General Standard Information

The general standard disclosures provide a strategic overview of the company’s sustainable organisation and reporting and address indicators regarding corporate governance and stakeholder involvement.

Application

The GRI Content Index indicates at which points in the annual report the corresponding standard to the respective GRI indicator can be found and provides a direct link to these points. Furthermore, the Index also points to pages on the HHLA website which contain information pertaining to GRI. These external links are marked with an symbol. In cases where no information about the GRI indicator is available, this will be explained. The GRI Content Index is published exclusively online and is not available as a PDF file.

The GRI Content Index of HHLA does not make use of the column “omission”
as to all indicators information is given.

Strategy and Analysis

G4-1 Statement from the Chairman of the Executive Board

G4-2 Key impacts, risks and opportunities of the operating activities

Organizational Profile

G4-3 Name of the organisation

G4-4 Primary brands, products, and services

G4-5 Headquarter of the organisation

G4-8 Markets

G4-10 Employees by employment type, gender and region

G4-11 Percentage of employees covered by collective bargaining agreements

G4-12 Description of the supply chain

G4-16 Memberships in associations and advocacy organisations

Zentralverband der deutschen Seehafenbetriebe (ZDS) / Hafen Hamburg Marketing (HHM) / Unternehmensverband Hafen Hamburg e. V. (UVHH) / Logistik-Initiative Hamburg / Industrieverband Hamburg (IVH)

Identified Material Aspects and Boundaries

Stakeholder Engagement

G4-24 Stakeholder groups engaged

HHLA engages in regular dialogue with its stakeholders, who include customers (e. g. shipping companies), customers’ customers (e. g. forwarders), employees, suppliers, the media, potential and existing shareholders, associations and institutions, research institutes, political decision-makers, local residents close to the terminals and interested members of the public.

G4-25 Identification and selection of stakeholder groups

G4-26 Approach to stakeholder engagement

The different stakeholders are engaged on a continual basis by means of numerous events and diverse communication channels, e. g. by means of regular meetings with residents on the subject of noise, events concerning the planned development of the company with customers and shareholders, or guided tours of HHLA terminals.

G4-27 Key topics and concerns of stakeholders

In the course of dialogue with neighbouring residents of the port terminals, noise- reducing equipment was purchased, a hotline was opened and operating processes to minimise noise were introduced. We also report annual CO2 emissions per container handled, for instance, at the request of our stakeholders.

Report Profile

G4-28 Reporting period

G4-29 Date of most recent previous report

G4-30 Reporting cycle

G4-31 Contact point for questions regarding the report

G4-32 “In accordance” option and content index chosen

G4-33 External verification of the report

Governance

G4-37 Processes for consultation between stakeholders and the highest governance body

G4-38 Composition of the highest governance body and its committees

G4-43 Measures taken concerning the highest governance body’s knowledge in sustainability issues

G4-45 Highest governance body’s role concerning sustainability impacts, risks, and opportunities

G4-46 Highest governance body’s role concerning the effectiveness of the risk management

G4-47 Frequency of the highest governance body’s review of sustainability impacts, risks, and opportunities

Sustainability risks are considered as an integral part of the risk and opportunity management HHLA.

G4-48 Highest committee that formally reviews and approves the sustainability report

The Chairman of the Executive Board is responsible for sustainability. The organisational integration of sustainability in the company is led by a specialist sustainability team and a Sustainability Council, comprising members of the Group management and external experts.

G4-49 Process for communicating critical concerns to the highest governance body

All of our shareholders have the opportunity to approach the Executive Board with critical concerns in the context of our Annual General Meeting. These concerns may be submitted in writing in advance of submitted at the meeting. Each shareholder has the right to obtain truthful information from the Executive Board within the meaning of the shareholders’ right to information. Around 200 concerns were submitted and addressed in 2015. Addionally, the IR department is available throughout the year to accommodate concerns that are of particular interest for instituional and or private investors . These issues will be forwarded to the Executive Board in the quarterly IR reports.

G4-50 Critical concerns that were communicated to the highest governance body

All of our shareholders have the opportunity to approach the Executive Board with critical concerns in the context of our Annual General Meeting. These concerns may be submitted in writing in advance of submitted at the meeting. Each shareholder has the right to obtain truthful information from the Executive Board within the meaning of the shareholders’ right to information. Around 200 concerns were submitted and addressed in 2015. Addionally, the IR department is available throughout the year to accommodate concerns that are of particular interest for instituional and or private investors . These issues will be forwarded to the Executive Board in the quarterly IR reports.

G4-51 Remuneration policies for the highest governance body and senior executives

G4-52 Process for determining remuneration

G4-53 Stakeholders’ views regarding remuneration

All of our shareholders have the opportunity to approach the Executive Board with critical concerns in the context of our Annual General Meeting. The current compensation system for members of the Executive Board was approved by the General Annual Meeting on June 14, 2012.

G4-54 Ratio of the highest annual total compensation to the median annual total compensation

Ratio not indicated.
The compensation and benefits paid or received of all employees correspond at least to the respective national legal minimum requirements or those of the respective economic sectors. The remuneration of current members of the Executive Board complies with the requirements of the Aktiengesetz (AktG – German Stock Corporation Act) and the recommendations of the German Corporate Governance Code. The level of the Executive Board remuneration should be appropriate and attractive in the context of the Company’s national and international peer group. Criteria are both the result of average earnings as well as the achievement of certain sustainability components.
HHLA does not consider the indicators required by G4-54 & G4-55 conducive to assessing the fairness of remuneration structures.

G4-55 Ratio of percentage increase in the highest annual total compensation

Ratio not indicated.
The compensation and benefits paid or received of all employees correspond at least to the respective national legal minimum requirements or those of the respective economic sectors. The remuneration of current members of the Executive Board complies with the requirements of the Aktiengesetz (AktG – German Stock Corporation Act) and the recommendations of the German Corporate Governance Code. The level of the Executive Board remuneration should be appropriate and attractive in the context of the Company’s national and international peer group. Criteria are both the result of average earnings as well as the achievement of certain sustainability components.
HHLA does not consider the indicators required by G4-54 & G4-55 conducive to assessing the fairness of remuneration structures.

Ethics and Integrity

G4-57 Internal and external mechanisms for seeking advice on ethical and lawful behavior

G4-58 Mechanisms for reporting concerns about unethical or unlawful behavior

For questions and comments on the subject of compliance, a hotline was set up. There, employees can retrieve reliable information on laws, internal guidelines and principles of behavior that are relevant to their daily work, and if necessary report violations of the law and internal rules.

Revenue

Sales derived from selling, letting or leasing and from services provided by the Group, less sales deductions and turnover tax.