Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

KION GROUP AG is primarily a manufacturer and service provider of industrial trucks and supply chain solutions. Although the company offers financing and leasing services,

the provided articles, including annual reports and sustainability reports, do not contain specific, concrete data points related to the defined KPIs for 'Fair Money & Economic Opportunity'. There is no information on underserved client share, pricing fairness, exploitative fee exposure, inclusion initiatives, data accessibility, wealth building outcomes, profit reinvestment in community finance, financial literacy initiatives, debt burden ratios for customers, geographic inclusion in financial services, or product simplicity for financial products. The articles mention general compliance with corporate governance codes and data protection principles, but these do not provide the specific metrics required by the rubric for fair lending compliance.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

In 2023, 63% of employees were covered by collective bargaining agreements.

The company's rate of recordable work-related accidents for employees was 5.8 in 2024, with a Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) of 4.4 in the same year, and no fatalities were reported. The employee engagement score from the 2024 global employee survey was 75, with an 83% participation rate. The voluntary employee turnover rate was 12.1% in 2024. KION Group reported zero substantiated labor law or human rights violations in 2023 and no substantiated discrimination incidents in 2024.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

KION Group conducts ESG supplier risk assessments annually for tier 1 and, as of 2024, tier 2 suppliers.

In 2024, two potential forced labor incidents were identified through news screening; one was promptly closed, and the other is undergoing risk analysis. The company requires all suppliers to adhere to its Principles of Supplier Conduct and updated supply contracts in 2023 to strengthen rights and obligations, with 729 suppliers having signed off on the Principles. The company uses the Informed 365 platform to evaluate supplier policies and product traceability, and a pilot project with 163 suppliers aims to collect environmental data for 513 components. If supplier weaknesses are identified, improvement actions are initiated and progress is reviewed, with most violations closed within 60-90 days. KION Group launched a new Conflict Minerals Standard in 2023, conducting annual due diligence checks for conflict minerals. In 2024, 1% of suppliers had a high ISRI risk rating, 56% medium, 36% low, and 8% very low, with 99.66% of suppliers rated as low or very low for country risk. In 2023, the SCS segment spent $9,172,482.42 on diverse suppliers in the US, a decrease from $16,436,115.45 in 2022.

Honest & Fair Business

KION Group has a formal whistleblower policy with multiple reporting channels, including a 24/7 hotline and online form, offering anonymous reporting.

The company commits to non-retaliation, confidentiality, and fairness, with investigations and notifications completed within three months. Training, including e-learning for new hires, is in place, but the program's effectiveness is not publicly measured. The company has a comprehensive anti-corruption and anti-bribery policy that is binding on all employees and covers all business segments, supplemented by guidelines on donations, sponsorships, procurement, and conflicts of interest. Its compliance management system is modeled on audit standard IDW PS 980 and ISO 19600, and is audited annually by an external auditor. The company states that its compliance management system is continuously monitored and optimized, with regular and ad hoc audits ensuring compliance by the company and its subsidiaries. The median time to close ethics complaints is approximately 90 days, as investigations and notifications are completed within three months.

Kind to Animals

KION Group AG's core business involves industrial trucks, warehouse equipment, and supply chain solutions.

The provided articles, including sustainability reports and supplier codes of conduct, focus on environmental protection, human rights, and ethical business practices. However, they do not contain any specific, concrete data points or explicit mentions regarding animal welfare, cruelty-free certifications, animal testing, animal-derived ingredients, humane certifications for animal operations, or wildlife conservation impact. Therefore, no KPIs related to 'Kind to Animals' can be scored based on the evidence provided.

No War, No Weapons

KION Group's core business is industrial trucks and supply chain solutions, with no evidence of defense or arms-related activities, resulting in a score of 0 for both revenue from arms contracts and board oversight of defense.

