Porsche’s corporate responsibility does not end at the factory gates—it extends across the entire value chain, which encompasses more than 1,400 direct suppliers of production materials and 5,400 direct suppliers of non-production materials.

As the product portfolio expands and technological diversity grows, so does the importance of the supply chain. Porsche is therefore systematically focusing its strategy on the management of its supplier relations in terms of sustainability aspects. The company wants to ensure that its direct suppliers practice ecologically sustainable procurement, adhere to human rights standards, implement social employment practices, and pratice responsible resource management. One driving force for this is the industry dialogue on the German federal government’s National Action Plan for Business and Human Rights (NAP), which addresses decent working conditions. Porsche is involved in this dialogue.

Specifically, by 2030, Porsche aims to comply with the strictest internal quality standards relating to sustainability with 90 % of the production material it purchases from direct suppliers with a sustainability rating (S-rating). This means that direct suppliers of production materials are expected to achieve a positive S-rating in the highest category (A) by this point in time. In 2022, the degree of fulfillment was already around 88.6 %.

German Sector Dialogue Automotive Industry: Responsible Lithium Mining

Porsche is a member of the German Sector Dialogue Automotive Industry (German: Branchendialog Automobilindustrie) and involved in the implementation of the National Action Plan for Business and Human Rights (German: Nationaler Aktionsplan Wirtschaft und Menschenrechte) under the lead of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Porsche has been involved in the preparation of cross-country risk mitigating strategies and recommended actions for responsible lithium mining. The aim is to promote and disseminate said recommendations in communication with external stakeholders. In addition, the project is intended to work towards the cascading of sustainability requirements in the supply chain. The document includes risk mitigating strategies outlining expectations for companies involved in lithium mining, as well as recommended actions for companies in the German automotive industry to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and can be accessed here.