Values
The Otto Group operates in a market economy. We and all our Group companies are naturally determined to flourish. As a family business, we are firmly convinced that our values—so responsibility, sustainability, and fairness—form the cornerstone of our business. We have demonstrated for decades that we can prevail on the market with these values, coupled with quality and innovation. This standard, attitude, and journey are enshrined in the Otto Group Path , which—together with our vision of “Responsible commerce that inspires”—is the basis of everything we do.
An awareness of values is rooted in our DNA. Our ethical convictions are defined in a participative process and encapsulated in our Code of Ethics and set of guiding values. Our core values are not up for negotiation.
Stories on Values
Values in detail
Environmental and climate protection
The Otto Group was committed to protecting our environment long before it was embraced by society as a vital issue. Reducing CO2 emissions, recycling management, avoidance of waste, protection of water and forests: The Otto Group has launched numerous initiatives and voluntary commitments which demonstrate that ecological and economic sustainability are indeed complementary and not mutually exclusive.
Health
The Otto Group takes responsibility. This applies equally to the health of everyone in our area of influence, our employees, and the people working for our suppliers. Our concern naturally extends to our customers as well—who can trust that our products adhere to the highest standards of safety.
Diversity
For us, diversity is far more than just an ethical commitment. We firmly believe that genuine innovation requires the inclusion of many different perspectives. We can only understand the increasingly nuanced markets and offer our customers personalized and persuasive products and services if our company embraces social diversity as well.
Collaboration
The age of strict hierarchies and lone wolves is over. Our Kulturwandel 4.0 (cultural change) demonstrates that entrepreneurial speed and agility can only be built on collaboration, team spirit, and solidarity. Included in this are lifelong learning processes and a frank approach to dealing with mistakes. All of our employees can depend on each other. This self-perception is vital to us as a family business.
Data responsibility
Success hinges on customer data in a digital age. We have defined strict guidelines in this regard—to reflect our conviction that customer trust is an even bigger resource than the data given to us and which we use with care.
Intergenerational responsibility
As a family business, our thinking always extends across more than one generation. But this self-perception—to hand over our business to the next generation in a robust state—now applies to all of society. In our view, ecological and social responsibilities are not corporate grandstanding but actual economic obligations.
Social responsibility
We firmly believe that value-driven business is at the heart of a secure and liberal society. So, by inverse logic: Ethical actions are only at home within a peaceful, free, and prosperous society. This prompts our commitment to discourse based on values, tolerance, and the concerns of future generations.