The preservation of biological diversity is one of the greatest challenges of our time, alongside the mitigation of climate change and the provisioning of food for a growing world population. The Mercedes-Benz Group also bears responsibility in this regard, because the use of land and resources, the emission of pollutants, and production-related encroachments on the environment can have a negative impact on biodiversity. The Group is aware of this.
For this reason, it is the goal of the Mercedes-Benz Group to act in an environmentally conscious manner and to continuously improve its operational environmental performance.
We are committed to the three fundamental goals of the International Convention on Biological Diversity
- 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
Our activities for the preservation of biological diversity
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 the avoidance of negative impacts 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)
At our own sites and production plants, we have established numerous measures to maintain and promote ecological balance 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.
The core element of our sustainable business strategy
With our Ambition 2039 strategy, we are actively reducing the carbon footprint and resource consumption of our global business activities, thereby contributing to the conservation of resources and biodiversity. We are also involved in conservation outside of our own operational business activities by 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.
