Topic-specific standards

The specific standard disclosures are divided into three categories: economy, environment and society. The materiality analysis has shown that HHLA's stakeholders are very interested in transparent sustainability reporting. Materiality analysis For this reason, HHLA not only reports on topics that are classified as material as a result of the materiality analysis and the transfer of material topics according to HGB, but also reports on all GRI standards. The following GRI standards were considered to be material:

  • GRI 205: Anti-corruption
  • GRI 305: Emissions
  • GRI 401: Employment
  • GRI 403: Occupational health and safety 
  • as well as the theme “area optimisation”, for which there is currently no GRI standard of its own.

To GRI standards, which were rated as material, a management approach was added. These GRI standards have a blue font color. GRI standards to which HHLA additionally reports are indicated by a grey header.

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

Material GRI standards with regard to business relevance and degree of impact

Use the filter function to sort the GRI disclosures according to double materiality considerations as defined in Section 289c (3) of the German Commercial Code (HGB) with regard to business relevance and degree of impact.

Economic standards

GRI 201: Economic performance

201-2 Financial implications and other risks and opportunities due to climate change

201-3 Defined benefit plan obligations and other retirement plans

201-4 Financial assistance received from government

GRI 202: Market presence

202-1 Ratios of standard entry level wage compared to local minimum wage

The indicator G4-EC5 is not applicable, as wages and salaries are regulated collectively.

202-2 Proportion of senior management hired from the local community

GRI 203: Indirect economic impacts

203-1 Infrastructure investments and services supported

203-2 Significant indirect economic impacts

GRI 204: Procurement practices

204-1 Proportion of spending on local suppliers

GRI 205: Anti-corruption

GRI 103: Management approach

Compliance with legal requirements and internal company guidelines is a key part of HHLA’s corporate governance policy. HHLA strives to achieve this prime objective by establishing, coordinating and constantly further enhancing its Group-wide compliance management system (CMS). It has also set itself the goal of identifying key compliance risks, assessing them on an ongoing basis, and minimising them by implementing suitable measures and processes. Furthermore, the CMS aims to raise awareness among HHLA Group employees regarding the need to comply with both the legal requirements relevant to their work and internal guidelines. By doing so, it sets out to foster an appropriate level of risk awareness within the workforce with a view to preventing compliance violations. HHLA’s CMS centres on a code of conduct that goes beyond the statutory requirements by formulating overriding principles on relevant topics for compliance, such as fair conduct in the competitive environment and dealing with conflicts of interest or sensitive corporate information.
Preventing corruption is another key issue addressed in the Code of Conduct. In the course of its activities, HHLA is constantly in contact with business partners and officials at different levels – especially in Germany, Central and Eastern Europe, and Asia. The aim of the in-depth anti-corruption guidelines is to help employees assess situations with potential corruption implications in their day-to-day work in order to effectively prevent corrupt behaviour and the associated consequences for both employees and the company.

205-2 Communication and training on anti-corruption policies and procedures

GRI 206: Anti-competitive behaviour

206-1 Legal actions for anti-competitive behaviour, anti-trust, and monopoly practices

Environmental standards

Area optimisation

GRI 103: Management approach

HHLA has set up nine action fields for sustainability. One of them is the area optimisation. HHLA aims utilize the limited port and logistics areas as efficiently as possible.
In the coming years HHLA will considerably increase area productivity in their facilities within the framework of their extension scheme.
HHLA is investing according to the demand of container handling and peak situations. HHLA is investing into automated stacking systems and therefor increasing productivity. The terminal development departments are responsible for that.

103-1 Explanation of the material topic and its boundary

103-2 The management approach and its components

103-3 Evaluation of the management approach

GRI 301: Materials

301-1 Materials used by weight or volume

The focus of HHLA’s activities is on providing services at ports and in the field of railway freight, which means that the input of material to produce goods is largely irrelevant.

301-2 Recycled input materials used

301-3 Reclaimed products and packaging

The focus of HHLA’s activities is on providing services at ports and in the field of railway freight, which means that the input of material to produce goods is largely irrelevant.

GRI 302: Energy

302-1 Energy consumption within the organisation

302-2 Energy consumption outside of the organisation

302-4 Reduction of energy consumption

302-5 Reductions in energy requirements of products and services

GRI 303: Water

303-1 Total water withdrawal by source

303-2 Water resources significantly affected by withdrawal of water

303-3 Water recycled and reused

GRI 304: Biodiversity

304-1 Operational sites in or at the border of protected areas or areas of high biodiversity value

HHLA does not have any land that is adjacent to protected areas.

304-2 Significant impacts of activities, products, and services on biodiversity

HHLA’s activities are not expected to have an impact on the biodiversity of protected areas.

304-3 Habitats protected and restored

HHLA does not have any land that is adjacent to protected and restored habitats or does operate on protected and restored habitats.

