A company’s long-term success depends on its ability to define clear business goals and areas of responsibility. Equally important, however, is a common value system. Especially if that company is managing the integration process that accompanies an acquisition or merger.

Following the acquisition of BOC and the comprehensive restructuring measures that involved, The Linde Group is now in the process of integrating Linde and BOC. The fact that both companies already shared similar values – values that evolved organically over time – has proven hugely beneficial in this process. We merged these values soon after “day one”, drawing on the results of a global employee survey to capture “The Linde Spirit” in writing. This joint mission statement distils the core philosophies of both companies and projects them into our joint future by setting down the need to actively live our sense of Corporate Responsibility.

Linde currently generates around ninety percent of sales in countries other than Germany and over fifty percent outside Europe. This only serves to sharpen our awareness that Corporate Responsibility extends beyond national borders and financial profit.

Many of our engineering technologies or medical and industrial gas applications already help provide answers to today’s global challenges. And they are set to play an even greater role in the future, as we contribute to climate protection, for example, or promote the efficient use of natural resources. As one of the largest suppliers of hydrogen worldwide, we are researching the possibilities of this hugely promising energy carrier as an innovative storage and transport medium for renewable sources of energy, for instance. We are also harnessing our scientific and technical expertise to develop various processes for the geological storage of carbon dioxide, both to enable purification and recycling and to prevent its release into the atmosphere in the first place.

However, it is not only our solutions and products that define who we are. We ourselves do this through our everyday behaviour. This year we introduced a new Code of Ethics to steer our employees in the right direction and help them handle the growing challenges of our global business. The personal integrity of each individual plays a key role in protecting our company against unnecessary risks and cementing our good reputation. We support our staff in every way possible to maintain high standards in these areas.

Linde’s footprint now extends to over seventy countries. We are perceived not only as an industrial gases and engineering company, but also as a member of the local societies and cultures in which we are active. We welcome and encourage social commitment by our employees – whether in the form of a one-off donation or ongoing personal involvement in a specific cause or activity. At Linde, we urge our employees to see themselves as part of a global organisation that reaches out to other cultures and people in an open-minded, harmonious and responsible spirit, always living the values of that organisation.

As an organisation, we obviously have to decide which specific social issues we wish to focus on. The Linde Group particularly supports education, science and research.

Health and safety has always been a key priority for us, particularly when it comes to direct contact with our products.

Combining the best of both worlds, The Linde Group – as BOC before it – has now established a Group-wide SHEQ (Glossary) department. SHEQ stands for safety, health, environment and quality. The department’s responsibilities include integrating health and safety in all processes, providing safety training for staff and customers, minimising hazards in the workplace and protecting the environment in all work-related matters. Our top priority here is to keep the number of occupational accidents as low as possible.

The Linde Group uses clear and consistent communication to ensure a uniform understanding of our Corporate Responsibility. We concentrate on five key dimensions here, with concrete goals in each case. These are: employees, SHEQ, corporate citizenship, ethics and compliance, and capital markets.

I am convinced that living our Corporate Responsibility strengthens our internal and external identity, and will continue to pay off in many different ways for you, our stakeholders, in the future.

I hope you enjoy reading this first Corporate Responsibility Report from our new restructured company.

Professor Dr Wolfgang Reitzle
Chief Executive Officer of Linde AG