LINDE PLC.
LIN.XETRA | Manufacture of basic chemicals
Linde PLC is a global industrial gases and engineering company. It produces, sells, and distributes atmospheric gases (such as oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and rare gases), process gases (including hydrogen, carbon dioxide, helium, and specialty gases), and surface coatings. The company serves a variety...Show More
Better Health for All
0
No specific, quantifiable evidence was found in the provided articles to assess Linde PLC against the 'Better Health for All' ethical value, based on the defined KPIs and their quantitative thresholds. Information regarding the net health effect of products, harmful revenue share, user safety records, price accessibility, vulnerable population reach, risk transparency, health innovation investment, health externalities, health equity programs, healthcare workforce support, preventative health measures, healthcare data responsibility, global health crisis response, mental health initiatives, pharma patent flexibility, nutrition and food safety, healthcare education, addiction mitigation, or clinical trial ethics was not available or did not meet the strict criteria for evidence.
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Fair Money & Economic Opportunity
0
Linde PLC is an industrial gases and engineering company, not a financial institution. The company does not offer lending or deposit services, consumer credit products, or financial products requiring disclosure or explanation.
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Therefore, all KPIs related to fair money and economic opportunity, such as underserved client share, pricing fairness, exploitative fee exposure, inclusion initiatives, data accessibility, fair lending compliance, wealth building outcomes, financial literacy initiatives, debt burden ratio, geographic inclusion, and product simplicity, are not applicable to its core business.
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While Linde engages in general philanthropic activities,
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there is no evidence of profit reinvestment specifically in community finance or profit-sharing with underserved communities in a financial services context.
4
Fair Pay & Worker Respect
0
Linde PLC's CEO pay ratio was 391:1 in 2024, comparing the CEO's total compensation to the median employee pay of $52,889.
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The company reported a global voluntary employee turnover rate of 6.7% in 2023, which includes retirements.
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The annual employee engagement survey shows a current score of 76%.
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In 2023, 483 out of 674 reports to the Integrity Hotline were substantiated.
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The company reported no significant violations or fines in 2023, though it had three significant violations with fines totaling $85,000 in 2021.
5
Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing
10
Linde requires 100% of relevant third parties whose activities could expose the company to risk to adhere to its Code of Business Integrity and Compliance with Laws and Business Integrity and Ethics policies, or their own equivalent policies.
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Compliance with the Supplier Code of Conduct and Linde’s Code of Business Integrity is part of the standard documentation for all new and renewing contracts.
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In 2023, Linde spent $814 million with small and diverse business enterprises.
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Approximately $664 million was procured from U.S. small businesses, with $68 million spent with veteran-owned or service-disabled-veteran-owned businesses, $66 million with women-owned businesses, and $68 million with minority-owned businesses.
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The company also identified $51 million in combined direct and indirect diverse spend through its Tier 2 diverse spend reporting program with U.S. prime suppliers.
5
Honest & Fair Business
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Linde incurred approximately $114.7 million in ethics-related regulatory fines over the past three years (2023-2025), including significant penalties for False Claims Act violations and an energy market violation.
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The company has a comprehensive Whistle Blower Policy, applicable to all employees, ex-employees, stakeholders, and Directors, which includes a 24/7 Integrity Line with multiple reporting channels and protection against retaliation.
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Investigations are normally completed within 90 days.
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Linde has had zero financial restatements in the past five years. The company received a low-risk Sustainalytics ESG rating in 2024, ranking out of approximately 590 companies in the Chemicals sector, and maintained an MSCI ESG “A” rating.
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The board has two non-independent members, the Chairman and the CEO, indicating that 75% of the board is independent.
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Linde has a Global Anti-Bribery & Anti-Corruption Compliance Policy, effective April 2021, which prohibits bribery of government officials and private sector individuals.
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The policy requires prior due diligence and ongoing monitoring for Service Providers who interact with Government Officials on behalf of Linde.
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Kind to Animals
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Insufficient evidence to determine a value score for LINDE PLC regarding Kind to Animals. No articles or relevant information found. A neutral score of 0 is assigned.
Materiality Analysis: Company Summary (75-100 words): Linde PLC is an industrial gas and engineering company producing and distributing atmospheric, process, and specialty gases. It serves industries like chemicals, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, metals, mining, and electronics. Linde also engineers and constructs plants for gas production and provides related services. Its operations span North America, Europe, Asia, and South America. Linde's primary ISIC code is 2011, Manufacture of basic chemicals. Its core business does not directly involve animal products or animal testing in the traditional sense.
Peer Comparison (50-75 words): Linde's peers in the industrial gas sector generally have low direct interaction with animal welfare issues. However, some applications of their gases, particularly in the food and healthcare industries, may indirectly relate to animal products or research. Linde's engagement with animal welfare is likely similar to its peers: minimal and indirect.
Materiality Assessment (1-2 clear sentences): Linde's business model is fundamentally neutral regarding direct animal welfare, with a low level of materiality, although indirect impacts are possible through its customer base.
