Diversity, equity and inclusion

Vetropack places heavy emphasis on promoting diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels of the organisation. Equity means ensuring that all employees are treated fairly and have access to equal opportunities for growth and development, taking account of their individual needs and circumstances. A diverse workforce promotes flexibility and innovation – thus positively impacting Vetropack’s competitiveness and business success. If we are not committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, there is an increasing risk that we shall lose employees to our competitors.

Concepts, policies and measures

Diversity, equity and inclusion are entrenched in our strategy, policies and guidelines

Promoting diversity, equity and inclusion is a cornerstone of our Employer of Choice strategy, which aims to ensure that all our employees feel comfortable, are given opportunities for professional and personal development, and are able to engage. More information about this strategy is provided in the Employee satisfaction section.

Our Business ethics policy and our Code of conduct prohibit any form of discrimination or unfair treatment. Our policies state that we recruit, assess and promote our employees on the basis of objective criteria, in accordance with the qualifications and skills required for a position.

To standardise our HR processes, we use the Performance Management module in the SAP SuccessFactors tool. This module measures relevant KPIs and helps to standardise performance goals. This, in turn, supports unbiased and consistent assessment of our employees’ performance.

Our recruitment and promotion policies foster recruitment processes that are transparent and therefore fair, and they contribute to fair decisions on promotions. Our recruitment guidelines ensure that we fill new positions without prejudice, and in accordance with our values. To offer our employees prospects for development, we always advertise our vacant positions within the company as well as externally. We endeavour to select the best-qualified applicants and, at the same time, to create a diverse workplace environment.

Although some of our sites are over 100 years old, we consistently implement measures to ensure accessibility for individuals with physical limitations by undertaking maintenance work or implementing structural optimisations.

If our employees have any concerns about discrimination, harassment or inappropriate behaviour, they can raise such issues safely and anonymously – for example, via our SpeakUp Hotline. We also encourage our employees to contact the Legal & Compliance department, the Human Resources department or their direct line manager in the event of suspected or identified incidents. Compliance training familiarises employees with these processes. More information on this topic is available in the Compliance section.

Diverse nationalities and languages

People of around 40 nationalities work at Vetropack. Our company uses nine official languages and welcomes people from different cultural backgrounds and age groups. Since we have grown internationally in recent years and will continue to do so going forward, we are increasing our investment in language and diversity training. This is intended to simplify and step up interaction among our sites – which, in turn, will benefit the transfer of knowledge. Our internal communication channels such as Beekeeper (our employee app) encourage the integration of our diverse nationalities. For example: Beekeeper offers an integrated translation function that employees can use to engage in dialogue and access information in their preferred language.

Objective performance assessments and compensation

We make use of transparent pay and job assessment systems to evaluate our employees’ professional performance according to objective criteria, so as to prevent discrimination. To guarantee equal pay, we implement standard salary ranges throughout the Group. These ranges ensure that our employees receive comparable – and therefore fair – pay for identical work that requires similar skills. This grading based on objective criteria ensures that only standardised, performance-related aspects influence pay. Our performance assessment systems, which apply throughout the Group, ensure transparency and comparability of the skills required for each function.

Awareness-raising measures and training

Our Human Resources staff and our managers participate regularly in training on diversity, equity and inclusion. Our Vetrocademy leadership programme also includes these topics among its focal points. This programme sensitises our managers and gives them the necessary levels of awareness. The training courses teach suitable instruments and methods to create a diverse working environment.

Progress and events in the reporting year

Performance indicators

GRI 406-1 Incidents of discrimination and corrective actions taken

There were zero (2023: zero) cases of discrimination reported in 2024.

Diversity by age and position

Diversity by gender and position