304-4 IUCN Red List species and national conservation list species with habitats in areas affected by operations

HHLA’s activities are not expected to directly affect endangered animal and plant species.

GRI 305: Emissions

GRI 103: Management approach

HHLA has set climate protection targets. By 2020, the specific CO2 emissions are to be reduced by at least 30%. By 2030, absolute emissions are to be reduced by at least 50%; by 2040, HHLA will strive for climate neutrality. To achieve these taregts, a certified energy management system was introduced. At the same time, a technological change was started in the direction of electric drives instead of drives with internal combustion engines. This concept is described in the action fields of the sustainability strategy. It is implemented through various projects, e.g. the electrification of previously diesel-powered AGVs, the expansion of electrically operated storage crane systems, or the switch to electrically powered vehicles and the increased use of electricity from renewable energies. Responsibility lies in the terminal development departments and in sustainability management. A quarterly report is prepared for the Executive Board.

103-1 Explanation of the material topic and its boundary

103-2 The management approach and its components

103-3 Evaluation of the management approach

305-1 Direct (Scope 1) GHG emissions

305-2 Energy indirect (Scope 2) GHG emissions

305-3 Other indirect (Scope 3) GHG emissions

305-5 Reduction of GHG emissions

305-6 Emissions of ozone-depleting substances (ODS)

305-7 NOx , SOx and other significant air emissions

GRI 306: Effluents and waste

306-1 Water discharge by quality and destination

HHLA’s consumption of fresh water equals the discharged wastewater plus rainwater. Rainwater is not measured.

306-2 Waste by type and disposal method

306-3 Significant spills

There were no significant spills during the reporting period.

306-4 Transport of hazardous waste

HHLA neither imports nor exports hazardous waste.

306-5 Water bodies affected by water discharges and /or runoff

There were no significant discharges of water or runoffs.

GRI 307: Environmental compliance

307-1 Non-compliance with environmental laws and regulations

GRI 308: Supplier environmental assessment

308-1 New suppliers that were screened using environmental criteria

308-2 Negative environmental impacts in the supply chain and actions taken

Social standards – Labour practices and decent work

GRI 401: Employment

GRI 103: Management approach

People and the organisation are at the heart of our personnel work. Highly-skilled and high-performing managers and employees form the foundation of our success. Long-term qualitative and quantitative personnel planning and development strategies for the entire company have been established in Hamburg. The ongoing development of specialist, management and project careers, and permeability between different career paths are the central aims of our personnel strategy. The numerous options to create a work-life balance according to the employee’s current circumstances and the ongoing development of working-time systems form the cornerstone for long employee service at HHLA.
HHLA aligns headcount planning with the economic development of its companies. It aims to provide the majority of its services using in-house staff. Employees of Gesamthafenbetriebs-Gesellschaft (GHB) are used by the container handling firms in Hamburg to cover peaks in operating manpower requirements. The recruitment processes used by the individual companies of HHLA AG are monitored by the HHLA manpower planning team. Proposals to create additional jobs are examined for their consideration of economic planning and operational necessity, as well as other options for filling positions internally or taking alternative action. This ensures that recruitment does not exceed the HR planning for individual companies approved by the Executive Board and can be synchronised with headcount trends at the affiliated companies with the possibility of synergy effects.

103-1 Explanation of the material topic and its boundary

103-2 The management approach and its components

The recruitment processes used by the individual companies of HHLA AG are monitored by the HHLA manpower planning team. Proposals to create additional jobs are examined for their consideration of economic planning and operational necessity, as well as other options for filling positions internally or taking alternative action. This ensures that recruitment does not exceed the HR planning for individual companies approved by the Executive Board and can be synchronised with headcount trends at the affiliated companies with the possibility of synergy effects.

103-3 Evaluation of the management approach

Proposals to create additional jobs are examined for their consideration of economic planning and operational necessity, as well as other options for filling positions internally or taking alternative action. This ensures that recruitment does not exceed the HR planning for individual companies approved by the Executive Board and can be synchronised with headcount trends at the affiliated companies with the possibility of synergy effects.

401-1 New employee hires and employee turnover

401-2 Benefits provided to full-time employees that are not provided to temporary or part-time employees

GRI 402: Labour and management relations

402-1 Minimum notice periods regarding operational changes

Minimum notice periods as defined in the German Industrial Relations Act (Betriebsverfassungsgesetz) are observed.

