Introduction
Responsibility begins where impact is made.
Companies bear responsibility. For what they produce, as well as for the impact their actions have on the world. At a time when ecological limits are becoming apparent, social issues are becoming increasingly urgent and technological upheavals are both offering and demanding new solutions, we ask ourselves: What are we contributing? Where are we standing in the way? What can we do better?
These questions accompany us as a company, as an employer and as part of a changing society.
On this website, we want to disclose how we understand responsibility, where we are making progress and where we are still in the early stages. Here we share data, experiences, and measures – and the mindset that underpins them. A mindset we strive to continuously develop and make tangible through our actions. Because it is only our actions that prove how serious we are.
Why we report
Sustainability requires linking economic, ecological and social responsibility in decisions, processes and in our dealings with people. It requires orientation, adaptation and sometimes the courage to start afresh.
We have embarked on this path, knowing that it will not be straightforward. It constantly demands new decisions, requires us to allow mistakes, reflect on setbacks and deal with uncertainties. Not because that is enough for us, but because we are convinced that responsible action emerges in practice – not on the drawing board. Our society needs reliable actors who look beyond short-term effects and work toward long-term, sustainable solutions. We want to rise to this challenge – with openness, a willingness to learn, and the awareness that there is still much more for us to understand and shape.
What we intend to do
We are starting. We are showing where we stand today and making transparent where we are continuing to work, to learn, and to explore questions that still have no simple or definitive answers.
Four fundamental principles guide our actions:
- Long-term value creation
- Transparent decisions and open communication
- Respect in our interactions – both internally and externally
- Continuous learning and joint development
Only when companies are prepared to seriously reflect on their responsibilities, share them with others and derive concrete steps from them can progress be made that has an impact beyond their own business model.
An invitation
This report is therefore not a scorecard, but an invitation: to dialogue, to context, to co-creation.
We are convinced: sustainable development arises where people take responsibility together – and are willing to take the next step, even when the path ahead is not yet fully illuminated.
How to read this report:
Our starting point was the EcoVadis-assessment, which we used as our first measurement tool. It helped us to determine our position and identify both strengths and gaps.
In the medium term, we intend to expand these to meet international standards such as GRI or ESRS.
However, the basic structure follows ESG reporting and divides our report into three chapters accordingly:
- Environment (environmental and climate protection): emissions, energy, resource consumption, waste
- Social (social responsibility): Employees, diversity, occupational safety, human rights, society
- Governance (corporate governance & integrity): transparency, compliance, ethical guidelines, risk management, supervisory structures.
Each chapter is further divided into Policy, Action and Result (P-A-R), based on the EcoVadis evaluation method.
- Policy: Our guidelines, goals and commitments
- Action: What we are doing specifically to achieve these goals
- Result: What measurable results we have achieved so far
Publication of the report: September 2025
Social
A company is not only what it produces, but also what it enables.
Social responsibility is not reflected in brochures, but in how people work, grow and are protected within the company.
It is about safety. About fair conditions. And about spaces where diversity is not an obstacle, but a potential.
Those who take responsibility seriously view working conditions not only as a cost factor, but as the basis for performance, belonging and long-term value creation.
For us, labour and human rights mean taking responsibility – for our employees as well as for all people along our supply chain. It is about protection, respect and participation: values that are internationally anchored and binding for us.
This requires attention, participation, and the willingness to embrace differences – physical abilities, cultural, and social.
This chapter shows how social responsibility is anchored at Vossloh Rolling Stock. And how we are working together to further develop these areas: step by step, with an open mind to what works and what is missing.
Policy – Our Self-Image
Fair working conditions and respectful cooperation are non-negotiable for us. Our company – like any other – thrives on the people who support and shape it. Their performance deserves protection, appreciation and participation.
The formal basis is provided by collective agreements (framework agreement and pay framework) as well as comprehensive works council agreements.
They ensure fair conditions for working hours, health protection, co-determination, pension provision, equal treatment and protection against discrimination.
All of this requires a culture of open communication – even when the conversations are uncomfortable. That is what we are working on, because only those who are heard can help shape the future.
Through our framework purchasing agreement, we ensure that our external partners also comply with these fundamental standards.
Action – Concrete measures
Occupational Safety & Health
We have established a comprehensive system for occupational health, safety, and preventive healthcare. It is based on company agreements, the Occupational Health Management Handbook and concrete action plans. Occupational Health Management (BGM) encompasses prevention, health promotion and continuous evaluation, documented in the annual report and supplemented by a folder of measures.
Regular safety training is just as much a part of this as the documentation of accidents. The results are incorporated into concrete improvements, while accident statistics are systematically recorded and regularly evaluated.
Participation & Culture
To promote an open and responsive corporate culture, we launched the formats Building Bridges and Bright Ideas. These formats provide spaces where employees are not only heard but also involved: anonymously, confidentially and with their own suggestions for improvement.
Building Bridges enables direct dialogue with management, while Bright Ideas turns this into concrete changes in everyday life. Both formats promote a culture in which feedback is welcome, and initiative is valued. Those who are allowed to contribute their ideas help shape the company – and those who see the impact gain confidence.
Development & Promotion
We offer structured training programmes, governed by the collective agreement on qualification. Beyond this, our NextGen Rail Leaders programme supports high-potential employees through individual development plans.
In addition to other benefits, we offer a special service to provide support in cases of financial hardship through no fault of the employee's own, the MaK Hilfsverein.
Rights & Protection
We safeguard the right to participation and co-determination through regular elections of the youth and trainee council as well as the works council, which plays an especially significant role at Vossloh Rolling Stock.
Protection against discrimination and harassment is set out in a dedicated reporting format that systematically documents incidents and makes preventive and remedial measures traceable.
Employees also have access to a complaints and whistleblower system, enabling them to report grievances anonymously and confidentially – without fear of reprisals.
Sources (german language):
Result – Initial Results
Arbeitsschutz & Gesundheit
The annual occupational safety report documents that a wide range of measures were implemented in 2024, including safety training for employees, regular site inspections and meetings of the Occupational Safety Committee (ASA), a body that brings together employers, the works council, occupational safety specialists and company doctors to continuously improve occupational safety.
We are particularly proud that Vossloh Rolling Stock was awarded the Corporate Health Award in 2024. In this external analysis, we were rated "above average" or "good" in several areas, including leadership, culture and occupational safety. With 94 out of 100 points in the Corporate Health Index, we achieved the excellence category and are thus one of the best companies in Germany in the field of occupational health management.
Participation & Culture
As the two projects Building Bridges and Bright Ideas have not been running long enough, we are not yet able to make reliable assessments. Starting with the next reporting year, however, we will include data on these projects – such as the number of suggestions submitted, their implementation rate, and the frequency of confidential feedback.
Rights & Protection
Percentage of women in top management: 17% (10 male, 2 female executives)
Across the entire company, around 6% of employees belong to minority or disadvantaged groups.
During the last reporting period, two specific reports of suspected misconduct were received, documented and followed up via the whistleblower system.
Sources (german language):