The industrial gas specialist Messer 

• reduced the emission intensity of its plants and logistics by about 15 percent⁽¹⁾ compared to the previous year 
• further increased the proportion of women in management 
• provided many technological solutions to help its customers benefit from the growth opportunities offered by Messer Gases for Life 

Messer, the world’s largest privately held specialist for industrial, medical and specialty gases, publishes its 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report and non-financial key performance indicators. 

Sustainability has been one of Messer’s guiding principles ever since the company was founded by Adolf Messer 125 years ago. Today, Messer is actively contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations in Europe, Asia and the Americas. 

New milestones reached 

From reducing its emission intensity to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment, Messer continued to act sustainably to meet the needs of its customers in accordance with our collective responsibility for people, progress and the environment. “I am really proud of what we have achieved with the Messer Team worldwide. In the coming years, sustainability will continue to be embedded in our business strategy to reach our goals and contribute to something bigger than ourselves.” emphasizes Bernd Eulitz, CEO of Messer. 

In 2022, Messer reduced the emission intensity of its plants and logistics by about 15 percent⁽¹⁾ compared to 2021, reaching 4.56 kilograms⁽¹⁾ of CO₂e per euro of EBITDA⁽²⁾. In doing so, Messer made progress towards its goal of reducing its emission intensity by 40 percent⁽¹⁾ by 2030 compared to 2019. This was made possible by installing on-site production units to avoid deliveries by tank trucks, continuously implementing projects that help increase the energy efficiency in its operations and its efforts to use a more diversified energy mix. Messer’s absolute carbon emissions⁽²⁾ followed a similar trend, decreasing by 2.3 percent⁽¹⁾ in 2022. 

Aligned with Messer’s goal of establishing mixed-gender management teams composed of 30 percent⁽¹⁾ of women by 2030, the proportion of women in the first and second levels of management rose from 24.3 percent⁽¹⁾ in 2021 to 24.7 percent⁽¹⁾ in 2022. This commitment was supported at a corporate level by initiatives for women, such as targeted workshops and a mentoring program. In the future, this will also be extended to Messer subsidiaries. 

Safety is one of Messer’s core values and an essential pillar of its culture. In 2022, the company further strengthened its safety culture to efficiently reduce risks and safety-related incidents in its daily operations. The lost time injury frequency rate of Messer employees decreased slightly from 2.18⁽¹⁾ in 2021 to 2.05⁽¹⁾ in 2022. Progress was also made in the transport of cylinder gases worldwide. In this field, the frequency rate of preventable accidents per million kilometers driven fell from 2.13⁽¹⁾ to 1.59⁽¹⁾ in 2022. 

Passionate people driving change together

“For the past 125 years, Messer has grown together with its employees, customers and partners. Our entrepreneurial spirit and our shared family values have enabled us to look beyond the company itself, embrace change and seize opportunities to move forward.” explains Stefan Messer, third-generation co-owner and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Messer since April 2023. 

Messer focuses on developing technological solutions that make its customers’ processes safer, more efficient and environmentally friendly. This helps companies across many sectors take important steps towards their sustainability goals, including climate neutrality. In 2022, Messer was once again a key partner in various hydrogen projects that contribute to decarbonizing the mobility sector and energy-intensive industries such as the glass industry. The non-ferrous metal sector relied on Oxipyr burners to reduce the carbon footprint of its processes and boost productivity. Another example of sustainable technologies is solvent recovery. The chemical and pharmaceutical industries leveraged Messer’s state-of-the-art cryogenic condensation systems to recover volatile organic compounds reliably and economically so they can be recycled or safely disposed of. As a pharmaceutical company, Messer provided the healthcare sector with medical gases and comprehensive turnkey solutions. 

Messer also brings people together outside of the workplace. Each year, the Messer Team makes meaningful contributions to the local communities in which the company operates. In 2022, this engagement was reflected by the participation in 298 social initiatives⁽¹⁾, with a primary focus on education, science and the fight against poverty and for social justice. 

The 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report with the current projects, key ESG indicators and defined goals is available online here. 

As part of its 125^th anniversary, Messer will publish a printed Corporate Responsibility Report that highlights the key achievements of 2022 and, thanks to historical photos, provides a brief journey back in time. 
 

⁽¹⁾ Sum of Messer Group and Messer Industries, which includes 100 percent of the at-equity holding Messer Industries since March 1, 2019. 
⁽²⁾ Scopes 1 and 2 calculated using location-based emission factors .