EANS-News: Wienerberger Gains Silver Status for Sustainability Management
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Corporate news transmitted by euro adhoc with the aim of a Europe-wide distribution. The issuer is responsible for the content of this announcement. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Company Information Vienna - 02 December 2020 * EcoVadis awards Wienerberger a silver medal * Sustainability ratings have improved significantly across all categories * Wienerberger is one of the most sustainable companies in the building materials industry The Wienerberger Group has made real headway in further improving the sustainability of its operations in the last twelve months. The latest rating by EcoVadis, a leading international provider of business sustainability ratings (ESG Ratings), shows the company has achieved significant progress in all evaluation areas. In recognition of these advances, EcoVadis has raised the rating to silver from bronze. Wienerberger ranked higher than the industry average in all areas of the EcoVadis sustainability assessment. Heimo Scheuch, Wienerberger CEO expressed his satisfaction saying, "We are more than proud of our progress. Sustainability is one of our most important strategic pillars and is firmly anchored in every process. The silver medal is one more step in the right direction. This improved rating strengthens our resolve to continue our sustainability strategy with even greater determination". Improvements in all Areas Wienerberger improved its performance in all areas of the assessment, which include environmental impact, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement. In the area of procurement, Wienerberger even doubled its score to 60 points. This puts Wienerberger among the top 7% of all companies in its industry in the category responsible supplier management. Overall, Wienerberger ranks among the best 20% of all building materials companies that were assessed by EcoVadis. Wienerberger attaches great value to the long-term security of supply. "The sourcing of natural resources, materials and products must strictly comply with our stringent sustainability criteria. These criteria also play a crucial role in our business relationships, since we want to ensure that suppliers adhere to our defined ecological and social standards", says Heimo Scheuch, explaining the importance of sustainable procurement management along the entire supply chain that was reorganised last year. In 2019 Wienerberger also opted for a sustainability-oriented form of financing for the first time. The rate of interest on a bank loan is linked, inter alia, to the sustainability rating awarded to Wienerberger by EcoVadis. Improvements in sustainability performance thus lead directly to lower financing costs. EcoVadis: The World's Most Trusted Business Sustainability Rankings EcoVadis is a leading international provider of ESG ratings with a special focus on sustainable supplier management. The EcoVadis rating covers a broad range of non-financial management systems, including environmental impact, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement. EcoVadis provides a comprehensive and independent sustainability ratings service for business and assesses each company on material issues as they pertain to the client organization's size, locations and industry. These evidence-based assessments are presented in easy-to-use scorecards and rated with scores of 0 -100 points. In addition, EcoVadis also awards medals (bronze, silver and gold). As well as recognising strengths, these scorecards show areas that require improvement. Companies that have undergone assessments can use the scorecards to sharpen the focus of their sustainability efforts and adjust their action plans to improve sustainability performance. EcoVadis has partnered with large multinational corporations to promote sustainable, global supply chains. Wienerberger Group The Wienerberger Group is a leading international provider of smart solutions for the entire building envelope and for infrastructure. Wienerberger is the world's largest producer of bricks (Porotherm, Terca) and the market leader in clay roof tiles (Koramic, Tondach) in Europe as well as concrete pavers (Semmelrock) in Eastern Europe. In pipe systems (Steinzeug-Keramo ceramic pipes and Pipelife plastic pipes), the company is one of the leading suppliers in Europe. With its total of 201 production sites, the Wienerberger Group generated revenues of EUR 3.5 billion and EBITDA LFL of EUR 587 million in 2019. Wienerberger AG is a pure free float company, whereby the majority of shares are held by Austrian and international institutional investors. Additional information on the shareholder structure is provided under https:// wienerberger.com/en/investors/share [https://wienerberger.com/en/investors/ share] Further inquiry note: Claudia Hajdinyak, Head of Corporate Communications Wienerberger AG t +43 664 828 31 83 | claudia.hajdinyak@wienerberger.com Anna Maria Grausgruber, Head of Investor Relations Wienerberger AG t +43 1 601 92 - 10221 | investor@wienerberger.com end of announcement euro adhoc --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
issuer: Wienerberger AG
Wienerbergerplatz 1
A-1100 Wien
phone: +43 1 60 192-0
FAX: +43 1 60 192-10159
mail: office@wienerberger.com
WWW: www.wienerberger.com
ISIN: AT0000831706, AT0000A2GLA0
indexes: ATX
stockmarkets: Wien
language: English
Original content of: Wienerberger AG, transmitted by news aktuell