OPEN FOR
PROGRESSSUSTAINABLE BUSINESS REPORT 2023

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WE’RE UNLOCKING
THE POTENTIAL OF OPEN
SCIENCE AND RESEARCHTO ACCELERATE SOLUTIONSTO THE WORLD’S URGENTCHALLENGESP UB L I S H I N G

P EO P L E

P L A NE T

GOVERNANCEA P P E NDI X

CONTENTSO V ER V IE W
3Opening doors to discovery
for 180 years

P UBLI SHING: A DVA N C ING DI S CO V ER Y
12 AI and research: a questionof trust

PEOPLE: UNLO CK ING P O T EN T I A L
19 At the heart of a network
20

Building a great place to work4

Our 2023 highlights

13

Open access21

Be part of progress

5

Joint statement from ourChair and CEO

15

Science communication

23

Diversity, equity and inclusion

16

Research integrity

27

Community support

6

Sustainability at Springer Nature

17

Harnessing technology

7

The SDG midpoint: home stretchor out of reach?

8

Advancing the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs)

PLA NE T: AC T ING ON CLIM AT E
29 Our planet’s future:
following the data

GO V ERN A N CE: W ORK ING E T HIC A LLY
39 Governance, risk andcompliance

A PPENDI X
42 Auditor’s report
44 Key data30

Our carbon approach

39

Carbon inventory andreductions

Approach to report andmaterial ESG reporting

48

32

Sustainability governanceand materiality

39

Critical concerns

49

34

Reporting on carbon actions

39

Behaving ethicallyManagement approach tomaterial topics

35
37

Our environmental impacts
Publishing climate solutions

39

AI principles

50

40Managing our supply chain

Global Reporting Initiative(GRI) Index

40

Whistleblowing

ABOUT THIS REPORT

Universal Standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

Springer Nature’s Sustainable Business Report details

The Appendix includes more information on the materiality

our management approach and the progress we arematrix and management approach of the topics that fall

making to address our most material environmental,

within its scope.

social and governance (ESG) challenges, in line with oursustainable business strategy. We also detail actions weare taking that support the delivery of the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), in line with our commitment
to the SDG Publishers Compact.

LIMITED ASSURANCE ENGAGEMENT
Our auditor, EY, performed a limited assurance engagement
on selected non-financial indicators in the area of diversity
and carbon reporting marked in the data charts on pages
32-33 of this report and the data table on pages 44-47 with †This report covers performance and progress from 1 January

in accordance with the International Standard on Assurance

to 31 December 2023. Sometimes we refer to activities that

Engagement (ISAE) 3000 (Revised). The full statement can bebegan before this timeframe – these are either ongoingread on page 42-43.

projects or relate to our most material issues.
Our reporting covers all entities that are part of the Springer
Nature Group, and has been prepared with reference to the

F IND OU T MORE A B OU T HO W WE PREPA RE
T HI S REP OR T A ND OUR AUDI T PRO CE SS IN
T HE A PPENDI X ON PAGE 41

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P UB L I S H I N G

P EO P L E

P L A NE T

GOVERNANCEA P P E NDI X

OPENING DOORS TODISCOVERY FOR 180 YEARSSPR INGER N AT URE IN 2023

WHO WE ARE

OUR VISION

Springer Nature Group is a leading publisherof research, professional, health and education
content, with more than 180 years of heritage and an
unmatched reputation as custodians of quality andintegrity. Our trusted brands, talented people andadvanced technologies provide verified insights thatare easy to find, understand, use and build on.

To accelerate solutions to the world’s urgent challenges.

Every day, around the globe, our imprints, books,
journals and platforms reach millions of people.
As the largest academic book publisher, we inspirelearning in classrooms and universities, and bringinsights into workplaces, hospitals and doctors’surgeries. And we are helping connect the world using
technology and innovation, as guided by our purpose:to open doors to discovery.

9,400+We are unlocking the potential of open science andresearch across all disciplines to accelerate solutions to
the world’s urgent challenges and improve the lives ofgenerations to come.

EMPLOYEE S

45+

COUNTR IE S OF
OPER AT ION

1.85
BILL ION

14,000+IN RE VENUERE SE ARCH
BOOK S
PUBL I SHED

1.8
MILL ION+

8.5
MILL ION

420,400
ART ICLE S
PUBL I SHEDOUR COMPLEMENTARY BUSINESS SEGMENTS
AROUNDRESEARCH

3,000

JOURNALS

183,800

OPEN ACCE SS(OA) ART ICLE S
PUBL I SHEDEDUCATION

RE SE ARCHSUBMI SSIONSCONTENTDOWNLOADSPER DAY 1

WORK INGW I TH AROUND
750,000 PEER
RE V IE WERS AND

100,000+
EDI TORSHEALTH1

Total item requests, using COUNTER 5 code of practice, journal articles and book chapters.

