"At Sonova, we are committed to creating sustainable value for our customers, our employees, our business partners, and the environment. Delivering on these commitments means fostering innovation and working together in teams around the globe, across our brands and business units, and in close cooperation with our stakeholders. Conducting our business responsibly allows us to grow sustainably and confidently into the future."
Sonova strives to engage in open and transparent dialog with its stakeholders. We actively initiate this through a broad range of channels to promote participative and integrated decision-making. Sonova understands how stakeholder involvement supports our long-term success: by enhancing transparency, broadening knowledge, and generating innovative solutions. We regularly interact with our stakeholders to identify their specific interests in our business activities, products and services, and clarify their influence over our decisions. We have defined five key groups of stakeholders:
Further stakeholder groups that are important to Sonova include: the financial community, media, regulators, insurers, competitors, and industry bodies.
In 2019/20 Sonova conducted a materiality assessment and visualized the result in the materiality matrix. The assessment helps us understand the issues that are most relevant to our stakeholders; how our environmental, social and governmental impacts are perceived along our value chain; and how they translate into associated risks and opportunities for Sonova. The material topics top right are of highest relevance for our Stakeholder and have the highest impact, positive and negative.
This assessment particularly forms the basis for our ESG strategy as we clustered the 21 ESG topics identified in the materiality assessment into the four strategic areas of IntACT, our ESG strategy.
Sonova’s purpose is inherently social: With our hearing solutions we improve the lives of millions of people. Beyond serving our consumers, we aspire to create benefits for the economy, the environment, and society as a whole. Sonova’s ESG commitments are formalized within IntACT – our ESG strategy. It builds on four key areas: protecting the planet, serving society, advancing our people, and acting with integrity. The name IntACT emphasizes the ultimate goal – keeping our planet and people intact – and underlines the urgent need to ACT.
Our ESG Report 2021/22 is organized according to these areas.
Sonova has established an ESG Council to oversee and further develop the Group’s ESG strategy, including its commitments and targets. The Council also monitors progress on key performance indicators and initiatives. It meets at least quarterly and consists of the Group CEO, selected members of the Management Board, the Group General Counsel & Compliance Officer, and the Sustainability team. Progress on ESG targets is also regularly reviewed by the full Management Board and are an element of each member’s variable compensation. The Board of Directors approves the ESG strategy, initiatives, and targets and receives progress updates on at least a yearly basis.