GRI 403: Occupational health and safety

GRI 103: Management approach

Numerous preventive measures and guidelines are in place to ensure that staff from both HHLA and external companies, customers, suppliers and visitors do not come to bodily harm, which is a key concern for HHLA. The company strives to continually improve occupational safety in the workplace and considers this an important task for its managers. When examining early health promotion measures indicators that staff would benefit from, psychological stress is also taken into account. With the aim of further reducing the risk of accidents and raising awareness of occupational safety among both employees and managers, occupational safety campaigns and workshops are regularly held at HHLA company sites. These cover issues such as fire prevention, hazardous substances and ergonomics. In order to create meaningful accident statistics, accidents at all HHLA companies in Hamburg are taken into account and recorded using a standardised reporting system. These also include accidents not directly linked to container handling (e.g. in workshops). The reasons for changes or fluctuations are carefully analysed in order to quickly initiate structured preventive measures.
As part of its health promotion efforts, HHLA strives to develop an occupational health management system which reflects everyday needs and to systematically integrate these measures into company processes.

103-1 Explanation of the material topic and its boundary

103-2 The management approach and its components

103-3 Evaluation of the management approach

403-1 Workers representation in formal joint management-worker health and safety committees

403-2 Types and rates of injury, occupational diseases, lost days, and absenteeism, and number of work-related fatalities

403-3 Workers with high incidence or high risk of diseases related to their occupation

403-4 Health and safety topics covered in formal agreements with trade unions

GRI 404: Training and education

404-1 Average hours of training per year per employee

404-2 Programs for upgrading employees skills and transition assistance programs

404-3 Percentage of employees receiving regular performance and career development reviews

GRI 405: Diversity and equal opportunity

405-2 Ratio of Basic salary and remuneration of women to men

The equal pay of male and female employees is provided for through labour agreements.

Social standards – Human rights

GRI 406: Non-discrimination

406-1 Incidents of discrimination and corrective actions taken

GRI 407: Freedom of association and collective bargaining

407-1 Operations and suppliers in which the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining may be at risk

No restrictions were placed on the right to exercise freedom of association in the reporting period. HHLA actively encourages co-determination at work. The basis for this is set out in Germany by the Industrial Relations Act (BetrVG), among others.

GRI 408: Child labour

408-1 Operations and suppliers at significant risk for incidents of child labour

GRI 409: Forced or compulsory labour

409-1 Operations and suppliers having significant risk for incidents of forced or compulsory labour, and measures taken

GRI 410: Security practices

410-1 Security personnel trained in human rights policies and procedures

The security personnel used by HHLA have been trained in line with statutory requirements, including fundamental rights as set out in the German Constitution (Grundgesetz) and data protection provisions.

GRI 411: Indigenous rights

411-1 Incidents of violations involving rights of indigenous peoples

HHLA operates exclusively at locations where there are no indigenous populations.

GRI 412: Human rights assessment

412-1 Operations that have been subject to human rights reviews or impact assessments

412-3 Significant investment agreements and contracts that include human rights clauses or that underwent human rights screening

Social standards – Customers, suppliers and society

GRI 413: Local communities

413-1 Operations with local community engagement, impact assessments, and development programs

413-2 Operations with significant actual and potential negative impacts on local communities

GRI 414: Supplier assessment for impacts on society

414-2 Negative impacts on society in the supply chain and actions taken

As a port and transport logistics company, HHLA acts as a service provider within the transport chains of its clients. HHLA’s own supply chains are limited to procuring capital and consumption goods (e.g. locomotives, port handling equipment) which largely originate from countries within Europe.

GRI 415: Public policy

415-1 Political contributions

HHLA does not make donations of any kind to political parties or politicians, nor does it conduct lobbying activities of any significance.

GRI 416: Customer health and safety

416-1 Assessment of health and safety impacts of products and service categories

416-2 Incidents of non-compliance concerning the health and safety impacts of products and services

GRI 417: Product and service labeling

417-1 Requirements for product and service information and labelling

HHLA’s General Terms and Conditions for Container Handling and the General Terms of Business of Quay Terminal Operators contain stipulations concerning issues including safety at the terminals.

417-2 Incidents of non-compliance with regulations and voluntary codes concerning product and service information and labelling

417-3 Incidents of non-compliance concerning marketing communications

In its commercial communication, HHLA complies with the provisions of the German Advertising Standards Council (Deutscher Werberat), a body for voluntary self-regulation. As a result, we are committed to the generally accepted core values of the council and its standards of decency and morality. Commercial communication must always exhibit due respect for competitors and responsibility to society. In particular, advertising may not discriminate against particular people or groups. There were no sanctions, fines or warnings due to non-compliance with applicable provisions during the reporting year.

GRI 418: Customer privacy

418-1 Substantiated complaints regarding breaches of customer privacy and losses of customer data

GRI 419: Socioeconomic compliance

419-1 Non-compliance with laws and regulations in the social and economic area

Revenue

Revenue from sales or lettings and from services rendered, less sales deductions and VAT.

Investments

Payments for investments in property, plant and equipment, investment property and intangible assets.

Investments

Payments for investments in property, plant and equipment, investment property and intangible assets.