Corporate Social Responsibilty

We are convinced that the positive shaping of social and ecological issues will take on an even more central role for corporate management in the future. After all, it is not only people who can make a difference, but also companies. We want to make a difference and contribute to a better world, which is why we see CSR as part of our mission: We are the specialists in leadership, performance and transformation management and thereby contribute substantially to coping with the fundamental economic and social disruption in organizations.

• Why CSR is important to us
• CSR, sustainability, ecological footprint - what is it all about?
• Road to Zero
• Why CSR has a business case
• Facts please - what we do specifically
• How we support companies in the area of CSR

Why CSR is important to us

Our corporate responsibility to society

By now, we can all personally perceive that the way we live and act as a society is causing lasting damage to the earth - climate change has long since become a tangible reality, even on our German doorstep. It has become clear that a "business as usual" is not an option and that we will probably experience a drastic change due to climatic changes in our own lifetime.

If we do not want to be accused of negligently putting our livelihood at risk, we must bring our corporate social responsibility into the focus of management and employees in the best sense of the word. This responsibility requires that we analyze and evaluate the issues for our situation and integrate meaningful measures into management decisions. It is up to us to no longer view CSR as just 'marketing gobbledygook' and a greenwashing option, but much more as a meaningful management element!

Road to Zero

Our aspiration

It goes without saying that we have defined clear CSR targets for ourselves. We want to reduce our CO2 footprint per employee every year. For the footprint that we cannot avoid, we purchase CO2 certificates in line with the system and take them off the market. Our aspirations for our actions extend further than our defined targets:

• We have clarity about the degree of sustainability of our actions; we know what footprints we leave behind and have a defined path to avoid these footprints in the future.
• We have recognizably embarked on the necessary path and committed ourselves to a set of measures - and we are feeling the positive effect!
• We report transparently on our goals and ongoing goal achievement. And: We support third parties with our knowledge.

Our implemented measures

The 4C GROUP actively contributes to the reduction of energy consumption and CO2 emissions through projects at customers. For example, customer energy consumption or CO2 emissions have been significantly reduced through projects to optimize IT infrastructure and mobile work capabilities. We achieved our Road to Zero - CO2 neutrality of our company - for the fiscal years 20/21 and 20/22 via acquired certificates.

Why CSR has a business case

CSR is imperative to our actions not only because of corporate responsibility - we also see a clear business case that supports 4C's economic goals.

The starting point for classifying CSR measures as a RoI activity is the idea that economical processes and structures in a company that conserve resources and are designed for reusability not only reduce emissions, pollution, and waste, but also reduce costs for products and services or prevent costs from arising for the consequences of a company's own economic actions.

When can the required sustainability pay off? Here are some examples:

1. Resource efficiency: avoided use of resources, avoided costs for rejects and waste, improved occupational safety with less downtime - there are many reasons to work sustainably and economically at the same time.
2. Resource access: currently, we are literally experiencing a boom in sustainability funds, and banks are increasingly considering including CSR considerations in ratings, bringing the opportunity for new funding or denying access. Changing employee attitudes also fall into this category.
3. Customer access: Probably the most effective factor is the customer himself, if he is willing to pay more for sustainable products and pays attention to sustainable aspects when buying. This also includes factors such as service life, repair costs and costs for disposal and recycling. It remains to be seen to what extent the younger generation will follow up these commitments with action.

Along these lines, it is no longer just about products and services that companies have in their own portfolios - sharing economy models impressively demonstrate that innovation and efficiency go hand in hand in cooperative ventures and that the shared use of resources is a win-win option for cooperating companies and customers.

Facts please - what we do specifically

Our CSR activities should be able to withstand scrutiny by interested members of the public at any time. For this reason, we disclose in detail and in a traceable manner what we are involved in and how.

How we support companies in the area of CSR

Taking responsibility is part of our mission

Because we are aware of our social obligation, we actively support companies in working out, operationalizing and sustainably achieving their own CSR goals.

Assuming responsibility in the implementation of our customer projects

The 4C GROUP actively contributes to the reduction of e.g. energy consumption and CO2 emissions through projects at customers. For example, customer energy consumption or CO2 emissions have been significantly reduced through projects to optimize IT infrastructure and mobile work capabilities. We pay explicit attention to the consequences that the actions of our customers and of us in the project have from a CSR point of view.

Taken together, this is certainly a step in the right direction. At the same time, a much greater lever for more sustainable business lies in advising our customers on sustainable business management.

Consulting services for our customers

The following three areas are particularly relevant for achieving CSR goals in companies:

• Sustainability anchored in the heart of the company: sustainable corporate management.
• From Bites and Bytes to Sheet Metal: Sustainable IT
• Nothing works without a powerful team: Diversity Management