Production & maintenance
High standards in site operations
Environmental management
Environmental protection is a maxim guiding how we do business. We want to be efficient in our use of energy and resources, minimize emissions and avoid environmental risks. Continuous improvement has been achieved in particular in the reduction of energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
Our environmental management for site operations includes monitoring of our energy consumption as the basis for efficiency measures, which come into effect in, for example, our company climate action strategy, ecoRoadmap.
Operational environmental protection at our production sites is an important principle guiding our behavior and is implemented in MTU’s business processes. It is also enshrined in the global Code of Conduct for all employees as well as in our Policy Statement on the Protection of Human Rights. The Executive Board assumes responsibility for company-wide environmental protection and climate action.
Standards are applied through a management system that defines processes, responsibilities and targets at the site level. Environmental protection is part of MTU’s integrated management system (IMS). The environmental criteria apply to all divisions and processes and are laid down in documented process flows and special company standards. Minimum operating standards for our machines and facilities, such as engine test cells, are laid down by national legislation and subordinate regulations.
In our global Code of Conduct, MTU commits to an integrated approach that incorporates environmental protection and climate action into its business decisions. Environmental responsibility is also enshrined in the MTU Principles in the section entitled “Environment and society.” In addition, MTU’s mandatory Code of Conduct commits suppliers to act in an environmentally conscious way.
The Executive Board receives a quarterly IMS report on environmental and climate action data. Since 2021, the report has included the energy consumption of the production sites in Munich, Hannover, Ludwigsfelde, Rzeszów and Vancouver (measured in terms of production hours). Regular reports on CO2 reductions in site operations (Munich, Hannover, Ludwigsfelde and Rzeszów) to the Executive Board and the management are part of MTU’s climate strategy.
We spent this amount on investments and ongoing expenses for environmental protection and climate action at our German production sites in 2022.
Environmental management is not centralized, with the environmental departments at all production sites assuming responsibility for the local implementation of relevant rules and regulations. Individual site managers are directly responsible for environmental protection; they receive advice and support from the local specialists. Those specialists regularly share their innovations and best practices with each other. The German sites are certified to ISO 14001, the international standard for environmental management systems, and/or to the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS).
Getting employees involved
We get our employees involved in active environmental protection via information campaigns and training courses—for instance, to motivate them to conserve energy at work. This is done, for example, as part of the initial instruction for new employees, in the form of special awareness days and through short videos on how to protect the environment in day-to-day life. The Code of Conduct stipulates measures to support employees in acting in an eco- and climate-conscious way.
We maintain a dialogue with our stakeholder groups about MTU’s environmental impacts. Through environmental statements, the MTU sites in Munich, Hannover and Ludwigsfelde inform the public annually about their environmental impacts and performance. Stakeholders can use the available media channels to direct complaints and report abuses to us, which we will immediately follow up. This applies to employees, suppliers, residents and other stakeholders. In the reporting year, we received no complaints regarding negative environmental impacts. At the German sites, environmental officers are available to answer any questions or comments. → More information about stakeholder dialogue In addition, stakeholders can provide feedback about sustainability issues via an online survey on the MTU website.
We also pursue environmental protection and climate action through joint initiatives. Besides its commitment to the UN Global Compact, whose ten principles include environmental sustainability, MTU is also involved in several local initiatives. These include the BEEN-i Bavarian Energy Efficiency Network Initiative, the Unternehmensnetzwerk Klimaschutz corporate climate action network, the Munich Business Climate Pact and the Bavarian Environmental and Climate Pact.
Emergency management plans have been prepared to deal with operational disruptions with a negative environmental impact, and a crisis committee has been set up. We also hold regular staff drills and provide instructions on what to do in the event of an emergency. In 2022, there were no incidents with a negative environmental impact, nor were any fines levied against the company for breaches of statutory requirements relating to the environment. No non-monetary sanctions were brought against MTU.
