On 13 March 2022, Starlinger & Co Gesellschaft m.b.H. became one of the signatory companies of the UN Global Compact, a global pact between the United Nations and over 15,000 official members who are committed to working together for a sustainable future. By joining the UN Global Compact, Starlinger has pledged to uphold core issues such as human rights, labour standards, environmental protection and anti-corruption, and to voluntarily take measures that go beyond the legal requirements. “As a company that is active on the world stage, we have a significant responsibility towards society and the environment,” emphasises Angelika Huemer, Managing Partner at Starlinger. “With our participation in the UN Global Compact, and the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy that we established recently, we want to demonstrate to our business partners and our workforce that we are committed to fully integrating the ten principles of the UN Global Compact into our business practices.”
As the world’s largest initiative for corporate sustainability, the UN Global Compact is a tool that enables companies not only to recognise their social responsibility, but also to shoulder it. Clarissa Graf, Sustainability Officer at Starlinger, sees this global movement as an opportunity to shape a more sustainable future. “Companies that join the UN Global Compact are called upon to comprehensively address the issue of CSR and to ascertain the status quo, thus enabling them to set ambitious goals,” says Graf. “Given the fact that annual reporting is mandatory, regular evaluation of the measures and the achievement of objectives also takes place. This is the only way to ensure that we are heading in the right direction. I am delighted that Starlinger is rising to this challenge!”
Together with her team, Graf is currently gathering all the relevant data in order to be able to set realistic goals for the upcoming strategy development. Another objective is the promotion of dialogue with stakeholders, especially along the value chain – and Huemer and Graf are quick to agree on this: “Developing and implementing effective solutions to complex issues requires lively exchange and cooperation among all stakeholders.”
