MAN Truck & Bus
Without sustainability, there is no future. In accordance with this elementary realisation, MAN Truck & Bus has embedded this topic firmly in its corporate strategy for the first time in its more than a hundred years of history. A commitment to this effect is at the heart of the 2021 sustainability report submitted to the UN Global Compact – the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative – by the Munich-based truck and bus manufacturer in June 2022. The strategy is oriented along the guidelines provided by the Global Compact, of which MAN has been a member for many years, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
“Even in these difficult times, we stand by our corporate responsibility and regard sustainable action as a requirement for remaining competitive and meeting global challenges,” says the chair of MAN’s executive board, Alexander Vlaskamp. “We want to become a sustainable company. This goal must become embedded in our DNA, deep in the awareness of all our employees,” adds Stefan Klatt, Head of Corporate Responsibility at MAN, a member of the TRATON GROUP and one of Europe’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers.
0 percent
is the amount of CO2 from production that MAN saved in the 2021 reporting period.
0 delivery contracts
(and more than that) have been signed for the MAN Lion’s City E electric bus since it started production.
The MAN Lion’s City E is part of the development towards more sustainability and electric mobility.
In the future, MAN wants to commit to more sustainability in seven fields of action. The focus is on decarbonisation.
The key aim is the decarbonisation of the fleet
The decarbonisation of the fleet plays a central role in the company’s sustainability strategy. A massive 97.4 percent of all MAN greenhouse gas emissions are generated by the use of the products. By 2030, the greenhouse gas emissions per kilometre driven by trucks, buses and vans sold by MAN are to be 28 percent lower than their 2019 levels. MAN is aiming for a greenhouse gas neutral balance sheet by 2050 at the latest – net zero emissions throughout the entire value creation chain. The commercial vehicle manufacturer committed to these targets in 2021 as part of the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), a climate protection initiative.
Overall, the three key areas, Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) are the focuses of the MAN sustainability strategy. They are regarded as a single unit. Within ESG, measures are undertaken in the following seven areas of action:
- Decarbonisation
- Circular Economy
- Responsible Transport and Mobility Solutions (Environment)
- People and Culture
- Product, Service and Transport Safety (Social)
- Compliance, Ethics and Integrity
- Responsibility throughout the Value Creation Chain (Governance).
With the electric distribution truck eTGM, MAN has already set the course for electromobility in 2018.
2024 to see the start of electric HGV production
The most important strategic measure to save CO2 is the electrification of the MAN fleet – a transformation that has already begun. “By the end of the decade, at least half of the vehicles we sell in the EU will be electric,” enthuses Vlaskamp. Since the market launch of the MAN Lion’s City E fully electric city bus in 2020, delivery contracts have already been signed for more than 1000 units. But that’s only the start. “We will also be starting production of electric HGVs in early 2024,” says the MAN CEO. These E-trucks will meet the technical requirements for a daily range of 600 to 800 kilometres. MAN is also working with partners to develop a hydrogen truck.
CO2 emissions from production are to be reduced to half their 2015 levels by 2025. Low-CO2 production is planned for 2030, generating 95 percent less CO2 and offsetting the remaining 5 percent that cannot be saved due to operational reasons. CO2 emissions per vehicle produced fell in the 2021 reporting period by 27 percent in comparison with the previous year, with absolute figures per site dropping by 21 percent. Furthermore, procurement processes, logistics and supply chains will all be optimised with an eye to the environment.
Even in difficult times, we are committed to our corporate responsibility
In production, MAN aims to halve carbon dioxide emissions by 2025 compared to 2015.
The goal of becoming a sustainable company must become embedded in MAN’s DNA
Attractive working environment, fair conduct
When it comes to materials, the circular economy becomes a guiding principle to conserve resources and avoid waste. The NewMAN strategy (electrification, digitalisation, automation) that has already been announced will provide responsible transport and mobility solutions for the future, while social aspects and good corporate governance will also be key. Vlaskamp, CEO: “We want to offer an attractive working environment, acting fairly and with integrity in our dealings with our business partners and ensuring that we exercise due diligence with regard to human rights throughout the entire value creation chain."
The MAN sustainability strategy is essentially developed and validated through involvement of stakeholders such as customers and suppliers, as well as representatives of major companies, the scientific community, local authorities, consultancy firms and well-known NGOs. The results of the strategy process, the sustainability roadmap, progress updates and KPIs will be reported in future within the MAN sustainability board, which will meet several times a year, chaired by the CEO.
Text Christian Jeß
Photos MAN / Getty Images
