BayWa AG Annual Report 2011

1 • The Company • Conducting Sustainable Business
Conducting Sustainable Business
BayWa has always placed primary emphasis on sustainability, long before this became an important issue of
public interest. With its roots in rural cooperative trading, BayWa has been closely connected and is familiar
with the needs of farmers since it was founded. Conducting business on a sustainable basis and handling
natural resources responsibly are of vital significance because agricultural land forms the basis of farming
livelihood and is handed down from generation to generation. This livelihood can only be conserved and put
to use in the long term through a sustainable – in the true sense of the word – approach to handling natural
production factors. This is why sustainability has a long tradition in agriculture – and consequently also at
BayWa.
This self-perception has shaped BayWa’s value culture. Nowadays, however, the significance of sustainability goes
far beyond its original meaning. At BayWa, sustainability is firmly anchored in the management of the company.
Along with the traditional aspects of sustainability, however, BayWa incorporates environmentally ecological goals
into entrepreneurial action which augments this concept: Sustainability in a wider sense encompasses all partners
and parties associated with the company, in other words customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders and
stakeholders in society. BayWa’s actions are aligned to long-term progress and securing the company as a going
concern in harmony with social values.
Economics and sustainability
In economic terms, BayWa acts sustainably in striving for steady development – geared to success in the long
term – to the benefit of all the stakeholders of the company, i.e. its customers, employees and shareholders.
Surveys conducted show that BayWa’s customers have vested a great deal of trust in the company. At the same
time, BayWa is perceived as a sustainable company. This view is based on the way the company uses natural raw
materials, its local commitment and its long-term focus. Sustainability for the Group’s employees is defined by
attractive and secure jobs, reflected in low fluctuation rates of 3.6% and an above-average length of service to the
company expressed as a median of 15.3 years (pertains to BayWa AG, excluding its subsidiaries) as well as a high
trainee ratio of 8.6% (all figures pertain to BayWa AG not counting its subsidiaries). Last but not least, employee
numbers have risen by around 1,300 within the BayWa Group since 2003. Since its admission to the SDAX in 2003,
BayWa’s track record of success for its shareholders is reflected in a growth of some 63% in consolidated revenues,
which equates to an annual increase of around 6.3%. Consolidated profit virtually trebled over the same period.
BayWa shareholders have participated in the dividend growth, from €0.24 in the financial year 2003 to €0.60 in the
financial year 2011 – pending approval by the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders.
BayWa AG Annual Report 2011
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