TR ACK ING OUR PROGRESSPROFESSIONAL

SOME OF OUR TRUSTED BRANDSSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALSFIND OUT MORE

See how we are supporting progress towards theSustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the
halfway point to 2030.

We share our business performance and community
work through our suite of annual reports and ourYouTube channel:

supporting the Sustainable Development Goals–
RE A D MORE ON PAGE S 7–10

Annual Progress
reportSustainable Business
reports

Open Access
reportYouTubechannel4

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P UB L I S H I N G

OUR 2023 HIGHLIGHTS
PUBL I SHINGPEOPLE

PL ANE T

940,000+ ARTICLESAND CHAPTERS RELATEDTO THE SDGs PUBLISHED
SINCE 2015

60,000 TRAINING
HOURS DELIVEREDVIA OUR ONLINELEARNING PORTALSCIENCE-BASEDTARGETS VALIDATEDADDED 86 NEW SERIES OFEDUCATION TEXTBOOKSTO OUR PORTFOLIO,ALTOGETHER SUPPORTING
30 MILLION + LEARNERS.

1,800 MEMBERS
OF OUR EMPLOYEENETWORKSCONTENT IN OUR OA
JOURNALS CONTINUESTO BE CITED MORE
FREQUENTLY THAN
OTHER PUBLISHERSWOMEN NOW MAKE
UP 44% OF OUR
GLOBAL LEADERSHIPCOHORT

SILVER ECOVADISRATING
62 MENTIONS OF
NATURE-BRANDEDJOURNALS IN UNEP
2023 EMISSIONSGAP REPORTP EO P L E

P L A NE T

GOVERNANCEA P P E NDI X

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P UB L I S H I N G

P EO P L E

JOINT STATEMENT FROMOUR CHAIR AND CEO

S T EFA N V O N H O LT Z BR IN CKC H A IR M A N

2023 was a significant year for the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as itmarked the halfway point towards their 2030
end point. Nature took stock of progress in a
special supplement, which was edited by the
UN scientists appointed to assess progressand recommend how to move forward. In
the supplement, these researchers delivereda stark message: the world is not on track toachieve any of the 17 goals and cannot rely onchange to happen organically.
At Springer Nature, we remain steadfast in ourcommitment to accelerating solutions to the world’s
greatest challenges, based on the discovery anddissemination of trusted knowledge. It is the unifying
mission for our 9,400+ colleagues around the world,

F R A NK V R A N CK EN P EE T ER S
C EO

informs many of our external outreach activities andis supported by our extensive publishing programme
across research, professional, health and education.

Our colleagues share a passion to make a difference
to the world. To reflect this, we launched our new

Of course, the most significant contribution we canmake to progressing the SDGs is through the trusted

employer brand ‘Be Part of Progress’ this year, which
captures why our people choose to work for us, as wellas what new and current employees can expect from acareer with us. We also saw more colleagues commit

content we publish.

to sustainability this year by signing up to our Green
Office Network, which doubled in size to over 400
active members.

inspire children and students across the globe with
their Advancing Futures programme introducing
sustainability and citizenship.

We regularly use the convening power of our trusted
brands, such as Scientific American and Nature, tofacilitate discussions between policymakers andscientists and in 2023, this included events suchas the UN Science Summit in NYC and our seventh

Clearly, we can’t talk about 2023 without mentioning
artificial intelligence (AI). The opportunities
presented by the emergence of generative AI was the
subject of analysis in Nature, which heard directlyfrom the research community about their use ofannual ‘Science on the Hill’ event in Washington D.C.
Also this year, we collated the views of nearly 5,000
researchers to analyse their perception of diversity,

available tools as well as their hopes and fears for the
future. This report explores the delicate balance wemust strike between acceleration and patience and theequity and inclusion, with a view to making scienceand research more equitable and accessible in order tospeed up progress towards the goals.

importance of keeping humans in the loop to protect
the integrity of the scientific record.

SINCE 2015, WE HAVE PUBLISHED MORE
THAN 940,000 ART ICLES AND BOOK CHAP TERSW I TH SDG-RELATED CONTENT AND A MA JOR I T Y
OF THE CONTENT OF ALMOS T 500 OF OUR
JOURNALS IS RELATED TO THE SDGs.

