legal Affairs.
The unit is supported by the Integrity Network. In the network, employees from the individual companies, business units, and functional business units of Mercedes-Benz Group are involved in regular exchange, in order to permanently embed integrity into daily business operations. The network develops and implements concrete measures, e.g. dialog events.
Guidelines for integrity in everyday work
Our group-wide Integrity Code is our shared standard of values. It is binding for all employees of Mercedes-Benz Group AG and our controlled Group companies. It defines our understanding of integrity and helps us to take the right decisions. Employees from a variety of corporate units all over the world have helped to formulate the Integrity Code. It is available in ten languages and includes among other things, regulations concerning corruption prevention, the handling of data, product safety and compliance with technical regulations. In our Integrity Code, we have also formulated a special set of requirements for our managers: We expect them in particular to serve as role models through ethical behavior and thus to offer guidance to our employees.
