Michael Stietz is the Senior Vice President & Chief Procurement Officer at Körber AG. He is responsible for the management and development of corporate procurement and the strategic orientation of the supply chain management function. He and his team work with around 10,000 suppliers in 80 countries.
Mr. Stietz, why is sustainability so important for Group Procurement & Supply Chain Management?
At Körber, around 50 percent of the Group’s operating output is purchased. This means that a large part of the CO2 emissions comes from our supply chains. If we as Körber want to make a significant contribution to CO2 reduction, we can only do so with the involvement of our suppliers.
What options does Körber Procurement have to reduce the Group's carbon footprint?
Procurement plays a key role here. There are various options for actively controlling the internal reduction of the carbon footprint by tackling it as a team together with our suppliers. For example, we can influence materials through supplier innovations in the product development process or use mobility concepts to align our supply chains with sustainability aspects.
How does Körber position itself in this regard?
For example, in this area we have adapted our overall supplier management and the associated procedures for registration, qualification, the awarding of contracts, and supplier auditing.
For us, the topic of sustainability is a critical factor of success, so we consider it important that our suppliers internalize this as well. Together we discuss specific measures to reduce CO2.