In education too, we celebrated 180 years of the global
brand Macmillan Education, which continues to

The assessment of impact, risk and opportunity alsosits at the heart of any sustainability and ESG reports.
In the following chapters, you’ll read more about
the topics we need to manage effectively, working
closely with our people, our partners and our peers
to have a positive social and environmental impact
and continue to deliver on our mission to accelerate
solutions to the world’s urgent challenges.

P L A NE T

GOVERNANCEA P P E NDI X

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SUSTAINABILITY
AT SPRINGER NATUREP UB L I S H I N G

P EO P L E

P L A NE T

GOVERNANCEOUR SUSTAINABILITYSTRATEGYOUR MISSION: OPENING DOORS TO DISCOVERY
Research and learning are the cornerstones of progress, andpublishing is an essential link in the process. At Springer
Nature, we open the doors to discovery by enabling millionsof researchers, educators, clinicians and other professionals
to access, trust and make sense of the latest insights.
Through our sustainable business strategy – and throughthe content we publish – we commit to addressing the urgent
challenges presented by the SDGs, with a particular focus
on the goals where we believe we have the biggest impact.
By doing this, we are contributing to an agenda for global
sustainable development that improves and enriches lives,and protects our planet for future generations.

QUALITIES REQUIRED TO DELIVER OUR MISSIONPARTNERSHIPEMPATHY AND COLLABORATIONINTEGRITY
INDEPENDENCE AND ACCURACY

ACCELERATING SOLUTIONSTO URGENT SOCIETAL CHALLENGES
Content and events that make a meaningful difference
to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Learn how we’re doing this with ‘The SDG midpoint:home stretch or out of reach?’ on page 7

CHAMPIONING
DIVERSITY, EQUITYAND INCLUSION
Increasing representation in
our organisation, content andexternal communities.
Learn how we’re doing this with ‘At theheart of a network’ on page 19

RESPONSIBILITY

Deploying advanced
technologies responsibly
to open doors to discovery.

We do the right thing for all our communities
and champion diversity and inclusion.
We act as a responsible business, driving
sustainable progress and recognising
the ideas and opinions of all.

DRIVE
ADAPTABILITY AND DYNAMISM

Learn how we’re doing this with ‘AI andresearch: a question of trust’ on page 12

LIVING OUR VALUES
BEING A RESPONSIBLE EMPLOYERRESPONSIBILITYCOMMITMENT AND PURPOSE

USING TECHNOLOGYTO ADVANCE DISCOVERY
AND LEARNING

PAGE 20MEETING NET ZERO COMMITMENTS
PAGE 32

GOOD GOVERNANCE PRACTICESPAGE 39PARTNERING RESPONSIBLY
PAGE 40

A P P E NDI X

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THE SDG
MIDPOINT:
HOME STRETCH
OR OUT OF
REACH?

2023 marks the midpoint of the SDGs.
Despite concerns about meeting the goals
on time by 2030, we remain committed
to them. We are intensifying our efforts
to amplify the SDGs among our researchaudiences, creating new routes (journals,
books and collections) for researchers topublish relevant insights, and developing
engagement programmes for teachers andchildren worldwide.
Why? Because the SDGs remain the most visible
and concrete way to highlight where governments,
businesses and civil society can collectively addressurgent global challenges with local, evidence-based
solutions. We believe the goals provide a frameworkfor new research, partnerships and collaborations thatcan drive better outcomes for people and the planet.
At Springer Nature, we want to provide a home for
SDG-related knowledge, facilitating the discovery,
sharing, use and reuse of research that has true
impact. This report outlines our activities throughout
the year, building on the past eight years of work since
the goals were ratified.

P UB L I S H I N G

To mark their halfway point, we hosted Science
Storytelling for the SDGs, an event with the UN
Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)
and The Story Collider. This took place alongside the UN
General Assembly Science Summit, where Magdalena

P EO P L E

P L A NE T

GOVERNANCEA P P E NDI X

SINCE 2015, OUR SDG
CONTENT HA S BEEN
C I TED MORE THAN
13 MILLION T IMES.

Skipper, Editor in Chief of Nature, delivered the opening
plenary. We also launched a joint collection from 44
journals across the Nature Portfolio, featuring articles
showcasing effective interventions related to the goals
at a local, regional and national level to track progress
and amplify successes.

