Sustainability is of special importance to the EDAG Group. This involves both a long-term business policy and the integration of ecological and social aspects in the management system, and is part of our corporate culture which is built upon shared values such as trust, transparency, reliability and fairness in dealings with our business partners. We see sustainability as a contribution towards safeguarding the future of our company and towards long-term economical and social development.
We are committed to protecting the environment. We therefore promote the environmental awareness of our employees, suppliers and service providers, including them in our activities whenever possible. We make responsible and efficient use of resources and made it our objective to minimize our impact on the environment. This is done using the best technology available, taking economic viability into account. Environmental management requires the holistic consideration of all processes within the company: With the aid of our environmental management system in accordance with ISO 14001, we work continuously on improving our operational environmental protection.
In all activities, our objective is to ensure optimum implementation of energy and resources. We aim to reduce energy consumption in the long term and increase our energy efficiency by way of a continuous improvement process. As we carry out external certification programs, for instance our environmental management system in accordance with the DIN EN ISO 14001 standard, or our corporate social responsibility by EcoVadis and NQC, regular checks are carried out by independent authorities to guarantee our internal improvement process. Energy audits in accordance with the DIN EN 16247-1 standard are also carried out. The aim of these is to analyze energy consumption and determine the energy baseline.
As an internationally active company, we are responsible for ensuring that human rights are complied with and that accepted standards are observed at our many facilities worldwide. With the EDAG Code of Ethics, we commit to the continued support of the ten UN Global Compact principles and to continual improvement in their implementation. One of the principles established by the code is that we support, respect and guarantee the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights within our sphere of influence, and ensure that we are not complicit in human rights abuses.
Professional training is a matter of great importance to us. We have been taking on this special responsibility for some 50 years now. The fact that our apprentices repeatedly receive local and national-level awards for their excellent examination results is evidence of the high quality and continuity of EDAG Group's training scheme.
In our day to day lives, we constantly encounter new challenges and changing requirements. So for us, HR development is more than just the implementation of individual training measures. With our beEDAG project, we have created a talent and performance management system that transparently shows our employees career paths and offers a modern, networked and flexible working environment.
Our aim is to operate equipment and processes in such a way that neither our employees nor the environment are endangered. Occupational health and safety has top priority for us, and our aim is to protect our employees from work-related dangers and to implement preventive measures to ensure their good health. To this end, we have implemented an occupational health and safety management system certified in accordance with ISO 45001 at key locations in Germany.
As a reliable and successful commercial partner, we take on corporate responsibility and are a safe employer for our employees. We work systematically on maintaining our competitive edge, and achieve this as a result of our own R&D commitment, but also by utilizing our site network. We are able to break down work orders into packages, and then process these at the ideal location for the particular project. This enables us to meet customers' present and future requirements on competitive terms, while guaranteeing sustainable growth.
It is our responsibility to ensure that our services are provided within a value chain that is consistent with international standards and principles governing corporate activity. For this reason, we have outlined our requirements with regard to working conditions, health and safety, the environment and business ethics in our EDAG Supplier Code of Conduct. Any and all companies in our supply chain are expected to observe relevant national laws, the principles set out in the United Nations Global Compact and our EDAG Supplier Code of Conduct.
The quality of our products and services is a decisive factor in our success. Our management system is based on ISO 9001. We undertake to implement all measures agreed, so as to meet the requirements of our customers and/or provide the services agreed.
As a globally operating company, we are aware of the responsibility that comes with the provision of our services, and make our contribution to sustainability. It is our responsibility to ensure that our services are provided in a value chain that is consistent with standards and principles relating to sustainability, working conditions, health and safety, the environment and business ethics. With a clear commitment to social and environmental responsibility, flanked by a commitment to responsible business relationships and our corporate culture, we have developed these guidelines for sustainable procurement.
