CSR Certificate
2025_01_01-12_31_CSR-Urkunde_DEKRA_EN
Supply & Value Chain
Sustainability plays an important role from purchasing, through internal processes, to our customer relationships. In our purchasing practice, we consider social, ecological and business ethical criteria when selecting suppliers and the products and services we require. When developing new services or improving existing ones through our Service Divisions, we also ensure that we make a positive contribution to sustainable development and create added value for our customers.
Sustainable Procurement
Sustainability is an integral part of DEKRA’s purchasing and supply chain management. Our purchasing guidelines define clear requirements for integrating environmental, social and ethical aspects into procurement processes. We expect our suppliers to comply with these sustainability standards, which are anchored in our General Terms and Conditions of Purchase and in the Sustainability Supplier Code of Conduct.
The Sustainability Supplier Code of Conduct sets out our expectations in four key areas: sustainability management and ethical business practices, environmental and climate protection, social standards, and respect for human rights. Compliance with these requirements is assessed through risk‑ and demand‑oriented supplier audits and evaluations, particularly within our global procurement activities.
Environmental and social sustainability are equally important to us. In addition to human rights, climate protection plays a central role, including measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions along the supply chain. We also seek to promote diversity and equal opportunities beyond our own organization by considering supplier diversity where appropriate. This includes working with suppliers whose business models support inclusion, social impact or equal opportunities, as reflected in our supplier assessments.
An example of this approach is our cooperation with AfB gemeinnützige GmbH, a non‑profit organization focused on inclusion, in the field of IT hardware refurbishment and recycling.
Environmental impact of service delivery
The environmental impact of our services varies depending on the type of service provided. As part of the TIC sector, DEKRA generally has a lower environmental impact compared to industries such as manufacturing. Nevertheless, we aim to be transparent about the environmental effects associated with our services and are currently conducting further assessments.
A key factor is greenhouse gas emissions from business travel when services are delivered on-site. Wherever possible, we offer digital and remote solutions. If travel is required, we choose the most environmentally friendly transport options while maintaining high quality standards. In addition, our operations require energy for buildings and infrastructure, which is why we are gradually switching to renewable electricity and installing renewable energy systems at our sites.
Our activities also involve the use of space and resources. We consider biodiversity impacts at our locations, for example by maintaining a wildflower meadow near our headquarters. Resource consumption also arises from technical equipment used in laboratories and testing services, and we are beginning to integrate environmental considerations into procurement decisions.
Across our service divisions, environmental impacts mainly relate to business travel, energy consumption, and resource use. Expert services such as audits, consulting, and inspections are often performed on-site or remotely, with impacts mainly from travel and energy use. Product testing, vehicle inspections, and training services additionally involve resource consumption and facility-related energy use.
We recognize that these impacts are not exhaustive and continuously work on improving transparency and reduction measures. Customers are encouraged to consult with our experts to identify ways to minimize the environmental impact of specific services.
We are conducting a pilot project to calculate the carbon footprint of our services. Starting with our largest service areas, our pilot study includes the calculation of the carbon footprint for important services that DEKRA offers in various countries. These services include light vehicle inspection (LVI), electrical inspection, audit service, radiofrequency testing, damage appraisal and virtual training:
Periodical technical inspection (PTI) is a traditional service provided by DEKRA. In a first step we focus on light vehicle inspection (LVI). The study collects data from 166 inspection stations in France, 8 in Germany, 8 in Morocco and 17 in New Zealand. Our calculation of the carbon footprint included energy consumption at these stations as well as maintenance materials, consumables (printed paper, cleaning paper and supplies, lubricating oils, PPE, etc.) and fuel consumption during the test. On average, an LVI performed by DEKRA generates 1 kg CO2eq of emissions, ranging from 0.368 kg CO2eq in New Zealand to 5.2 kg CO2eq in Germany and 1 kg CO2eq and 2.2 kg CO2eq for LVIs in France and Morocco, respectively.
Electrical inspection is offered in six different countries in Europe and North Africa, with 20% of all inspection services provided in France. Our carbon footprint calculation includes data from France, Germany, and Morocco for the year 2021, and the results show that Electrical inspection triggers 15.9 kg CO2eq in France, 30 kg CO2eq in Germany, and 26.5 kg CO2eq in Morocco. The largest contributor to the carbon footprint of this service is the trip to the customer's facility, which accounts for 90 to 95% of the emissions.
DEKRA Certification provides audit services in 18 countries and works with over 560 internal experts and 1200 external auditors. Our calculation of the carbon footprint for audit services in Germany in 2021 shows that a service generates an average of 146 kg of CO2eq emissions. Mainly responsible for this CO2 footprint are the long travel distances to the customer, which account for almost 98% of the emissions. This highlights the importance of transport in our business and the need to find more sustainable solutions.
DEKRA also offers radiofrequency testing services in 7 different countries worldwide. The calculation of the carbon footprint for this service takes into account the energy consumption of the equipment used during the test. The results show a wide range of emissions, with the lowest CO2 footprint in the Netherlands at 12.62 kg CO2eq per service and the highest in South Korea at 159 kg CO2eq per service. The United States have a CO2 footprint of 121.41 kg CO2eq, Spain has 36.87 kg CO2eq, Italy has 35.32 kg CO2eq, Suzhou in China has 63.53 kg CO2eq, Taiwan has 115.66 kg CO2eq, and Guangzhou in China has 111.32 kg CO2eq. The differences between the countries are explained by the duration of the tests in the studied countries, by the energy emission factors for each country and also by the different energy consumption in the considered offices.
The analysis of the carbon footprint of the damage appraisal service is performed using data from the Netherlands. It is found that an on-site service in the Netherlands generates an average of 3.9 kgCO2eq, while an online assessment generates an average of 0.308 kgCO2eq. Footprint of an on-site appraisal is mainly the travel of the appraiser to assess the damage at the customer's location. Fuel consumption accounts for approximately 80% of the service's total GHG emissions.
To determine the carbon footprint of DEKRA Virtual Academy's online courses, we analyzed the 5 most important courses, which differ in length and number of participants. Our results show that the ""Safety Officer"" course generates 9.02 kgCO2eq, while the ""Fire Protection Officer (Advanced Training)"" course emits 14.9 kgCO2eq. The ""Qualified Person for Ladders, Steps and Mobile Scaffolds"" course generates 5.72 kgCO2eq, and the ""Electrically Instructed Person"" course generates 15.3 kgCO2eq. Finally, the course ""Operation of forklifts, annual instruction"" generates 7.28 kgCO2eq. We only consider the additional electricity consumption during the course duration by the participants and the instructor. Based on the results of these 5 main courses and their frequency per year, we estimate that an online training course generates an average of 0.771 kgCO2eq per teaching unit.
