We have been working on it since the beginning of 2025 (!) — but had to wait for the final figures for 2024 before we could complete the report. And then, as so often happens, Christmas came around very suddenly this year! Nevertheless, we have completed it and are proud to present it: our ESG Report, i.e. the report on Environmental, Social and Governance issues — in German, ecological and social sustainability as well as sustainable corporate governance.
With this report, we are continuing our documentation well ahead of the official reporting obligation from January 2026 onwards, making our strategy, the progress achieved to date, and the remaining need for development equally transparent.
Making Progress Measurable with the Sustainability Report
The ESG Report sets out clearly what we aim to achieve in terms of sustainability. Clear objectives and defined timelines are essential to ensure that sustainability ambitions, despite the best intentions, do not gradually lose momentum over time.
Our key targets by 2030 are:
- at least FSC-certified production — or a higher environmental standard — for 20% of our print production of new publications and journals (FSC-certified papers and cover materials are already used for most products);
- increasing the share of open-access publications to 70% of new publications and journals;
- reducing CO₂ emissions (Scopes 1 to 3) by at least 25% compared to 2023.
In addition to ecological objectives, the report also covers social sustainability and sustainable corporate governance. This includes, among other things, employees’ rights, equal opportunities, training and development, human rights, community engagement and political involvement.
In preparing our sustainability report, we have drawn on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which serve as a framework for sustainable development, as well as the guidelines of the German Sustainability Code (DNK).
Why This Report Matters
Our first sustainability report shows, on the one hand, what we have already achieved. But more importantly, it highlights where we still need to improve in terms of sustainability. To open the report, simply click on the following link:
Sustainability Report 2024
Our Invitation to Dialogue
We warmly invite you to engage in dialogue with us about sustainable publishing! Our ESG reports are not the end, but the beginning of a continuous process.
We look forward to your thoughts and suggestions. Please feel free to contact our sustainability officers, Daniela Witzki and Magdalena Lautenschlager.
More on our sustainability strategy can be found here.
