Our Approach

Sustainability is one of our strategic initiatives. For us sustainability means balancing the elements of People, Planet and Profit in all that we do.

People: Trust through Engagement
We believe that by engaging with stakeholders and understanding their needs and expectations, we are better able to align our actions with them and anticipate future developments. Important stakeholders for us are: employees, customers, investors, suppliers, community, NGOs, and society as a whole. Gaining trust with our stakeholders is based on transparent actions and communications.

Planet: Responsibility and Reduction
Our responsibility to the environment involves not only monitoring and reporting environmental impact and resource use, but also setting and working towards reduction targets. That is why we are working towards our ambitious reduction targets in the areas of energy, water, waste (raw material loss) and packaging.

Profit: Creating Shared Value
We believe that by embedding sustainability in our business, we can create shared value together with our stakeholders. Creating shared value ensures that our goals are aligned with our stakeholders and our partnerships are intended to create value for all sides. Sustainability is aimed at securing our long-term profitability and license to operate. We also see cost reductions and efficiencies through our sustainability efforts and implement sustainability to mitigate risk. In providing innovative and more sustainable products and services to our customers, we are securing our preferred position with customers, investors, and new employees.

The most relevant sustainability issues for CSM
Identifying and managing the most relevant sustainability issues for CSM is a core element of our sustainability approach. CSM recently conducted an extensive issue evaluation in order to determine which sustainability issues have the most impact on our business and which are the most important for our stakeholders. This process was based on identifying all the relevant issues along our value chain, including external stakeholders, and then determining which are the most material for us. This process involved conducting internal workshops with our business and corporate divisions and carrying out an extensive review of our external stakeholders with the support of an external consultant.

The resulting materiality matrix compares the importance of each issue relative to its impact on CSM. Issues found in the upper right corner of the matrix are the most relevant. Understanding these key issues and addressing them through management systems ensures that CSM is prepared for future developments. This approach enables us to minimize risks early and identify new opportunities. Therefore, we ensure that these key issues are reflected as themes in our activities and strategic approach. We will continue to monitor and evaluate sustainability issues on an ongoing basis.

Sustainability framework
Our holistic approach is illustrated through our sustainability framework, which acts as a strategic umbrella to define sustainability through the elements of People, Planet and Profit and guide its implementation, from its basis in governance to highlighting key initiatives along our value chain. Our approach stresses the business case for sustainability and is fueled by the prospects to, one the one hand, create value through seizing opportunities, and on the other hand, mitigate risks.