SUSTAINABILITY AS A COMPONENT OF
CORPORATE MANAGEMENT
Which paths lead to more sustainability? Certainly more than one. But probably few people think
of Group Financing. As ALTANA’s Chief Financial Officer, Stefan Genten is not only responsible for key
financial indicators, but also uses sustainability factors as a management tool.
“In terms of sustainability, we want to be significantly above the
industry average and thus send a clear signal both internally
and externally,” explains Stefan Genten. “This applies to our own
processes and goals, such as achieving climate neutrality by
2025, as well as to products and solutions that enable our customers
to act more sustainably themselves.”
Non-financial key figures in the Corporate Report
In 2020, ALTANA for the first time integrated so-called non-
financial key performance indicators (KPIs) into its Corporate Report,
on an equal footing with traditional financial key performance
indicators. The KPIs include key figures on occupational
safety and the company’s CO² balance. The latter two values
are not only published, but also certified by the independent auditor
as part of the audit of the Group Management Report in
the same way as the financial KPIs listed there. “This closes the
circle,” says Genten: “We formulate ambitious targets, implement
them, have them audited, and publish the results. We subject
the financial and non-financial indicators to the same standards.
After all, we can only be economically successful in the long
term if we take ecological and social aspects into account in
our decisions and systematically anchor them in our company.”
Financing through sustainability-linked
credit lines
A further expression of ALTANA’s integrated understanding of sus-
tainability is the new strategic Group financing set up in 2021.
As a healthy, growing company, ALTANA now has two attractive
instruments at its disposal: a credit line of up to EUR 250 million
with an ESG link from an international banking consortium and,
for the first time, a loan commitment of EUR 200 million from
the European Investment Bank (EIB) to support green research projects
in line with the European Green Deal. The interest rate or
ALTANA has 450 million euros available within the framework of
sustainability-oriented credit lines.
loan amount depends among other things on the company’s sus-
tainability performance. “In concrete terms, this means that if
we achieve our sustainability goals, we also benefit financially,”
sums up Stefan Genten. The loans are thus both proof of the
company’s past performance in this area and an additional driver
of future product and solution development. ALTANA has a
total of 450 million euros at its disposal thanks to the newly estab-
lished Group financing.
Integrated approach to corporate management
For ALTANA, sustainability is not a criterion to be considered
separately. “We pursue an integrated approach,” says Genten.
“Clearly and measurably formulated sustainability goals, prac-
ticable key figures, and transparent reporting ensure that our sus-
tainability requirements are effectively anchored in both stra-
tegic and operational corporate management.” In his professional
life, Stefan Genten lives out his ideal in his private life: “I basi-
cally think holistically. As part of society, I have a special responsi-
bility in my position to ensure that, on the one hand, wealth is
created and, on the other, that this wealth is used for social and
ecological sustainability, so that the overall system of society,
ecology, and economy will function across generations. I couldn’t
imagine working for a company where sustainability didn’t have
this high priority.”
38 Climate Protection at ALTANA