SDG ART ICLES PUBLISHED IN 2023 WEREDOWNLOADED AROUND 123 MILLION T IMES.
While we publish across all 17 SDGs, there is a subset
where we believe Springer Nature has a more directrole to play. This year, we expanded this group to
include SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 10 (Reduced
Inequalities). This reflects our dedication to diversity,
equity and inclusion and the interdisciplinary natureof each goal and its solutions. We believe we canmake a powerful difference in these areas, given our
existing priorities.

Behind every piece of research we publish is ateam of talented, dedicated editors, without whomworld-changing research discoveries would remain
undiscovered. We work with more than 100,000
external academic editors, who champion theirsubjects and uphold the scientific record, ensuring thehighest levels of quality and integrity.
Academic and editorial communities facilitate
knowledge exchange, encourage global dialogue andidentify solutions to worldwide issues – all essential
components for realising the SDGs. Our role is to ensure
researchers and editors know the impact they can have,and that the world sees the effects of their work.

OUR SDG FOCUS AREASQUALITYEDUCATIONGENDEREQUALITY

REDUCEDINEQUALITIESR I T U DH A ND, C HIEF
S C IEN T IF IC O F F IC ER

CLIMATEACTIONPARTNERSHIPSFOR THE GOALSM A GDA LEN A SK IP P ER ,EDI T O R IN C HIEF, N AT UR E

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P UB L I S H I N G

P EO P L E

P L A NE T

GOVERNANCEA P P E NDI X

ADVANCING THE SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT GOALSEXTERNAL INFLUENCE
The most significant contribution we can make toachieving the SDGs is through the content we publish.
We disseminate new knowledge on the wide variety ofissues represented within the goals beyond academic
circles, and seek to be the publisher of choice forresearchers tackling global challenges. We also take
into account the impact of our business operations on
the SDGs.

We know that the SDGs are important to many of
our communities and colleagues. Each year, we
commission research to help us better understandhow the communities we work with perceive Springer
Nature and our priorities. In 2023, more than 2,500
individuals responded, including authors, editors,
reviewers, librarians and other users of our content.
Of those surveyed, 58% were familiar with our SDG
initiatives and 46% agreed that Springer Nature isadvancing the SDGs. While these figures have dippedsince 2022, there has been an overall upward trend
since we started measuring. A new question this year
found that around half were familiar with Springer
Nature’s net zero commitment.

OF 2,500 RESE ARCHERSSURVE YED, 58% WERE FAMILI AR
W I TH SPRINGER NATURE’S
SDG PROGR AMMESDG CONTENT HUBSOUR 17 SDG CONTENT HUBS WERE V ISI TED
MORE THAN 157,000 T IMES IN 2023. THE
HUBS ARE MA INTA INED AND SUPPORTED BY
INTERNAL E XPERT NE T WORK S COMPR ISINGCOLLE AGUES FROM DIFFERENT DISC IPLINES
AND BUSINESS ARE A S.
THIS IS JUS T ONE WAY WE INNOVATE TOSUPPORT THE SDGs, MAK ING RELE VANT
PUBLISHING AC T I V I T IES AND CONTENT
MORE V ISIBLE TO PR AC T I T IONERS IN
POLIC Y, BUSINESS AND C I V IL SOC IE T Y
ORGANISAT IONS.

C A SE S TUDIESBRITISH DENTAL JOURNAL’S SDG-THEMEDFRONT COVERS
While dentistry might not seem like a field
immediately associated with the SDGs, the British
Dental Journal chose to highlight a different goalin each issue from July to December 2023. In doing
so, the special series provided a space for authors
to discuss how dental professionals, institutions
and policymakers alike can make a difference tothe goals. See two examples from the cover series,
highlighting SDGs 10 and 4, below.

SCIENCE FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Now in its fourth year, the 2023 Science for a
Sustainable Future event – a joint initiative with
the UN SDSN – brought together key stakeholders,
policymakers and researchers to discuss andadvance the objectives of SDG 7: Affordable andClean Energy. We hosted three webinars – onenergy and science communication, social justice,and the transition to net zero – and published abriefing of the key policy recommendations for
progress. This was shared with key stakeholders
in the policy space, and featured in the SDSN’s
COP28 resource hub. See a visual summary ofa Science for a Sustainable Future session by
Suzanne Seton, below.

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P UB L I S H I N G

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GOVERNANCEA P P E NDI X

SDG SPOTLIGHTS
SDG 4:QUALITY EDUCATION
Change Makers, part of Macmillan Education’s
Advancing Futures programme, invites students of allages and abilities to create and share their vision for afairer, more sustainable future. Change Makers helps
teachers introduce sustainable development concepts
into their classrooms and communities, and enables
students to develop critical thinking, citizenship andlanguage skills.

