Open-mindedness and democracy: foundations for a sustainable energy supply
As an energy supplier operating along the entire value chain, it is our social responsibility to ensure a secure supply of gas and to help shape the energy transition by switching from a reliance on fossil gas in renewable and decarbonised gases. For us, this means “we provide energy when and where it is needed.” This means we provide energy that contributes to the performance of our economy and the quality of life of our society today and tomorrow. In order to fulfil this mission in line with our corporate values, we need stable political, social and economic conditions, which also means that Germany as our home base must remain internationally attractive and competitive. Germany is an export nation par excellence and the key drivers of its success are globalisation and a properly functioning European single market. A return to nationalism and anti-European attitudes run counter to this and damage our economy, and therefore threaten our prosperity.
As an international company, openness, responsibility, partnership and entrepreneurship are important to us. A functional democracy and market economy, in which the free and pluralistic competition of opinions and interests is possible, are prerequisites for our business success. Populism, marginalisation and xenophobia do not offer any answers to the complex questions and challenges of our time. Only in a democratic and fact-based environment can innovative solutions that are capable of achieving majority support be found and innovations developed that we need to secure the energy supply and manage the energy transition in a sustainable and socially acceptable way.
For us as a diverse company, it is important that we work together in an open, diverse social and economic environment characterised by mutual respect and appreciation to ensure a secure energy supply and manage the transformation from natural gas to renewable gases such as biogas and hydrogen. With our focus on the common good, we are committed to society with a particular focus on the issues and challenges of the structural change in Eastern Germany, both past and present.