IRZ Sustainability Concept
- Details
- Published: August 11, 2023
IRZ believes that the rule of law and democratisation are also available to future generations and that their fundamental freedoms are guaranteed. The protection of natural resources is also an important aspect of the agenda.
IRZ is therefore committed to the United Nations “Agenda 2030”, adopted in 2015, which declares that people around the world should be able to lead a dignified life and to the goals of the “UN Sustainability Agenda”, the “Sustainability Strategy 2021” of the Bundestag and the Federal Government including the “Climate Action Plan 2050” and is supporting these objectives with its own sustainability concept. It is also based on the “Sustainability Measures Program – Further Development 2021” adopted by the Federal Government on 25 August 2021 and the “Guidelines for the Sustainable Organization of Events” of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection.
This is how we approach it
IRZ regularly conducts a critical review of its own internal structures and processes to assess their impact on the climate to implement the declared goals, while also bearing the purpose of the association in mind.
Therefore, as part of the international project work, business trips will only be ordered or approved if the official business cannot be conducted in another way, notably using video conferencing systems. We use Deutsche Bahn almost exclusively for business travel within Germany. If face-to-face presence is crucial, we aim to shorten the number of overnight stays and, if possible, book hotels that have the EMAS (EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) certification. We are increasingly offering vegetarian/vegan products when catering for participants, and are particularly careful to avoid food waste.
As a responsible employer, IRZ offers its employees in Germany mobile working and subsidised Jobtickets (a discounted Deutschlandticket) or the Deutschlandticket (a travel ticket subscription that enables free travel on public transport in Germany). Diversity has played a major role for IRZ since the beginning, and IRZ actively promotes this in its human resources policy in accordance with the principles of equality and inclusion.