The entire value chain at a glance

Our path to sustainability and transparency in the supply chain

Jungheinrich stands for sustainable values along the entire value chain. We expect our partners to follow the same approach and act accordingly. Clear guidelines on social and environmental standards support them and our employees in their actions.

Partnering for sustainable success

A strong, sustainable supply chain is no one-way street. It must be equally robust in all directions. We therefore do everything we can to be a good partner in our customers’ value chains. Furthermore, we demand that our partners and suppliers also meet this standard. This means:

Our social, environmental and compliance principles are anchored in our Supplier Code of Conduct, which forms the basis for working with Jungheinrich.
To ensure responsible partner selection, we train our employees in the area of sustainable procurement.
Our customers can find out more about our sustainability profile on public compliance platforms.
Both our employees and those of our suppliers can use our OpenLine whistleblower system to report anonymously if they suspect that applicable laws or our Code of Conduct have been, or are about to be, violated.

Focus on human rights

Whether in our own operations or those of our partners and suppliers, socially responsible action and the protection of human rights are our top priorities.

Policy Statement

Policy Statement to Respect Human Rights

Jungheinrich takes responsibility worldwide – for human rights, fair working conditions and sustainable action. We are committed to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP), the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the ILO Core Labour Standards (International Labour Organisation).

As a family-owned company, we link economic success with environmental and social responsibility – globally and locally. Our goal is to ensure this along the entire value chain.

To the Policy

Human Rights Code

Code of Human Rights and Occupational Health and Safety

We want to set standards for responsible and ethical practices, both along our supply chains and among our employees. Our globally applicable Code of Conduct for Human Rights and Occupational Health and Safety is part of our governance and specifies key standards such as occupational health and safety, equality and fair working conditions. Our employees are given specific training on the Code and are supported by clear processes, internal reporting, and relevant information and awareness-raising measures to implement these values in their everyday work – even beyond the company's boundaries.

To the Code

Control mechanisms

How we monitor compliance of our standards

We regularly review human rights risks in our company, with a focus on protecting our employees. We ensure compliance with international standards through risk analyses, location-specific assessments and clear preventive measures. The assessment is carried out by internal experts and takes into account external indices in order to also consider individual country risks. A confidential complaint mechanism enables our employees and those of our suppliers to report grievances anonymously via our OpenLine whistleblower system. Each report is carefully reviewed and, where necessary, leads to clearly defined remedial measures.

To the OpenLine portal

Decarbonisation in the supply chain

The ‘Road to Zero’ runs across the entire value chain

In order to achieve our ambitious goal of net-zero emissions in Scopes 1 to 3 by 2050 in accordance with SBTi, decarbonisation along our entire supply chain plays a crucial role alongside social and other environmental aspects. As with all transformative issues, we will not overcome this challenge alone, but only by working together.

Our road to net zero

Responsible handling of raw materials

Ensuring transparent and secure resource procurement

Jungheinrich is the first material handling company to join IRMA, a global initiative for responsible mining. The aim is to strengthen environmental and social standards in raw material extraction and create added value for Jungheinrich, our customers, and local communities in mining areas, as well as the environment.
The focus is on lithium, a key raw material for our lithium-ion trucks. What makes this multi-stakeholder initiative special is that all relevant parties are at the same table: mining companies, mines, suppliers, manufacturers, non-governmental organisations and representatives of the financial markets. This enables an exchange on equal terms and joint approaches to increase transparency in the supply chain – with the aim of sustainably incorporating ecological and social responsibility into the industry.

High requirements for the lithium supply chain

Lithium is a key raw material for the electrification of material handling and therefore an important contributor to the energy transition. At the same time, its extraction poses ecological and social challenges. Tracking the entire value chain is very complex, as many suppliers do not disclose their upstream processes and only a few mines have so far been audited according to the IRMA standard. Jungheinrich therefore aims to fully identify its own supply chain and ensure that all mines from which lithium is sourced are assessed accordingly.

No room for conflict minerals

Conflict minerals are raw materials whose extraction and trade can contribute to the financing of conflicts and armed groups in certain regions, often accompanied by serious human rights violations and environmental destruction. At Jungheinrich, we clearly reject their use. Our procurement standards and regular supplier dialogues are designed to create transparency and ensure that human rights violations are not supported, either directly or indirectly. In our lithium-ion batteries, we have almost completely eliminated critical raw materials such as cobalt and instead rely on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells.

Preserving value through circularity

The longer materials remain in circulation, the better it is for the environment and resources. Steel is the most important material in our manufacturing process, which means that iron ore is a highly significant raw material for us. By refurbishing used trucks and through recycling packaging materials, we were able to keep 99 per cent of the materials in circulation in 2024. For our lithium-ion batteries, we aim to reuse or recycle 95 percent of valuable cell materials such as lithium, copper and aluminium.

Our path to a circular future

Firmly anchored in the corporate strategy

Strategy 2030+: Sustainable procurement is essential

Our goal: By 2025, 80 percent of our purchasing volume will be sustainable. To achieve this, our suppliers undergo a comprehensive self-assessment and are classified accordingly. Special training courses also support our purchasing team in making sustainability-focused decisions.

To the strategy

Governance: Value-oriented corporate leadership

In addition to our corporate policy and compliance, a proactive, holistic supplier management system contributes to sustainable corporate governance. It supports social and environmental standards and is therefore a central component of a secure and responsible supply chain.

To Corporate Governance

Employees: Dedicated to a fair co-operation

As an employer, Jungheinrich does everything in its power to ensure that the people who work for and with us are doing well. Furthermore, our employees themselves also play a key role in our sustainable transformation within the framework of our cultural guidelines, known as “the Jellow Way”.

Our Culture

Group policy: Clear guidelines for us and our partners

An internal Group policy on human rights due diligence sets out binding rules on how to deal with risks, prevention, remedies and complaints procedures. It applies worldwide to all employees and fully consolidated organisational units and covers both our own business area and our supply chains.

LkSG and CSDDD: A clear course despite unclear legal situation

As a family-owned company, Jungheinrich has been committed to many rules of responsible interaction since day one. Even as a global corporation, we are aware of this responsibility and have introduced internal corporate guidelines to fulfil it. We have increased our focus on the issue of responsibility in the supply chain and developed a comprehensive concept that has been implemented and continuously refined since 2019. Our measures in this area already comply with at least the requirements set out in the Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains (LkSG) and the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). We will therefore continue to pursue this path towards a transparent, environmentally and socially sustainable supply chain. Regardless of how the legal situation develops, we will adhere to its requirements – driven by our desire to set a good example in this area as well.