SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2021

For a company to grow in a truly sustainable way requires not only forward thinking and bold decisions, but also systematic work and day-to-day efforts to turn plans into tangible results. Eagerness and ambition in setting goals should go hand in hand with consistency and determination. This approach to business can be seen in Raben Group Sustainability Report 2021. The company has just published a report - the eighth in its history, the second on sustainability (not just CSR), and the first to include data from all European markets in which it operates.

2021 was a year of the Raben Groups’ 90th anniversary but as well it was a year to be hailed as a milestone in the development of our sustainability endeavours within the Group by putting us among the leaders of sustainability in transport and the Logistics industry. With so many initiatives successfully completed I have a feeling that  Environmental, Social and Governance standards ( ESG) have now successfully become an embedded part of our company’s DNA - says Ewald Raben, CEO of Raben Group.

In the past year, the effects of the pandemic were still very much visible, however more positive events came to the fore - the already mentioned anniversary and the expansion of the Raben Group coverage map. The company celebrated its 90th anniversary in an eco-friendly manner with the Eco2Way tour of Europe culminating in a voting for projects designed to help nature. It entered its next decade of operations by giving a clear signal of its concern for the fate of the planet and responsibility for future generations and it also simultaneously entered its fourteenth and, as of February 2022, fifteenth market with the acquisition of logistics operators in Greece and Austria. Also acquisitions of companies in the Netherlands and Germany gave Raben the opportunity to strengthen its position on the existing markets.

Long marathon...

In the Sustainability Report 2021, Raben Group presents long-term actions in the areas of ethics, risk management, information security, service quality, innovation, carbon footprint reduction, efficient transport and waste management, employee development projects, safety culture, supply chain, responsibility for local communities, to name just a few. There was also room for one-off projects, which we very important as they determine the functioning of the company in the coming years.

The 2025 Sustainability Strategy has taken on its final form and has subsequently become our road map that sets concrete and precise goals in all the important and relevant areas of our industry. We have begun the process of identifying Group-wide climate risks and assessing their potential impact, bearing in mind the implications of the climate crisis for our operations, in relation to new regulations and changes in risk management – said Ewelina Jabłońska-Gryżenia, Head of Sustainability in Raben Group.

... and long jump

The Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) that will provide the company with green energy in Poland between 2023 and 2029 and contribute to the construction of new photovoltaic farms in Poland, undoubtedly falls into the category of these landmark projects. The €225 million, five-year Sustainability Linked Loan (SLL) has equally high profile. Its margin depends on meeting the conditions set by the five environmental, social and governance key performance indicators for the TFL sector. For Raben Group, this is a strong motivation to reach the goals, such as reduction of emission intensity by 30% in its own facilities and by 10% in transport, increasing the share of trucks meeting the minimum Euro 5 standard in its own and subcontracted fleets to 96%, increasing the percentage of women in management positions to 34% and a steady improvement in the EcoVadis rating by 2025.