We assume responsibility
Sustainability and responsibility shape how we see ourselves as a Group and are firmly embedded in our DNA. Building on these foundations, we began to develop a systematic, Group-wide approach to corporate responsibility management a number of years ago. Having defined our organisational structures, a corporate responsibility strategy and a road map, we began to make real progress with realisation in 2019. The Group’s strategic further development is now increasingly being shaped by a systematic focus on sustainability and social responsibility.
Our CR targets and measures now serve all Group employees as a compass. In Germany, we successfully manage their implementation on the basis of the TÜV NORD Group’s centralised corporate responsibility management system as well as through the CR coordinators within the divisions and in the holding company’s functional departments. And we are delighted to say that we are perceived as a value-oriented and sustainable company externally too – in 2020, the Group was awarded Gold status in the EcoVadis corporate responsibility rating at its first attempt. This places the Group among the top 30 per cent of the companies assessed in the ranking.
Three specific examples of progress we have recently made:
- The assessment of the sustainability of innovations has been furthered, with a standardised evaluation system having been established which was first put into practice in 2020.
- The potential of digitalisation is increasingly being used to achieve positive sustainability effects. To this end, we familiarised the first digital experts within our Digital Academy with corporate digital responsibility and the assessment of the impacts of digitalisation projects.
- We have significantly expanded our workplace health promotion services and boosted their uptake, and introduced online services to complement the existing face-to-face offerings.
Here you can find more information about the responsibilites and values and Corporate Governence of TÜV NORD GROUP and the TÜV NORD GROUP Corporate Responsibility Policy
For a sustainable future
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations form the basis of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all UN members in 2015. These goals define areas of priority in ensuring future sustainability for our planet and communities on an economic, social and ecological level. DMT GROUP supports the SDGs - Click on the icons below to read how we are contributing to each sustainability goal.
DMT GROUP supports goal 1, No Poverty, through the development of sustainable and corporately responsible extractive industry projects. DMT has played a pivotal role in lifting local communities above the poverty line in many developing countries by providing employment and training opportunities while ensuring operational, environmental and Health and Safety standards.
One important factor in ensuring food security for the ever-expanding population is the use of fertilizers. Currently almost half of the world’s population is supported by synthetic fertilizers produced from mining nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium bearing minerals.
DMT GROUP supports goal 2, Zero Hunger, with our broad expertise in this field. Our engineers are involved in almost all stages, including mineral exploration, mine development, mineral processing and all related infrastructure. This also includes responsible use of process water and monitoring and management of environmental impact. We also help upgrade existing operations with the latest, low impact, low consumption and safety driven technologies for a more sustainable business.
DMT supports Good Health & Well-Being by ensuring good indoor air quality at home and in the workplace.
Our accredited Laboratory for Air Hygiene tests the performance of technical air conditioning and purifying systems and examines everyday items such as vacuum cleaners for their cleaning performance with respect to fine dust, gases and bioaerosols (e.g. viruses, bacteria, allergens).
As an approved laboratory for TÜV NORD CERT for the testing and certification of FFP masks, our specialists also apply their expertise in the fight against the Corona pandemic.
We measure, test and certify for you – because ensuring indoor air quality is an essential precondition for human health.
A core element of our day-to-day engineering business is identifying potential and then achieving the best result. We support SDG 4, Quality Education, by applying this basic principle to our workforce too: We offer a wide array of tailored career development opportunities and services for continuing professional development and qualification at all company levels, including apprenticeships and dual study programs in both technical and commercial fields, mentoring schemes and management programs.
DMT also believes in the value of knowledge transfer and provides the framework for life-long learning through our offer of external seminars, webinars, workshops and other training programs.
DMT GROUP supports SDG 5, Gender Equality, through our endeavour to recruit, support and promote women at all levels and in all divisions within the company.
We are particularly delighted to get to know female applicants, because we firmly believe Engineering Performance is not gender dependent. However, in spite of our efforts to recruit qualified women in the STEM disciplines, we consider the quota we have achieved to date to still be too low.
DMT GROUP supports Clean Water & Sanitation by ensuring the microbiological quality of the world’s No. 1 food: drinking water.
Our accredited laboratory ensures drinking water quality in building by examining drinking water samples for possible microbiological contamination, in particular legionella. These germs are widespread in drinking water installations and cause Legionellosis - A severe form of pneumonia that causes death in 5-10% of cases.
In the case of detected legionella contamination in a drinking water installation, our experts carry out risk analyses to ensure that the causes are found and eliminated.
DMT GROUP supports Affordable & Clean Energy through our involvement in HydroHub - an initiative by TÜV NORD companies to ramp up the economy for Hydrogen as a sustainable energy source of the future.
We assist energy companies, industries, investors and municipalities with hydrogen expertise for engineering, consulting and training.