Detailed Rationale (150-200 words): Linde's primary activities involve the production and distribution of industrial gases. These gases are used in a wide range of applications, some of which may indirectly impact animal welfare. For example, gases are used in food processing and packaging, which could involve products derived from animals. Gases are also used in healthcare, including in research that may involve animal testing. However, Linde itself does not directly engage in animal testing, factory farming, or the production of animal-derived ingredients. The company's engineering and plant construction activities are unlikely to have a direct impact on animal welfare. While Linde's gases could be used in industries that negatively impact animals, this is an indirect relationship. Linde does not appear to have specific policies or initiatives related to animal welfare.
Value Interaction Notes (if applicable, 25-50 words): Linde's focus on innovation and efficiency (related to other values) might indirectly support animal welfare if it leads to more sustainable or ethical practices in customer industries.
Scoring Boundary Flags (if applicable, 25-50 words): Scores indicating significant positive or negative impact on animal welfare would be illogical. Scores above 3 or below -3 should be carefully scrutinized due to the company's indirect relationship to the value.
No War, No Weapons
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Linde plc deconsolidated its Russian gas and engineering business entities due to sanctions, resulting in a $787 million loss.
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This indicates that the company had operations in a region that became sanctioned, leading to a forced exit. The company has a Conflict-Free Materials Supply Policy, effective July 2021, which requires suppliers to demonstrate the origin of raw materials (tin, tantalum, tungsten, gold) and ensure they are not sourced from conflict regions unless from compliant smelters/refiners or recycled/scrap sources.
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However, the policy document does not provide quantitative data on the percentage of the supply chain certified conflict-free.
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Planet-Friendly Business
-60
In 2023, the company's total Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions were approximately 63.54 million tCO₂e (Scope 1: 16.58 million tCO₂e, Scope 2: 21.56 million tCO₂e, Scope 3: 25.39 million tCO₂e).
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Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions decreased by 1%, 2%, and 2% respectively from 2022.
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The company has an SBTi-validated target to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 35% by 2035 from a 2021 baseline, and aims for climate neutrality by 2050.
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In 2023, 43% of all energy was sourced from low-carbon sources, with renewable energy accounting for 11.5% of electricity.
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Water consumption intensity was 0.0030 million m³ per $1 billion revenue.
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Non-hazardous waste recycled was 30,400 MT, and hazardous waste recycled was 4,080 MT.
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Capital expenditures aligned with the EU Sustainable Taxonomy represented approximately 21% of 2023 consolidated totals.
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In 2023, the company reported zero significant environmental fines (those costing more than $10,000) and zero water incidents of non-compliance.
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However, historical data shows 40 environment-related offenses with penalties totaling $2,856,074 since 2000.
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The company is a TCFD Supporter and uses scenario analysis, including IEA SDS, WRI Aqueduct, RCP 4.5, IEA NZE 2050, and RCP 6.0, to identify climate risks and opportunities.
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In 2023, 5.5% of water withdrawal and 21% of water consumption were from regions with high or extremely high baseline water stress.
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Community impact assessments are 100% complete for engineering project development at all new sites in the U.S.
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The company conducts surveillance of its global industrial gas production facilities' proximity to protected areas at least every three years, covering more than 900 sites in 2023.
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The company focuses environmental engagement efforts with critical and strategic suppliers, typically representing at least 80% of total procurement spend.
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Respect for Cultures & Communities
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The company reported no cultural appropriation incidents.
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No other specific, quantifiable data points related to the value 'Respect for Cultures & Communities' were provided in the articles.
Safe & Smart Tech
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Linde experienced a ransomware attack in February 2026, which breached industrial gas production blueprints and logistics logs.
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The leak size and number of users affected are unknown.
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The company states compliance with GDPR and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), but also identifies cybersecurity risk management as a top enterprise risk.
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Linde MH divisions obtained ISO 27001 certification for cloud-based fleet management systems in June 2024, and TISAX1 audits were conducted at multiple locations in 2023.
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Linde conducts mandatory cybersecurity awareness programs for employees, and 76% of the total workforce was trained in business ethics in 2023.
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The company's data retention policies include keeping log files for 30 days, but other data retention periods are not specified beyond this.
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Linde MH also performs continuous scanning for vulnerabilities across its IT and operational technology infrastructure.
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Zero Waste & Sustainable Products
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In 2024, 451 sites successfully diverted 90% or more of their waste from landfills.
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The company's Zero Waste Program, which involved 776 sites in 2023, diverted over 273 million pounds of waste from landfills.
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Linde aims for 100% global participation in its Zero Waste Program by 2035 and has a target to achieve zero waste to landfill at 450 sites.
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In 2023, 27,720 metric tons of hazardous waste were generated, with 8,160 metric tons recycled.
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Linde MH gave a new lease of life to around 30,312 used trucks in the EMEA region and uses intelligent platform concepts to optimize material use, requiring fewer parts in new forklift generations.
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Linde MH lithium-ion batteries are disassembled and recycled, and the company offers a return guarantee for these batteries.
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Linde also offers Returnable and High-Capacity Returnable recyclable cylinders and provides detailed information on the disposal of forklift trucks at approved recycling plants.
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