SDG 5:GENDER INEQUALITY
In India, one-third of all conferences related to science,technology, engineering or maths (STEM) have no
women in attendance, according to reports in Nature.
Springer Nature India launched Her Research, Our
Future in 2023, a flagship campaign to highlight andempower female researchers making a difference,motivate the next generation of female scientists and

SDG 10:
REDUCING INEQUALITIES
Springer Nature is committed to diversifying its
peer reviewer pools and editorial boards to improve
representation by geographic location, ethnicity andgender. With that aim in mind, Communications Biology
developed a six-week editor training programme
to introduce PhD students or postdoctoral fellows
to editorial careers. More than 150 trainees from40 countries applied to be part of a final cohort ofeight participants that learnt more about editorial
tasks through weekly assignments, such as assessinga manuscript or evaluating reviewer feedback,and received personalised feedback from editors.
Participants were also given the opportunity to writea research highlight for publication in the journal.

PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS
We have sought new partnerships across our business
and with other organisations, harnessing the powerof brands such as Nature and Scientific American. This
includes collaborating on the Sustainable Development
Knowledge Cooperative, hosted by Kudos, to identify,
explain, showcase and publicise plain English

10 states in India through a series of outreach events
and workshops.

MORE THAN 450 COLLE AGUES VOLUNTEERIN SDG WORK ING GROUPS ON PROJEC TS
TO ADVANCE THE GOALS.

assist each other. We also learn from the research we
publish to help us minimise emissions and mitigate
environmental impacts in our operations and supply
chain. Examples of our efforts can be found in the
Our carbon approach section.

2

summaries of research that can help achieve the SDGs.
From its launch in September 2023 to the end of the year,
the Cooperative received over 330,000 views.

3
4

1

SDG 13:
CLIMATE ACTION
For International Day of the World’s Indigenous
Peoples 2023, Springer Nature supported the Global
Indigenous Youth Summit on Climate Change byamplifying the voices of participants via a social media
takeover. Nature published a special feature about
how Indigenous young people and researchers canfoster connections across the research community.
So far, the campaign organisers have met and engaged
with more than 1,000 female researchers across

SUPPORTING THE SDGs ACROSS THE WORLD

SDG 17:1

Our second Latin

2

3

Together with TaraTo reflect Springer

America and Caribbean

Océan, we hosted a

Nature’s German-

Sustainable Development

joint French press

language SDG content,

A B O V E: HER R E SE A R C H ,O UR F U T UR E 202 3.

Summit, which bridges

briefing on the two-year

we launched a dedicatedscience, policy andcontinuous expedition

SDG programme page in

L EF T: A Q U O T E F R O M A
PA R T IC IPA N T IN T HE
GLO B A L INDIGEN O US
YO U T H S UMMI T O N
C LIM AT E C H A N GE .

social impact to address

exploring Pacific coral

German.

the region’s greatest

reef biodiversity. The

challenges, attracted

briefing attracted over 50

nearly 700 participants

journalists and marked

Together with thefrom 39 different

the launch of a research

University of Tokyo, we

countries.

collection from across thehosted our fourth SDG

Springer Nature portfolio

symposium on the topic

from the project.

4of ‘Cities and Nature:
Exploring Linkages andDesigning Solutions for
Sustainability’.

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P UB L I S H I N G

P EO P L E

P L A NE T

GOVERNANCE

ADVANCING THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALSINTERNAL ENGAGEMENT
In our employee engagement survey, we asked
colleagues for the second year in a row if they
think Springer Nature makes a positive social andenvironmental impact. This question scored 75, anincrease of two points since 2022.
SDG IMPACT FESTIVAL
In 2023, to coincide with the UN’s Global Goals Week,
Springer Nature held its third SDG Impact Festival
for employees, to raise awareness of the goals.
The festival celebrates and recognises projects
and colleagues across the business that contributeto the goals, through the SDG Impact Awards.
In addition, the SDG Impact Challenge encourages
colleagues to take more personal action relating
to the goals in a fun and competitive way, and tolearn more about them through virtual and inperson events. In 2023, the Challenge focused on
SDG 3: Health and Well-Being, SDG 12: Responsible
Consumption and Production, and SDG 13: Climate
Action. More than 1,000 colleagues participated in
the Challenge.