The company fully aligns with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, viewing human rights as a minimum standard in its employment and commercial relationships, and adheres to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the eight fundamental ILO conventions. KION Group aims for its products to be 100% free of conflict minerals (tin, tungsten, tantalum, gold, cobalt) sourced from conflicted/high-risk countries, with continuous verification and annual due diligence checks in its supply chain, and has a Conflict Minerals Standard based on OECD guidance and EU/US regulations. The company aims for zero procurement from active conflict zones, with comprehensive screening and due diligence on its supply chain to identify potential conflict minerals. KION Group also aims for 100% compliance with ethical standards in its core business operations, establishing internal policies and procedures for due diligence of its suppliers, and integrating these results into supplier selection.

Planet-Friendly Business

KION Group AG reported total Scope 1, 2, and 3 GHG emissions of 16.158 million tCO₂e in 2024.

The company's climate targets were formally validated by the SBTi in 2024, aligning with a 1.5°C pathway for near-term Scope 1 and 2 reductions (42% by 2030 from a 2021 baseline) and Scope 3 (25% from product use by 2030). The net-zero target year for the entire value chain is 2050. In 2024, 21% of the company's total energy consumption came from renewable sources, and 74% of electricity used was from renewable sources. Water intensity in 2024 was 52.7 m³ per €1 million net revenue. The waste diversion rate was 88% in 2024. In 2024, 3.2% of total revenue was Taxonomy-aligned, and 85.1% of capital expenditure was Taxonomy-eligible. Lifecycle assessments were conducted for six truck series in 2023. The company uses raw materials with recycled content, with 28.4% of components and intermediary products used in production being secondary reused or recycled in 2024. No carbon credits were purchased in 2024. The company aims for suppliers accounting for 5% or more of emissions from purchased goods and services to set their own SBTi targets by 2029. KION reported zero significant environmental compliance violations and €0 million in fines for 2021-2024. The company has an available TCFD Index for 2024 and conducts climate scenario analysis, including high-emissions scenarios like RCP 8.5, and transition scenarios up to 2050. In 2024, 324,877 m³ of water was withdrawn from areas at water risk. In 2024, the company had minimal capital expenditure and operating expenses related to climate change adaptation.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

The provided articles primarily focus on KION Group's internal employee diversity, inclusion, talent development, and health and safety. While the company reports on employee demographics, training, and internal diversity initiatives, there is no specific evidence or quantitative data related to its engagement with external communities, cultural impact assessments, cultural preservation, local procurement, or grievance mechanisms for community concerns.

Consequently, no KPIs under 'Respect for Cultures & Communities' can be scored based on the provided information.

Safe & Smart Tech

KION Group reported no confirmed data breaches in 2023, with one confirmed information security incident in both 2023 and 2021.

The company's headquarters and several subsidiaries achieved TISAX1 certification in 2023, and Linde Material Handling obtained ISO 27001 certification for cloud-based fleet management systems in June 2024. In 2023, 79% of the total workforce received training on business ethics, which includes data protection and IT security, with 100% trained in 2022 and 2021. The company's cybersecurity strategy is based on ISO 27001, and it conducts vulnerability scans of the entire IT infrastructure and penetration testing of critical systems. KION Group mentions procedures to validate and log access to its infrastructure and measures to protect data against unauthorized access, misuse, and loss. The company states compliance with GDPR and other relevant data protection regulations.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

In 2024, KION Group diverted 77.8% of its total waste from disposal, including 69.9% of hazardous waste and 79.6% of non-hazardous waste.

The company aims to divert at least 85% of waste from disposal by 2030, from a 2023 baseline of 80%. Recyclable content in products and packaging was 48.5% in 2024, and recycled components constituted 28.4% of total resource inflows. KION has implemented various waste reduction initiatives, such as waste separation at Linde (China) since 2011, and a partnership with Li-Cycle for lithium-ion battery recycling, which aims for up to 95% recycling efficiency. Li-Cycle's process for hazardous waste has minimal solid waste streams to landfill, zero wastewater discharge, and low air emissions. KION has had no waste disposal violations in the past three years. KION's subsidiary Dematic applies Cradle to Cradle® principles in product design. Linde (China) conducts environmental training for children on waste sorting.