The HA Group takes its corporate responsibility seriously and has firmly embedded sustainability into its strategy.
We continuously review and certify our business processes and operate under strict group-wide guidelines. By actively participating in leading sustainability initiatives, we are committed to achieving ambitious goals and driving meaningful progress.
Explore all relevant documents here.
Ratings
EcoVadis
HA has had its sustainability performance regularly reassessed since the first assessment in 2019. For the fourth time, HA faced the largest provider for the sustainability assessment of companies within global supply chains - and was once again able to significantly improve its score from 2022 and confirm the EcoVadis silver medal despite significantly stricter evaluation criteria.
This puts HA GmbH (group level) among the top 12% of companies assessed by EcoVadis in the corresponding industry risk profile with its key sustainability topics.
In doing so, it is important to consider all dimensions of sustainability: Ecology, Economy and Social Issues.
About EcoVadis:
EcoVadis is the world's most widely used and recognised platform for assessing corporate sustainability performance, with a global network of more than 100,000 rated companies. ► to EcoVadis website
SAQ Supplier Assurance
In addition to the EcoVadis assessment, HA is regularly assessed by Supplier Assurance. The Supplier Assurance Questionnaire (SAQ) assessment is considered the automotive industry's globally recognized sustainability standard and is used by global OEMs as well as many tier 1 and sub-tier automotive companies.
It is applicable to all suppliers in the automotive supply chain worldwide, including procurement, manufacturing, logistics, assembly and retail. Previously, HA GmbH's manufacturing site in Hanover, Germany, was assessed by NQC using the SAQ 5.0 questionnaire. Again, the result is only valid for a limited period of time and has to be repeated regularly.
Code of Conduct for HA Group
Economic success and good corporate citizenship are inseparable objectives of our corporation.
HA’s core values are anchored in the guiding principles of acting responsibly and ethically towards employees, business partners, society and environment.
The essential principles and guidelines that determine our actions and our conduct towards business partners, the public and our colleagues are outlned in our HA Code of Conduct.
CSR Policy
As a globally active family company, we are aware of our responsibility towards people and the environment and are very serious about it. We are convinced that economic success is inextricably linked to a commitment to responsible action. This applies not only to our employees, but also to society as a whole and the environment. With our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) guidelines, we commit ourselves to adhering to a wide range of fundamental principles. For today and tomorrow: We not only want to live up to our responsibility every day, but strive to make the future a little better every day. This applies not only to our social commitment, but also to the development of ever more resource-efficient products.
Global Policy on Climate & Environmental Protection and Product Stewardship
Climate change and the protection of the environment and nature as a whole is one of the biggest challenges of our time. Climate change must be countered with suitable measures and thus reduced as far as possible. At the same time, the protection and preservation of the environment and nature - also by assuming product stewardship - is our obligation to society and future generations.
Learn more about our principles and objectives regarding climate-, environmental protection and product stewardship:
Global Occupational Safety and Health Policy
Safety and health at work are a primary corporate objective. The HA Group considers it a self-evident duty to provide a safe and healthy (working) environment for its employees, customers, suppliers and all other persons working in or visiting its offices and/or production facilities worldwide.
Learn more about our commitment to occupational safety and health:
Global Employee Handbook
The Global Employee Handbook is based on the core values of the HA Group: mutual respect, responsibility, appreciation, trust and openness. These values are exemplified in the company and they are intended to shape the attitude and behavior of our employees worldwide.
In this Global Employee Handbook, the HA Group describes its central concerns with regard to working conditions and human rights. The guidelines and standards formulated in it are binding for all employees worldwide.
Learn more:
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Together for Sustainability
An effective change requires everyone to work together - especially when it comes to the goal of creating a more sustainable chemical industry. With this premise in mind, the chemical industry founded the Together for Sustainability initiative in 2011. The association of 50 members has set itself the task of measuring the sustainability performance of the chemical sector worldwide with effective audits and transparent standards.
The HA Group is also a member of the TfS initiative and has therefore reached an important global milestone in the HA sustainability strategy. Together with the international network, the aim is to assess and demonstrably improve the sustainability performance in the areas of environment, management, human rights, health and safety of the entire chemical sector.
UN Global Compact
A strong commitment to sustainability: As of April 11, 2023, HA Group has joined the UN Global Compact (UNGC), the world's largest CSR initiative. As a signatory of the UN Global Compact, HA Group is committed to the 10 Principles of the UN Global Compact and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
As one of over 22,000 participating companies worldwide, the task now is to implement a roadmap for the future and to demonstrably follow it. This also commits the HA Group to publishing an annual progress report.
We are conducting intensive research to combine the specialist knowledge in foundry chemistry acquired over many decades with completely new research approaches. In this way, we aim to work with our customers to make foundry processes even more efficient and environmentally friendly.
Responsible Care
The Responsible Care initiative stands for the continuous improvement of health protection, environmental protection, safety and security in companies. It is an important contribution to sustainability. In June 2021, the chemical-pharmaceutical industry and the chemical trade in Germany decided to continue their successful cooperation to continuously improve safety, health and environmental protection.
The partners have been setting common goals for the global industry initiative "Responsible Care" since 1996, and the agreement has thus been renewed a second time after 2007. By re-subscribing to the VCI Guidelines for Responsible Care, HA is actively committed to the principles of this initiative.
HA Progess Report
As the entire HA Group, we firmly believe that collective sustainable action not only benefits the environment, but also serves as a fundamental pillar for our economic success.
In our pursuit of strategic sustainability management, we have established a global sustainability organization and identified the HA Group's most important goals. The Sustainability Insights provide a comprehensive insight into the HA Group's sustainability strategy and the milestones already achieved.
Integrated Management Systems
Our clear commitment to sustainable quality management has been confirmed since the 1990s through certifications according to DIN EN ISO 9001 (quality management) and DIN EN ISO 14001 (environmental management). These standards ensure consistently high product quality under environmentally friendly production conditions.
As early as 2015, we introduced an energy management system in line with DIN EN ISO 50001 and were already well ahead of current legal requirements at that time.
But it does not stop there: from our perspective, the effectiveness of management systems is never considered complete. They are applied, further developed, and consistently monitored across all departments. In this way, we recognize and harness improvement potential at an early stage, securing our market position in global competition.