Through a leaderboard on the Giki Zero app, colleagues
could keep track of the collective impact of theiractions. They could also join one of nine global teams,
each led by two senior leaders, and compete for prize
money to donate to their team’s chosen charity.

THE 2022 SDG IMPAC T CHALLENGE WON A
BRONZE AWARD IN THE ‘BEST ENV IRONMENTAL
OR SUSTA INABLE PROGR AMME’ C ATEGORY AT
THE CORPOR ATE ENGAGEMENT AWARDS 2023.

OUR COMBINED ACTIONS THROUGHOUT THE
THREE WEEKS OF THE SDG IMPACT CHALLENGE SAVED:

243 TONNES
OF C ARBONEQUI VALENT TOHE AT ING 100 HOME S
FOR A YE AR

60,000 M 2
OF L ANDEQUI VALENT
TO THE SURFACEARE A OF 306
TENNI S COURTS

7.2 MILLION
LI TRES OFWATEREQUI VALENT TO
THREE OLYMPICSI ZED SW IMMINGP OOL S30,313SINGLE-USE
PL AST IC
I TEMSA P P E NDI X

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OVERVIEWP UB L I S H I N G

P EO P L E

P L A NE T

GOVERNANCEA P P E NDI X

PUBL I SHINGADVANCINGDISCOVERYAt Springer Nature, we publish peer-reviewed research, andwe’re continuing to lead the transition to open access (OA)
– to enhance the research process and drive discoveries that
address the world’s biggest challenges. Reforming andimproving publishing processes through new platforms andstandards has also been a focus. We’re using artificial
intelligence (AI) to support us in generating books,
reviewing literature and collecting data, as well as working
to address the risks that AI may pose to the accuracy andintegrity of the scientific record.

I N T H I S S EC T IO N
12

A I A ND R E S E A R C H: A Q UE S T IO N O F T RUS T

13OPEN ACCESS

15

S C I E N C E C O MMUN IC AT IO N

16

R E S E A R C H I N T EGR I T Y

17

H A R NE S S I N G T EC HN O LO G Y

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AI ANDRESEARCH:A QUESTION
OF TRUST
The progress made in AI, and especially the use ofgenerative AI and large language models, has been
one of the biggest news stories of 2023. Although
we aren’t new to AI and machine learning, we’vebeen considering the new opportunities but also
the associated risks for our business. This includes
establishing new governance to ensure that, as
custodians of the scientific record, we make use of
AI responsibly and ethically. Here, our Chief Risk
and Compliance Officer, Dinah Spence, and Vice
President of AI, Thomas Sütterlin, discuss
our approach.

OVERVIEWP UB L I S H I N G

P EO P L E

P L A NE T

GOVERNANCEA P P E NDI X

As we navigate the AI landscape,we do so with caution, continuously

ago, we were very much at the beginning of our AI
journey. Since then, we’ve piloted numerous exciting

Thomas: That’s true. The integrity of the scientificrecord is of paramount importance to our community
and to us at Springer Nature. Threats to researchdevelopments, such as automatic translations that

integrity have always existed – for example, throughenable scientists to share their research more widely,
opening the door to a global audience for scientificplagiarism. But with generative AI, fabricated nonfactual content can be harder to detect. You have to takecontent. We have created machine-generated books
and auto-generated literature reviews, and developed

a much more thorough look at the manuscript and thescience behind it to see if something has been made up.

Nature Research Intelligence. This uses Nature’s 150

That may include the people in the process: fake editors

years of research expertise and AI to bring informationand data to decision-makers, helping them makeand reviewers, for example. We’re now using different
AI services to detect this sort of integrity issue. It’s

progress, faster. But we’re conscious that, with things

also helping us identify appropriate peer reviewers forThomas: And for those great minds across Springer

moving so quickly, there are concerns about whether
companies are allowing AI to do too much, or whether

research more quickly, which can expedite the processof scientific discovery and publication.

Nature, we’re at an exciting moment in our AI journey.
From a strategy point of view, we’re looking at five

Thomas: When I joined Springer Nature seven years

to us in the era of AI.

key areas: personalised recommendations, ensuring

it might generate false information or be used by those
who want to undermine research with fake content.

