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Sustainable business 2022

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Sustainable business 2022

Sustainable business

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Messer’s strategic orientation

In 2021, Messer Group GmbH was converted into a partnership limited by shares (KGaA) and has since been trading as Messer SE & Co. KGaA. Through the legal form of the KGaA, we are aligning Messer for the future as a globally positioned group of companies with expanded opportunities to act and shape the future. The control and influence of the shareholder family will thus continue to be ensured. With the new legal form, the family's tax and financial objectives can be achieved with even greater flexibility in the future.

At the end of May 2023, an agreement was concluded with the previous minority owner, CVC Capital Partners Fund VII. The aim is to become the sole owner of the Messer Industries joint venture. It comprises Messer's companies in North and South America as well as Western Europe. With the share acquisition, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2023, Messer is opening a new chapter in its 125-year corporate history. The plan is to bring all of Messer's global activities together under one roof in order to implement a sustainable growth strategy as an integrated gas specialist in the coming years. At the same time, after more than four years, the successful cooperation between Messer and CVC, which was designed to be temporary from the outset, will come to an end.

In parallel, Messer is bringing in GIC, a global institutional investor, as a partner to become Messer's long-term minority shareholder. The proceeds from this investment will be used to finance the acquisition of shares in Messer Industries. As a long-term investor with many years of experience working with family businesses around the world, GIC supports the Messer family's strategy for sustainable, profitable growth.

Messer sees considerable growth potential worldwide in the coming years. In addition, the company is aiming for even greater diversification of its product range with a focus on particularly promising sectors or through partnerships in the wake of the green energy revolution. With its strategic initiatives, Messer expects significant increases in sales and earnings in the coming years and sees good opportunities to more than double its business volume by the end of the decade. Messer SE & Co. KGaA's regional economic focus is on Eastern Europe and Asia. The Asian region represents the world's largest industrial gases market with the highest growth rates. Messer Industries has regional and product-specific businesses in North and South America as well as Western Europe. They are all united by a focus on safety, customer orientation and profitable growth. Appropriate remuneration for our products is to be achieved through a team culture focused on efficiency, success and motivation, high employee and customer satisfaction, and innovation.

Sustainable growth through investment

Investment projects form an important basis for sustainable growth in the long-term industrial gases sector. In 2022, Messer started or completed the following exemplary projects.

Sustainable growth through investment Examples

Increasing efficiency through digital improvements

Many Messer companies have strategically and technically realigned their IT infrastructure, continued their digitization strategies and already achieved important milestones.

Based on modern, globally established standards, the new standardized and flexibly scalable IT structure is an essential prerequisite for improved business processes, for greater efficiency and for more flexible and agile working.

Messer also strengthened its employees' awareness of cybercrime and phishing attacks, in particular through training and regular internal communication.
 

Efficiency through digital improvements Examples

UN Goals sustainable management

  • UN Goal 1 - No poverty
  • UN Goal 2 - Zero hunger
  • UN Goal 3 - Good health and well-being
  • UN Goal 4 - Quality education
  • UN Goal 5 - Gender equality
  • UN Goal 6 - Clean water and sanitation
  • UN Goal 7 - Affordable and clean energy
  • UN Goal - Decent work and economic growth
  • UN Goal 9 - Industry, innovation and infrastructure
  • UN Goal 10 - Reduced inequalities
  • UN Goal 11 - Sustainable cities and communities
  • UN Goal 12 - Responsible consumption and production
  • UN Goal 13 - Climate action
  • UN Goal 14 - Life below water
  • UN Goal 15 - Life on land
  • UN Goal 16 - Life on land
  • UN Goal 17 - Partnerships for the goals

SUSTAINABLE ORIENTATION AND OPTIMIZATION THROUGH RATINGS

In order to be able to objectively determine Messer's current status quo with regard to sustainability and climate protection in comparison with other companies, and to identify specific potential for optimization, Messer had itself independently assessed: firstly, as part of a "Sustainability Performance Overview" by EcoVadis, and secondly by the "CDP Score Report - Climate Change 2022".

EcoVadis “Sustainability Performance Overview”

EcoVadis is the world’s largest provider of sustainability ratings for companies. In the “Sustainability Performance Overview” published on August 18, 2022, Messer was among the top 33 percent of companies rated. In terms of “Work and Human Rights”, Messer scored 70/100, which well above the global average of 50.3. This rating by EcoVadis is valid until August 18, 2023. 

„CDP Score Report - Climate Change 2022”

“The “CDP Score Report – Climate Change 2022” facilitates a classification of companies with regard to environmental and climate protection – in comparison with other companies in their industry. In 2022, Messer scored “C“ (= Taking coordinated action on climate issues). CDP regularly raises the bar for what qualifies as environmental leadership. With its current rating, Messer is ahead of or at the same level as 59 percent of companies whose reports to CDP scored between C and D-. In addition, Messer is also ahead of the majority of companies that do not yet disclose their data.

Commitment in the economic environment