SBS Sustainability
Social, environmental, economical
Introduction
While we can be very content with the past fiscal year from a business perspective, this is unfortunately not the case for many people and our environment. That is why we see it as our responsibility to take action outside of our day-to-day business. In doing so, we want to focus on three main areas: support for selected charity projects, environmentally friendly measures and sustainable economic activity. Our goal is to continue to expand our ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) measures in the coming years and to live up to our company's standards for sustainable solutions to the challenges facing our fellow human beings and our planet.
Sustainability is a core part of our corporate strategy at SBS Innovate. We are proud to have received the EcoVadis Silver Medal, placing us among the top 15% of companies rated worldwide. Our sustainability initiatives focus on embedding environmental and social responsibility into every aspect of our business. Together with our partners and team, we are dedicated to continuous improvement, aiming to create lasting positive impacts on both the environment and society.
SDGs and SBS
A key component of the SBS sustainability strategy is based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations and SBS is committed to these goals. On September 25, 2015, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by all 193 member states at the United Nations General Assembly. This contains the 17 goals and 169 targets for sustainable development, which include social, environmental and economic aspects. The various SDGs are referred to repeatedly in the following three sections of the report. Details on the SDGs and the SDG icon images used on this website can be found at sdgs.un.org/goals.
Support for Selected Charity Projects
As an organization, we see it as our duty to pass on parts of our economic success in the form of donations to charity projects helping people in need. The proportion of our company's profits allocated to donations is to be increased gradually. The selection of donations is based on the severity of the emergency. Critical emergencies involving mortality of children or adults are given priority over assistance in other areas. However, this is only a guide for the SBS donation goal. It can be decided at any time to also support other charitable organizations in the geographical vicinity of SBS. By far the largest part, however, should serve the aforementioned purpose. In doing so, we want to take advantage of our lean structure as an owner-managed family business to quickly provide support services in the event of a crisis. The focus here is on projects that are addressed in the following SDGs:
Environment
In order to promote a reduction of the CO2 footprint of SBS, SBS employees are encouraged to choose a climate-friendly means of transport when traveling for work. If it is nevertheless necessary to use a means of transport such as an airplane, the CO2 generated is offset by payments to certified climate projects. In addition, a stable infrastructure for video conferencing has been created at SBS in recent years, so that numerous trips can be avoided through the use of video conferencing. The share of electric vehicles in the company car fleet is currently at 41 percent and is to be further increased gradually. SBS will attempt to take measures to sustainably generate energy at all locations where the lease agreements permit. If such a measure is only partially possible or not possible, contracts will only be concluded with electricity suppliers who can prove that the electricity supplied has the appropriate certificates for sustainability and environmental compatibility. SBS will optimize water consumption at all sites where possible by the current state-of-the-art and on the basis of existing lease agreements. Furthermore, SBS employees and SBS suppliers are encouraged to reduce waste to a minimum and to ensure a sustainable use of resources with a consistent separation of waste.
Sustainable Economic Activities
Through its specialist area of software development for ATMs, SBS has a social responsibility to create software solutions in such a way that they enable the simplest and most reliable access to cash possible. With its IT solutions in the area of self-service devices, SBS contributes to the supply of cash in the DACH region, but also in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The aim is to offer SBS solutions in other countries, including developing countries, with the help of local partner companies and to educate the partners accordingly. The use of self-service devices for cash withdrawals and also for making transfers enables individuals with a bank account to use these functions worldwide. This is usually done at more attractive fees than with other variants. Furthermore, efforts are made to optimize device power consumption when it's operated with SBS software solutions as much as possible. For years, SBS has made it a priority to design its software solutions barrier-free and to adhere to the latest European guidelines for barrier-free use of the infrastructure. SBS has been awarded the "Seal of Approval for Workplace Health Promotion" (German: Gütesiegel für Betriebliche Gesundheitsförderung or BGF). The seal of approval for health promotion is the highest Austrian award for exemplary and sustainable investments in the health of employees, and recertification of the seal of approval is being pursued. An important component of the seal of approval is the SBS internal project "be fit" for the prevention of mental and physical stress. Continuous training and education for employees are important parts of the company's ongoing development. In this context, it is important that the acquired expertise is underpinned by recognized certifications.
