Intrinsic motivation
The decision to develop a sustainability strategy is intrinsically motivated. Through appropriate corporate governance, we have established clear responsibilities for the e-procurement platform’s sustainability, compliance and internal sustainability. Every employee had the opportunity to contribute to developing the sustainability roadmap by completing a questionnaire. External stakeholders also participated in the process through dialogues and written recommendations. Together with them, we identified the sustainability issues that are essential to us so that we can consistently work on them.
Sustainability report according to the DNK standard
We use the German Sustainability Code (DNK) for our sustainability report. The DNK provides a cross-sector and widely recognised standard in Europe for reporting on the non-financial performance of companies. The code defines 20 criteria that provide guidance to companies regarding ecology, social issues and corporate governance. The DNK ensures better comparability of the sustainability performance of reporting organisations. Our performance is also compared to other companies through our EcoVadis certification.
In developing our sustainability strategy using the DNK, we asked three questions:
- How can we contribute to sustainable development that is environmentally friendly?
- What does collective action mean?
- What steps are necessary to ensure proper behaviour?
Unite participates in the UN Global Compact
Unite is not just committed to sustainability; we are actively pursuing it. Our recent participation in the UN Global Compact (UNGC) is a testament to this. Nora Reumschüssel, our Corporate Sustainability Specialist, elaborates on our decision to participate in the UNGC and the proactive measures we are taking to continuously pursue and develop our sustainability goals.
2.6 million certified items
Through Unite, goods worth millions are purchased annually. Our most significant impact lies in providing participants on the platform with opportunities to choose more sustainable products and suppliers. That’s why we are incorporating more product and supplier transparency into our platform. We give our customers the ability to filter for sustainable items. Currently, products with over 30 environmental and social labels are specifically filterable for approximately 2,700 search terms. Across all our marketplaces (including international ones), we offer around 2.66 million certified items. Purchasing managers can find the certificates transparently displayed on the search results page, alongside details such as price and availability.
Study: Sustainable Procurement and Responsible Supply Chains
Procurement plays a central role when it comes to sustainability. This is evidenced by the new study ‘Sustainable Procurement and Responsible Supply Chains 2023’ conducted by the JARO Institute for Sustainability and Digitalisation e.V. in collaboration with the CBS International Business School and Unite. The study’s results show that sustainability is considered significant even in economically challenging times, driven partly by customer expectations.
CO₂ reduction journey
We are currently developing a CO₂ reduction path, a significant component of our sustainability efforts. It describes when we as a company will become carbon neutral. The rule we follow is reduction before compensation.
With this, we establish short-and long-term reduction measures, such as transforming our business mobility.
We began implementing various reduction measures for instance, we use electricity from renewable sources for our office locations in Germany. We have significantly reduced space and heat consumption in our offices through more efficient space utilisation and subletting.
Furthermore, in line with our environmental goals, we have changed our procurement and travel policy in favour of train travel. Our company car policy aims to control CO₂ emissions, and several vehicles in our fleet have been replaced with electric cars.
Sustainability Team’s efforts
Our Sustainability Team supports colleagues in making environmentally conscious decisions to reduce Unite’s negative carbon footprint. Through various actions such as fixing bicycles in a self-help workshop, offering vegan chili tastings on World Environment Day, and providing Fairtrade-certified coffee and fair-trade chocolate during Fairtrade Week, colleagues are sensitised to ecological sustainability. The team also supports the development of a reduction path towards a carbon neutral Unite.
Diverse, trusting, fair, courageous, and human - these are our corporate values, which express our intrinsic motivation to contribute together to a sustainable future. We place the employee at the centre of our endeavours by cultivating a motivating and fair working environment.
Nora Reumschüssel, Corporate Sustainability Specialist
Fair Tax: transparency in tax payment
The Fair Tax Foundation awarded us the Fair Tax Mark for responsible tax behaviour. We are the first platform company to receive this international recognition for tax transparency. Additionally, we are the first multinational company based in Germany to receive this mark.
Respecting human rights in the supply chain
As a responsible company, we are preparing to fulfill the upcoming EU Supply Chain Directive (CSDDD) and proactively address the resulting requirements. Learn more: Sustainability in the supply chain.
Principles such as fairness and transparency are firmly anchored in the Unite guidelines. This also applies to our Code of Conduct for Business Partners, which addresses the requirements of the Supply Chain Act and whose contents must be confirmed by the suppliers of the Unite platform. _
Compliance
To us, compliance goes beyond adhering to guidelines and legal regulations. It’s engrained in our trust-based and collaborative approach, both within and outside the company.
Our commitment extends not only to promoting fair procurement processes and enhanced sustainability criteria throughout the entire supply chain but also to creating a healthy working environment.
Eva Winkler, Sustainability Manager Unite Marketplaces
Looking ahead
Sustainable business practices are not only good for the planet but also beneficial for the business itself. Our roadmap for 2024 focuses on strengthening this understanding of our products, solutions, and partnerships.
We see that we still have a long way to go. We must understand customer requirements better and create transparency throughout the supply chain. The transition to sustainability is a continuous journey that can only be achieved together.