At DMT GROUP we support goal 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth, through individual appreciation and respect, fairness and equal opportunities for all our employees – the people who drive our engineering performance with passion, focus on our clients and integrity. In that way, we enable individual and corporate growth in an international organisational environment characterised by sustainability, innovation and safety.
DMT supports UN SDG Goal 9 by delivering engineering services for one of Europe's largest energy infrastructure projects. The Suedlink project will ensure that green, sustainable electricity is reliably transferred from Germany's north to the south, and vice versa, via a high-voltage underground power cable. Suedlink is considered as a key contribution to the European Green Deal and the energy transition.
So far, we have planned two shafts that will allow the Suedlink underground power cable to pass under Heilbronn, resulting in a reduced environmental and social footprint. In addition, as an engineering service provider, we are acquiring the rights over land in Thuringia and Hesse and negotiating with the owners on an equal footing, in the sense of fairness and compensation for all parties involved.
At DMT we believe having respectful and open dealings with all people, irrespective of their origin, background, religion, identity or gender is fundamental to facilitating progress.
In support of SDG 10, Reduced Inequality, we strive to strengthen diversity within the DMT GROUP and create a work environment in which everyone feels like they belong. We recognize that a diverse workforce is an asset in understanding and meeting the requirements of our customers all around the globe.
The structural integrity of buildings, roads, bridges, tunnels, routes and facilities, among other things, is a necessary prerequisite for safe and resilient living spheres for humans. The intelligence for this is provided by our monitoring solution SAFEGUARD, which can monitor anything to which a sensor can be attached - and much more. In this way, we observe very small and very, very large entities worldwide and thus make our contribution to the UN's SDG 11 "Sustainable Cities and Communities".
The moral and ethical principles of the consumer and the political demand for compliance with social, ecological and financial principles are increasing.
DMT GROUP supports SDG 12, Responsible Consumption and Production, through CERA4in1. Initiated and developed by DMT, CERA4in1 will be the first universal and comprehensive certification scheme for the production, processing and traceable transport of all mineral resources.
By implementing a standardized evaluation of environmental, social and economic sustainability along the entire raw materials value chain, we can simplify the method through which sustainability is defined and guaranteed, and empower the final consumer and all preceding actors of the value chain to make sustainable purchasing decisions.
With growing demand for climate-friendly sources of renewable energy, we at DMT GROUP support goal 13, Climate action, by exploring Europe’s geothermal energy potential.
One of the projects DMT is working on together with renowned European partners is the European Union's Deep Geothermal Energy Roll-Out (DGE Roll-Out) project, which is intended to pave the way for the use of deep geothermal energy as a climate- and environmentally-friendly resource for north-western Europe. Here, experts from DMT acquire, utilise and evaluate data from seismic measurements and deep boreholes in order to determine the geothermal potential in the subsurface and, overall, to make geothermal energy in northwestern Europe technically and economically viable and to ensure social acceptance.
We support goal 14, Life below Water, with technology used to ensure ideal conditions for the fish in our waters.
The DMT GROUP company Höntzsch specializes in flow measuring technology for use, among other things, in environmental research. Their high precision flow meters and sensors are used to measure the swimming capabilities of fish species and are installed worldwide in fish ladders or fishways. These structures aid river fish in passing barriers such as dams or locks in our waterways. The ideal flow velocity is essential to enable the fish to pass through without exhausting them to the point that they can’t continue their journey. Such technology is therefore vital in supporting the migration of fish between the sea and fresh water for breeding.
Life is change. Abandoned industrial sites are unproductive voids in urban and rural environments.
With experience, engineering know-how and an ecological and economic approach, we design, plan and realise new "living spaces" on former industrial sites. Spaces where people, the environment and work come together, where visions become reality and capital becomes return. On a secure and solid basis - in the interplay of economy and ecology and with a view to the entire value chain - in every single project.
In this way, we support UN SDG 15 - Living on Land - through the revitalisation of brownfields.
At DMT GROUP, we support goal 16, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, by implementing, enforcing and continuously developing the excellent corporate governance policies and guidelines, processes and procedures of TÜV NORD GROUP.
Our policies and Code of Conduct are based on recognized international commercial, legal and ethical standards. In all we do, we respect and support the principles of the Human Rights Charter, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the labour and social standards of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and always act compliantly, with fairness, integrity and non-political behaviour in our engineering business environment.
At DMT GROUP, we support goal 19, Partnerships. The age of "survival of the fittest" is over - the future will be won by companies that cooperate with each other, according to the trend monitor of the German Future Institute. We have been working on this since 1737!
Our long-term, trust-based partnerships with like-minded clients, employees and partners enable us to plan, deliver and maintain sustainable first-class engineering projects and innovations all over the world and also share our knowledge and experience in the sense of collaborative progress in international research projects and networks.
