Sustainability strategy: a. hartrodt turns an obligation into an opportunity

At a. hartrodt, a cross-functional team systematically assessed environmental, social, and governance issues for the first time using a dual materiality analysis. On the one hand, employees from Corporate Communications, Finance, and Human Resources jointly analyzed how the company’s business activities impact the environment and society. On the other hand, they examined how sustainability issues influence the company’s success. “This has laid the foundation for our future sustainability strategy,” says Michaela Fuhrberg, Manager Corporate Communications at a. hartrodt in Hamburg, summarizing the interim results.

Data collected from February through April 2025

For companies in the EU, the “Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive” regulates sustainability reporting. The directive requires a. hartrodt to report on ESG (environment, social, and governance) starting in 2027. Therefore, an interdisciplinary ESG team was formed, which collected extensive data from various departments and international offices for analysis from February through April 2025.

Using Electricity from Renewable Energy Sources Globally 

“For us, the dual materiality analysis was much more than just a regulatory requirement,” says Michaela Fuhrberg. After all, the results directly contribute to the family business's competitiveness in the future. “By establishing a cross-functional ESG team, a. hartrodt has made sustainability a strategic priority,” she emphasizes. The team is currently building a reliable database and using it to identify priority actions. “For example, this year we want to examine at which international locations we can use electricity from renewable energy sources,” reports Séverine Hanßke, Team Leader Corporate Communications at a. hartrodt.

65 companies within the a. hartrodt group operate daily within complex global supply chains across 46 countries. “With the ESG team, we are permanently embedding sustainability into our worldwide business processes and strategic decisions,” Michaela Fuhrberg explains.