We are living in a time of transformation. Climate change, digitalization, market decline as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic: We are facing enormous challenges. At the same time, however, there are new opportunities. In order to remain "the Mercedes" among the providers of self-determined mobility under these conditions, we need to change. This is why we are committed to changing lanes, or, as we call it, to a fundamental "SpurWechsel". With this German term, we describe our company’s sustainable transformation. Our goal is to create a new Mercedes-Benz for a new era: sustainably fascinating, sustainably carbon-neutral, and last but not least, sustainably profitable.
For us, sustainability means creating lasting economic value for our shareholders, employees, and partners, while always keeping in mind the environmental and societal impacts of our activities on our stakeholders along the entire value chain.
Our sustainable business strategy defines what SpurWechsel actually means. With this strategy, we are embedding sustainability in the center of our business. Six strategic fields of action and three enablers are the core of this strategy.
We are convinced that tomorrow's mobility cannot be shaped by prohibitions. What we need is fair competition that produces the most innovative solutions and technologies. We will make our contribution.
These are our 6 strategic action areas:
Emission-free mobility is a core element of our sustainable business strategy. Our aim here is for our new vehicle fleet to become CO2-neutral by 2039 and to no longer have any relevant impact on air quality in inner cities.
Our goal is to transform our value chain into a value cycle. That’s because even as the global demand for mobility is increasing, the availability of resources is declining. We are seeking to increasingly decouple resource consumption from production growth
People who wish to move around in a city can already take advantage of a variety of options. Nevertheless, there remains a huge potential still to be tapped. Our vision is to offer sustainable mobility and transport solutions that help to make cities desirable places to live. With services that are simultaneously comfortable, fast, environmentally friendly, and safe.
Accident-free driving — this vision is a firm component of our sustainable business strategy. In order to make this vision a reality, we are focusing on the further development of our driver assistance and automated driving systems in particular. The societal and ethical implications of such systems are always taken into account.
As digitalization increases, the right way to deal with data is becoming more important as a success factor. Our vision of mobility is one in which the privacy of individuals is protected. We therefore design our products and services with the needs of our customers in mind and make every effort to ensure that their data is managed responsibly.
We pursue a systematic approach to exclude the possibility of human rights violations to the greatest extent possible – and we are doing that along the entire automotive value chain. Wherever appropriate, we work together with various associations, organizations, and competitors to promote the responsible procurement of raw materials.
For our success, 3 principles are crucial:
Sustainability at our subsidiaries
