The Sustainable Development Goals
Relevant to DEKRA

Our work as an independent expert organization carries weight. The results of our tests, inspections, and certifications must be reliable within the scope of testing. 

The aim of our product, vehicle, and industrial inspections, or our environmental analysis services, for example, is to promote the well-being, health, and safety of customers, employees, and the environment. It is our responsibility to ensure that society can rely on our test results. 

Safety is at the heart of our corporate vision: we will be the global partner for a safe, secure, and sustainable world. Through our safety services, we promote health and safety for people, the environment, and technology. The services we provide embody our commitment in the fields of occupational safety, road safety, and pollution control. 

As an education and training provider, we are constantly working on the challenge of promoting the most inclusive and equitable access possible to education. One example of this is state-subsidized courses in labor market integration. Another is innovative, virtual offerings that promote lifelong learning. 

Through our services in the field of training we offer high-quality education and training, and promote access to education. Examples of this include integration and language courses provided by DEKRA Akademie. Internally, we promote lifelong learning with an innovative global learning management system, as well as through the DEKRA DIGITAL Academy for example. 

4. Quality education 

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 

As a company with a traditional focus on technology, the majority of our management and employees are male. Because diverse perspectives are important to us, we are working to promote female careers, and have set ourselves concrete targets through to 2025 with a view to increasing the number of women in our management team.  

Beyond the general value of diversity and equality, the issue is also important to us with respect to our business strategy. In the dynamic global market in which we operate, and in the face of megatrends such as digitalization and sustainability, for which we aim to continue contributing innovative solutions, having the widest possible diversity of perspectives and backgrounds among our employees will provide us with a competitive edge. That is one reason why we are working to continually enhance diversity among our management team and employees – for example in terms of gender and international spread. As a major employer, we have the potential to help make diversity and equality integral aspects of our society. 

5. Gender equality 

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 

As a service company, we also use water. Through our environmental management system, we are working to ensure that water is used as efficiently as possible. 

Our expertise and services in relation to drinking water and groundwater protection help to make water supplies safe. Our environmental analysis services, for example, take water samples and detect environmental pollutants.

6. Clean water and sanitation 

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 

We want 100 percent of our electricity to come from renewable sources by 2025, and we are working on developing our own production of renewable energy at various locations.  

Next to switching our electricity supply to renewable sources, which we have already implemented in most areas, we are contributing to sustainable energy supply through our expert services – for example in the fields of renewable energy systems and energy efficiency. 

7. Affordable and clean energy 

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all 

Adhering to high standards of quality, safety, and sustainability is especially challenging in times of dynamic economic change. By promoting such standards, and through our auditing of occupational safety, quality, and environmental management systems, we are constantly working to contribute to the most sustainable economic growth possible. 

As a large-scale, attractive employer, and as a closely interconnected global business that promotes quality, safety, and sustainability standards worldwide, we contribute to sustainable economic growth through our workforce. 

8. Decent work and economic growth 

Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all 

The digitalization, automation, and interconnection of processes poses challenges from a security point of view. We aim to contribute solutions through our work in this field. We also have a responsibility for ensuring the highest possible safety standards, for example based on innovative occupational safety concepts in this era of Industry 4.0.  

We are continually advancing our expertise in these areas. Examples include our expertise in testing automated and connected vehicle technologies at our test centers, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing of electronic safety components in our laboratories, as well as the work of DEKRA DIGITAL, which is driving our digital transformation and innovation. 

9. Industry, innovation, and infrastructure 

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation 

As a company that operates across several sites and thus takes up a lot of land, including within urban areas, we are striving to make our sites as sustainable as possible.

We contribute to the creation of sustainable cities by offering expert services in sustainable building, safety, and energy efficiency. One of the ways in which we do this is through our partnership with the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB). We also design our own buildings to be as sustainable as possible – our new building at the Stuttgart headquarters, for example, which has been awarded the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) Gold Standard. 

11. Sustainable cities and communities 

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable 

We are working on promoting sustainable consumption by applying our expertise in safety and sustainability through product testing and certification. Here, we have a responsibility to ensure robust and comparable standards to drive efficient use of resources. 

We enhance transparency and safety for consumers, such as by conducting product testing in relation to safety and environmental compatibility. In the field of green electronics, for example, we evaluate electronic products according to the EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) standard. 

12. Responsible consumption and production 

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns 

As a service provider, in the course of our business activities we also consume resources (such as in our laboratories and test facilities, and energy for our offices) and produce emissions (for example, through travel and mobility-related greenhouse gas emissions) which impact climate change. We are working on the continulous reduction of our carbon footprint and on the implementation of innovative solutions. 

We have set ourselves the goal of significantly reducing our CO2 emissions in line with scientific findings. This also creates opportunities to introduce more efficient and agile processes. We are working on making business travel (when unavoidable) as environmentally friendly as possible, and when avoidable, replacing it with virtual meetings. We are also working on enhancing digital collaboration and optimizing our vehicle fleet to reduce climate-damaging emissions. We are switching our electricity supply to renewable sources, and developing programs to improve energy efficiency and to produce our own renewable energy. We also support our customers through our services in the area of climate protection. Examples include our consulting services on climate management and carbon accounting. 

13. Climate action 

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 

In an increasingly globalized world, yet in which there is a growing trend towards protectionism and nationalism, trustful global partnerships and practiced multilateralism are becoming more and more important. We are committed to worldwide cooperation, and want to be a global partner for a safe, secure and sustainable world. 

We engage in international and global partnerships and initiatives wherever possible. For example, we support the UN Global Compact, the Vision Zero occupational safety initiative, the German diversity in business association Charta der Vielfalt, the European Road Safety Charter, and the international association TIC Council, which represents the testing, inspection, and certification industry. In all these undertakings, we actively promote the highest possible safety standards, trustful cooperation, and sustainability.

17. Partnerships for the goals 

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development