Sustainability Report

We look back on a year characterized by geopolitical tensions and global uncertainties – above all the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. The decline in global economic growth has led to reduced demand for transportation services and, in some areas, to considerable overcapacity. In this environment, freight rates, which were above average during the pandemic years, have stabilized at a pre COVID level.

The general conditions were therefore also challenging last year. Nevertheless, we were able to close the 2023 financial year successfully overall, thanks in large part to the tireless efforts of our global team, who repeatedly went the extra mile for our customers and were thus able to keep our shipment volumes stable at 20 million shipments, against the market trend, and expand our competitive position. While shipment volumes remained stable, as expected due to the normalization of above-average freight rates, turnover fell to EUR 3.5 billion, thus achieving a solid result that is above the pre-COVID level. The constant shipment development shows once again that we are a reliable partner for our customers around the world, even in challenging times. We want to build on this in the coming years and further expand our market position in the long term. 

2023 was a decisive year for the Hellmann FAMILY and the company’s strategic development. Thanks to our new corporate culture – the “Hellmann Promise” ¬¬– we have moved much closer together as Hellmann FAMILY: We have further developed our corporate culture across all continents, regions and countries and firmly anchored it in the Hellmann world. Our vision “For the better. Together.” is the North Star that guides the Hellmann FAMILY's daily activities. In this context, the topic of sustainability is and remains not only a principal component of our strategic orientation, but also forms the heart of our corporate culture: We want to set international standards in the dimensions of the environment, social affairs and governance and take responsibility for ecologically responsible supply chains. The creation of a new Executive Board department, which has combined the three major future topics of innovation, digitalization, and sustainability since the beginning of 2024, illustrates the crucial importance of these aspects for the future viability of our company. 

We would like to thank all our employees, partners, and customers for their passionate commitment to making our vision “For the better. Together.” a reality. Together, we not only want to continue to grow, but also to take responsibility for the key issues of our time – in all three dimensions of sustainability.