Collaboration & Dialog
Shaping the dialog
HUGO BOSS strives to conduct an open, constructive dialog with stakeholders. The company has countless touch points with a variety of individuals and interest groups that are affected by the company’s decisions along the entire value chain – including employees, customers and business partners, shareholders, and investors, as well as non-governmental organizations and representatives from civil society, business, academia, and politics (see the stakeholder matrix).
Discussing challenges and potential solutions together with these stakeholders is both a responsibility and an opportunity for HUGO BOSS. These discussions can generate additional value – not only for the company, but also for society at large.
HUGO BOSS also relies on dialog with its stakeholders for the evolution and execution of its sustainability strategy. The stakeholders play a major role in the materiality analysis, for example, to jointly determine which sustainability topics should be the focus of HUGO BOSS.
The dialog with existing partners is broadened continually – with scientific institutions, animal welfare organizations, consumer protection groups, and other NGOs. HUGO BOSS also continues to expand its involvement in external collaborations for the same reason.
Our involvement in external collaborations
In dialog with different stakeholders
-
Sustainability topics for employees
HUGO BOSS actively promotes dialog between its employees and the Managing Board. The dialog is conducted at a variety of events, including strategically important topics. The series of events for employees was kicked off in 2017 and conveys a deeper understanding of sustainability topics within the company to employees. At these events, internal and external experts, as well as HUGO BOSS suppliers, report on their sustainability activities and answer questions from the participants.
-
Local commitment to society
For HUGO BOSS, it’s natural to make contributions to the local communities of its business locations. For example, HUGO BOSS supports the charitable organizations "Wohnen für Menschen mit Behinderungen" (Living for People with Disabilities) and "Diakonie Sozialstation Metzingen e. V." (Social Welfare Center Metzingen) at its Metzingen location.
-
Supplier Days for strategic suppliers
With its regular Supplier Days, HUGO BOSS has established an event format for strategic suppliers. Their commercial relations with HUGO BOSS – some of them long-standing – are intensified further during the Supplier Days: Here, they find out about important targets and measures by HUGO BOSS, internal and external speakers present important topics, and the partnerships are strengthened through open, cooperative exchange regarding current challenges.
In recent years, HUGO BOSS has trained participating suppliers for example in the contents of the governance model at the Supplier Days, which was was successfully implemented to all strategic finished goods suppliers of HUGO BOSS.
-
Operational Excellence Days for companies in Izmir
At the production site in Izmir (Turkey), HUGO BOSS organizes the “Operational Excellence Day” (abbreviated “OPEX Day”). With this event, we offer companies from different industries, NGOs, academies and education representatives a platform for open exchange on business trends as well as trends in the field of innovation and sustainability. The event was last held in 2019 under the motto SIMPLIFY THE COMPLEX and brought together almost 400 people from various stakeholder groups. In 2021, a Supplier Summit was held on site instead.
-
HUGO BOSS Supplier Council
In the context of the Supplier Council, HUGO BOSS offers selected suppliers a structured exchange platform under the guidance of the COO. The aim is to understand the challenges and needs of suppliers even better and to achieve improvements for both sides through joint learning. Currently, ten partner of eight regions are taking part.
HUGO BOSS Stakeholder Dialog
