Constructive Engagement Series
Deutsche Post DHL Group: Engaging Through the Climate Transition
Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL) is a global express, parcel and postal delivery company that is headquartered in Bonn, Germany. The company also provides supply chain management and freight forwarding services to its customers around the globe. The process of delivering goods and providing logistics services is clearly an emissions-intensive business and remains an ongoing essential service needed by most companies around the world. DPDHL recognizes the environmental impact of the functions of their business and has the goal to be as energy efficient as possible for the necessary services that they provide. The company’s commitment to climate change leadership has been clearly emphasized to us in our conversations with DPDHL’s investor relations, employee relations, and sustainability personnel. Our engagements with company management began prior to Rockefeller becoming shareholders in March 2020.
Our Philosophy on ESG Engagement
At Rockefeller Asset Management, we believe that rigorous, ESG-integrated analysis coupled with deep shareholder engagement can deliver strong long-term results for our clients. We also believe that companies working to improve their ESG performance will see stronger financial performance over time. Shareholder engagement, which includes company evaluation before purchasing a stock and then ongoing monitoring employed throughout the holding period of the security, is a core part of our investment process. We appreciate companies that recognize that achieving ESG leadership requires a long-term view involving continuous improvement.
Decreasing Absolute Emissions While Increasing Volume Growth
The frequency of our engagements with DPDHL has strengthened our conviction that the company is striving to adopt increasing energy efficiency measures which will lead to lower carbon emissions. As a transportation and logistics company, climate transition risk is one of the most material issues for the business. DPDHL has integrated the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions into the strategic management of its operations as the company continues to grow. The company exceeded its carbon reduction target in 2016 and, after achieving these benchmarks, subsequently set long-term science-based targets for the year 2050. The company additionally set medium term carbon emission reduction targets for 2025. In setting these targeted carbon reduction goals, we believe the company has become a clear leader among its peers on greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategies.
In line with these commitments, we followed up with DPDHL’s team in June 2020 to discuss their climate targets in the context of the EU taxonomy for sustainable finance. As the company evaluates ways to update its reporting to convey this alignment, we requested that they include a carbon intensity metric that better communicates emissions reduction progress relative to current measurements. The idea was well received, and the company requested that we send specifications for an intensity target in writing in order to be passed on to the company’s internal groups that handle climate policy and disclosure. In July 2020 we abided by this request and formally suggested that the company create a new metric that discloses their greenhouse gas intensity in “per package” terms for their Express segment as we believe this will measure the company’s carbon intensity and better capture the extent to which the company is able to decouple its volume growth from its GHG emissions. This could lead to lower potential carbon costs over time as we anticipate increased greenhouse gas regulation and potentially increased costs for express and parcel providers in their main markets.
Directly Addressing DPDHL Managers
As a result of Rockefeller’s leadership in the ESG field and our frequent engagements with the company, Deutsche Post invited Rockefeller Asset Management to address their Executive Team and 700 other group managers at their Global Management Meeting which was held in September 2020. In our recorded video message to this audience, we expressed our ESG Leadership expectations for DPDHL including the establishment of timebound targets for climate performance that become more ambitious with time and are aligned with 1.5-degree science-based target within their Net-Zero 2050 target. We also conveyed our expectations that DPDHL should continue to integrate enterprise climate risk management measures into its capital planning and budgeting. We hope that this appeal to all company managers will expedite and expand Deutsche Post’s climate commitments.
Next Steps
Continuous Improvement
Climate regulation within DPDHL’s major markets remains an ongoing risk. We look forward to continued dialogue since the EU has just announced a more stringent GHG emissions reduction target and China’s emissions trading scheme will aim to reduce emissions in the country once it comes online.
Prepared by Rockefeller Asset Management and provided for informational purposes only. The information and opinions herein should not be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any securities, to adopt any particular investment strategy, or to constitute accounting, tax, investment or legal advice. The views expressed are those of Rockefeller Asset Management’s investment professionals as of a particular point in time and are subject to change without notice. The views of Rockefeller Asset Management’s investment professionals may differ from or conflict with those of other divisions in Rockefeller Capital Management. The information herein does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy interests in any Rockefeller Capital Management investment vehicle or product or service. Certain examples are intended to demonstrate aspects of Rockefeller Capital Management’s engagement process with companies. Rockefeller Capital Management may take different approaches with other companies and there is no guarantee that any engagement effort will be successful. A complete list of company engagements is available upon request. Although the information and opinions presented herein have been obtained from, or are based on, sources believed to be accurate and reliable, they have not been verified. Forward-looking statements, including those presented here, are inherently uncertain, as future events may differ materially from those contemplated or projected, and past performance is not a guarantee of future performance. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or avoidance of loss. Although the information provided is carefully reviewed, Rockefeller Capital Management is not responsible for any direct or incidental loss resulting from applying any of the information provided. This material may not be reproduced or distributed without Rockefeller Capital Management’s prior written consent.
Rockefeller Capital Management is the marketing name of Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. and its affiliates. Investment advisory, asset management and fiduciary activities are performed by the following affiliates of Rockefeller Capital Management: Rockefeller & Co. LLC, Rockefeller Trust Company, N.A. and The Rockefeller Trust Company (Delaware), as the case may be. Rockefeller Asset Management is a division of Rockefeller & Co. LLC. and the “Firm” for purposes of the Global Investment Performance Standards (“GIPS®”). Rockefeller Asset Management has been independently verified for the period January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2019. Effective January 1, 2018, the Firm was redefined to include the management of fixed income strategies for periods dating back to January 1, 2012. A complete list and description of the firm’s composite and / or presentation that adheres to the GIPS® standards is available upon request.
Rockefeller Financial LLC is a broker-dealer and investment adviser dually registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Member Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA); Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). The registrations and memberships above in no way imply that the SEC has endorsed the entities, products or services discussed herein. Additional information is available upon request.
Products and services may be provided by various affiliates of Rockefeller Capital Management.
© 2021 Rockefeller Capital Management. All rights reserved. Does not apply to sourced material.