Perhaps an unusual term for a 2020 that has certainly been extraordinary.

Resilience refers to the ability of people to successfully adapt their behavior when faced with challenges or changes. This is a perfectly fitting description of our activity in the 2020 financial year: our team successfully overcame the economic challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. And more than that: through extraordinary dedication, we exceeded many of our objectives.

This was possible because we applied our existing strengths to the new situation. Across countries, companies and departments, we acted as a team – at our facilities, but also through mobile work. Newly implemented safety concepts protected our employees. Procedures and logistics chains, especially for the supply of medical oxygen, were adapted to the new situation. We aligned our engagement to the changed needs of customers and markets.

Moreover, it proved to be true that our products and applications also constitute part of our resilience: for very many industries, they are indispensable. We can cushion singular and even global changes relatively well. Messer reacts rapidly, purposefully and effectively to the resulting challenges. And that’s resilient in the truest sense of the word.

In 2015, under the aegis of the United Nations, the international community adopted Agenda 2030. It lays out 17 global goals together with the call to implement measures to achieve those goals. In essence, they seek to permanently preserve the natural basis of human existence and to enable people everywhere to live in dignity. Messer aligns its business activities with the 17 UN Sustainability Goals, which also form, in turn, the substantive framework of this Sustainability Report.

In particular, the Sustainable Development Goals No Poverty, Health and Well-being, Quality Education, Gender Equality, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Resonsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions are of great importance to Messer.

Both global and local projects and activities, as well as initiatives supported by Messer, contribute to various sustainability goals. The individual projects contribute to long-term improvement and can be viewed on the following pages: