Sustainability
Sustainability is at the heart of our business strategy and our corporate purpose to drive a cleaner, more sustainable world.
Our corporate purpose is to drive a cleaner, more sustainable world, and we have a clear strategy in place to deliver it.
As an employer of ~24,000 people with operations in 21 countries, including joint ventures, and more than 47 manufacturing sites globally, we understand the deep responsibility we have for our people and for our communities.
We are clear on our role in addressing the impacts of climate change and we are actively working to contribute to the decarbonisation of the automotive industry, helping our customers reduce their emissions by working to reduce our own.
The automotive industry plays an essential role in decarbonising the road transport sector and enabling the global transition to net zero through replacing vehicles that run on fossil fuels with battery-powered electric vehicles. Our role in GKN Automotive is to manage that transition and, in doing so, drive a cleaner, more sustainable world.
Our sustainability strategy
In 2021, we created our sustainability strategy, aligned to six UN Sustainable Development Goals, to provide a new framework for our company and coordinate our existing sustainability activities.
With a strong foundation of ethics, compliance, and safety in place, we have four areas of focus that shape our work with our people, customers and suppliers, and the communities in which we operate.
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Our people
Our people are at the centre of our business. We rely on their dedication and expertise to continually innovate and create the products that keep us at the forefront of the industry.
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Climate action
Taking action to limit our impact on the climate goes beyond just our products. We are committed to driving innovation projects to help increase resource efficiency and improve waste management.
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Responsible sourcing
To drive positive change, we are working with our suppliers to ensure they uphold our values and adhere to the social and environmental standards required of them at every stage of the process.
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Our impact
We are committed to delivering positive social impact through our products and services, which will help decarbonize the automotive sector, while also contributing to our local communities.
Reporting
We are committed to transparently reporting on our progress against our sustainability strategy and key targets.
Delivering our sustainability strategy
Our CEO and Executive Team have closely led the development of our sustainability strategy. Each of our four focus areas is sponsored by one of the Executive Team, who are accountable for the delivery of our objectives and targets, providing strong governance and reporting performance. Our Sustainability Steering Committee, chaired by our Chief People, Communications and Sustainability Officer, meets monthly to oversee the delivery of our strategy.
In 2025, GKN Automotive was awarded a Platinum rating for sustainability from the independent sustainability assessor EcoVadis, representing the highest possible ranking.
By achieving a perfect score in six out of seven environmental categories, our overall rating places us in the top 1% of 150,000 participating companies globally. It also recognises our continuous improvements in sustainability, which saw us go from a Bronze to a Platinum rating in just four years.
