Sustainability news

As an internal networking and exchange platform, the Frequentis Women's Community provides valuable impetus for supporting women in their day-to-day work and career planning. In addition to concrete initiatives such as a mentoring programme or transparency regarding salaries and job advertisements, the informal exchange between women from different departments is of great importance.
There was plenty of opportunity for this at the Women's Community summer party with ice cream and cool drinks. Music and good humour contributed to a successful exchange on both professional and private topics.
 

As a company operating in the safety-critical area, Frequentis relies on reliable partners and continuous, long-term business relationships also with its suppliers.

When selecting suppliers, in addition to criteria such as quality, price, reliability, and service, attention is also paid to the aspects of ethics, compliance with labour standards, and environmental protection in accordance with the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Code for Suppliers and Subcontractors.

Once a year, as part of the annual supplier evaluation, the best partners are put in the spotlight. The top 3 suppliers - RedHat Austria GmbH, Löscher Elektronik GmbH, and Certicon a.s. for 2023 - were honoured by the Frequentis Executive Board at an atmospheric ceremony at Frequentis headquarters on 20 June.

In addition, a sustainability award was presented for the 3rd time for special outstanding activities in the areas of environment, social affairs, employee programmes, diversity, and community support. First place went to Löscher GmbH, which introduced the ISO 14001 environmental management system in 2023. 

In a "Sustainability Best Practice Workshop" with the aforementioned award winners as well as Lehner electronics GmbH and the Austrian representative of Fujitsu Technology Solutions, there was a fruitful exchange of experiences on projects and ideas in the area of sustainability.

At an atmospheric ceremony at the Ministry of Labour and Economics in Vienna, the equalitA seal of approval was given to Frequentis. Federal Minister Martin Kocher and General secretary Eva Landrichtinger congratulated Frequentis, represented by ESG Group Coordinator Brigitte Gschiegl, to the initiatives supporting women in their work life within the company.

The ‘equalitA’ seal of approval recognises companies and organisations that promote women within the company, ensure gender equality within the company, promote women's careers, and make them visible. "Since the seal of approval was introduced in 2020, we have been recognising progressive companies and organisations. In doing so, we are sending a positive signal for a working environment that is characterised by gender equality and enhancing Austria as a place to work," says Federal Minister Kocher.

Copyright: BMAW/Holey

In 2024, EcoVadis, one of the world's leading providers of sustainability audits, substantially changed its assessment scheme and significantly adjusted its assessment standards. Now, only the top 35% of companies that undergo the demanding EcoVadis assessment receive recognition in the form of a medal.

In April 2024, Frequentis was awarded the bronze medal in the sustainability audit based on these significantly stricter criteria. The company scored above the industry average in all four categories - environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. Compared to last year, Frequentis was able to improve in all areas.

"We see our activities in the area of sustainability as an opportunity for the further development of our group of companies," says Peter Skerlan, CFO and responsible for ESG agendas on the Frequentis Executive Board. "The award of the bronze medal in the EcoVadis rating is therefore both recognition and an incentive for our activities in the area of sustainability."

See also: EcoVadis Sustainability Performance Overview

(c) Bernhard Wieczorek

An employee initiative at the Vienna site in cooperation with the Austrian welfare organisation Caritas led to a fund-raising campaign at the 2023 Christmas party. Cash donations totalling EUR 5,000 were collected from employees and this amount was doubled by the company. The money was spend on an urgently needed large laundry dryer and charging stations for mobile devices at the Caritas Day Centre close to Vienna's main railway station. These items greatly enhance the day-to-day lives of the centre's clients and employees. When he presented the funds, CFO Peter Skerlan emphasised that Frequentis’ Executive Board fully supports its employees' charity project and will make a contribution to similar initiatives in the future.