Dinah: Fabrication and deception are clearly issues
we need to explore but, as with any other digital tool,

Dinah: There are some really exciting opportunities
with AI, such as how we are harnessing technologies tothere are other risks we need to consider too. Whileregulatory approaches continue to evolve, we canalready see and implement some common principles,
including accountability, equity, data privacy, risk
management and transparency. Within our AI
governance structures, we have created an Ethics
Forum and a Legal and Policy Forum to align on these
topics across the company. Fortunately, at Springer
Nature, we can call on great minds – experts acrossall scientific fields as well as editors, publishers,
compliance and risk teams – working to make sure
we’re taking the right approach to developing andadopting new technologies. Ultimately, humans need to
be in the loop – and the driving seat – when it comes tothe progression and application of AI.

improve the service we can provide to researchers. But
when deciding what to develop, we have a lot more toconsider. We are guided by ethics, a rapidly changing
regulatory environment and the need to pay attention
to both the evolving competition and the potential risks
associated with new technologies.

evaluating its benefits andaddressing any concerns raised by
the research community. Security
and ethics are even more essential

research integrity, easing discovery, enhancing peer
review and one-click content conversion such as
immediate summaries and translations. There’s somuch we can do to benefit researchers and customers.
We have opportunities to speed up publishing timelines
so that scientific results are released sooner, and AI cantruly help us accelerate solutions to contribute to global
sustainable development – a key part of our mission.

DI N A H S P E N C E ,C H I E F R I S K A ND
C O MP LI A N C E O F F IC E R

T H O M A S S Ü T T E R LI N ,V IC E P R E S I D E N T O F A I

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OVERVIEWOPEN ACCESS
We have been driving the transition to OA for morethan 20 years and were the first in our sector to
publish 1 million OA articles. We believe that gold OA,
which gives immediate access to the final publishedpeer-reviewed research, is the most viable andsustainable path to open science.

We have published more OA books on SDG-related
topics than other research publishers. Content in our

OA AT SPRINGER NATURE

WE PUBLISHED 183,800 OA ART ICLES, AND
ARE ON TR ACK FOR HALF OF OUR RESE ARCH
ART ICLE OUTPUT TO BE OA BY THE END OF 2024.

We are progressing our commitment to improve thespeed, reproducibility and efficiency of the entire
research process. We aim to help our customers totransition their budgets from funding access to readresearch towards funding OA publishing, throughnew commercial models, practical approaches, use oftechnology and the development of suitable policies.
This is because having easy and open access to allparts of research is essential to driving forward a more
reproducible research ecosystem that impacts andaccelerates solutions to the world’s pressing challenges.
We support authors from over 200 countries to publish
OA in our 600+ fully OA journals and around 2,100
hybrid journals, including Scientific Reports, the largest
and most downloaded OA journal.
Springer Nature’s commitment to increasing publicaccess to scientific research and data through OA wascalled out by TIME magazine as an example of how theworld got better in 2023.

F OR MORE INF ORM AT ION ON OUR OA PUBLI SHING,
RE A D OUR LAT E S T OA REP OR T.

OA journals continues to be cited more frequently thanother publishers.

IN 2023

AROUND 4 4% OF OUR PR IMARY RESE ARCH
CONTENT IS OA .
AROUND 54% OF OUR SDG-RELATED JOURNALART ICLES WERE OA .
TRANSFORMING ACCESS
Since 2014, we have been pioneering transformative
agreements (TAs) as the best way to accelerate thetransition to OA globally, and at scale. TAs, which arecentrally negotiated with research funders, individual
institutions or groups of institutions, enable authors
to publish OA in most journals at no cost to themselves
while still being able to access subscription content.
Discipline-neutral, they are of great benefit to authors
active in less-well-funded research areas, such as
humanities and social sciences. Our TAs now support
researchers from more than 3,600 institutions aroundthe world to publish OA.

IN 2023, WE AGREEDNew TAs in the Americas, Asia, Europe
and Africa.
Our first TA in Southern Africa with theSouth African National Library andInformation Consortium.
Our first and largest TA in the Greater
China region.
The first agreement of any publisher with
the Korea Advanced Institute of Science andTechnology, supporting more than 11,000
affiliated researchers to publish OA.

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OVERVIEWOPEN ACCESSENABLING EQUITABLE OA
We know that some researchers are concerned about
whether the sustainable transition to OA might create
new inequities because of the need to fund publishingcosts via article processing charges (APCs). This issomething we care about too, which is why, in lowand lower-middle-income countries (LICs and LMICs)
and some research disciplines where APCs and TAs canbe difficult to finance, we operate an APC waiver anddiscount policy.
In addition to our long-standing waiver programme,
as of January 2023, primary research by authors from
more than 70 LICs or LMICs, accepted for publicationin either Nature or one of the Nature research
journals can now be published OA at no cost using a
dedicated fund.

Our fully OA journals waived fees of over €26 million
to authors in 2023. This included over €8.5 million forarticles with corresponding authors based in countries
or regions on the World Bank’s list of LICs and LMICs.

We are also long-standing partners of and active
contributors to Research4Life, which offers
subscription research content to scholars in thesecountries for free or at low cost, and provides a rangeof other support and services to enable more equitable
access to publishing.

EARLY SHARING AND ENHANCED ACCESS
Scientific advancement depends on data credibility
and work that can be verified, built upon andreproduced. Studies show that a lack of awarenessof existing work or negative results lead to
unnecessary duplication and could waste up to€26 billion per year in Europe alone.

A grant from Springer Nature is currently being used
for Research4Life’s Country Connectors programme,
which aims to heighten awareness of the availabilityof this content and strengthen capacity of information
use and management. With Springer Nature’s support,
the programme was implemented in a Frenchspeaking country, Senegal, for the first time.

Researchers tell us overwhelmingly that they arestill not getting the support they need to share theirdata openly. At Springer Nature, our vision for open
science encompasses a set of open outputs such asdata, code and protocols (or detailed step-by-step
instructions for research methods).

Our commitment to enabling equitable OA forms
part of a broader effort to ensure diversity, equity
and inclusion (DEI) across the research publishinglandscape. We work to eliminate barriers to creating,discovering and using knowledge, and we support
equitable outcomes in learning and advancing
scholarships from young learners to PhD leveland beyond.

Our aim is to standardise the process, ensure
accuracy of results and enable research to be easily
reproduced. In 2023, we acquired protocols.io,
a secure platform for developing and sharing
reproducible methods. This enables researchers tomake their protocols openly available, as well as
publishing them in peer-reviewed publications(searchable via Springer Nature Experiments).

See the People section for more about how we areadvancing DEI in research publishing, through ourinternal approach to DEI in our organisationand our external-facing approach in our communities
and content.

We also expanded In Review, a service that
integrates early sharing and increased transparency
with the journal submission and peer-review
process, across more than 1,000 Springer Naturejournals. To make data sharing easier, we also
introduced a single data policy across all journals
and books.

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OVERVIEWP UB L I S H I N G

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GOVERNANCEA P P E NDI X

SCIENCE COMMUNICATION
By publishing peer-reviewed research anddisseminating it via high-quality channels andplatforms, we can play an important role in combatting
the rise of misinformation and ensuring accurate
understanding of the latest scientific discoveries.

SCIENCE IN THE MEDIA

Springer Nature has provided financial support
for the infrastructure, project management andcommunications of the global network of Science
Media Centres. Bringing together these expert

CONNECTING SCIENCE AND POLICY IN
THE US, GERMANY AND UK

organisations helps ensure the public has access tothe best evidence and media expertise when science
hits the headlines.

Our Science on the Hill event in Washington, DC– now in its seventh year – saw 40 congressional

Our content reaches millions of people through news,
analysis and other communications, including:

NATURE BRIEFING SERIESWEBSITES

In 2023, we launched Nature Briefing: Anthropocene,
covering updates on vital research related to

SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE

politics can shape the future of nutrition.

REACHING POLICYMAKERS

In the UK, Dr Michael Fell from the UCL Energy
Institute joined Nicky Dean, Chief Editor of Nature

375,000 FOLLOWSPRINGER NATURE’S
CORPORATE SOCIAL
MEDIA CHANNELS

We aim to connect the world of science and policy,

PODCASTS

NEWS COVERAGE

community to make decisions, and demonstrate thatpolicies based on peer-reviewed, published evidence
are the most effective.

IN 2023, THE RESEARCH
WE PUBLISHED AND
THEN PROMOTED
GENERATED NEARLY
180,000 NEWS ARTICLESGLOBALLY

politicians and staffers explore ways to better
prepare for severe weather events. We also took
this series to Germany with our first Science on
the Spree event during Berlin Science Week, with
policymakers and researchers discussing how

sustainability and climate change. The newsletter
reached 16,000 readers in its first two months.

AROUND 60 MILLIONVISITS PER MONTH
TO NATURE.COM AND
SCIENTIFICAMERICAN.
COM

SCIENTIFIC AMERICANLAUNCHED ‘SCIENCE,QUICKLY’, A BITESIZE VARIET Y SHOWDOWNLOADED OVER
9.9 MILLION TIMESIN 2023C A SE S TUDIES

bridging the gap and enabling everyone to benefit
from the knowledge the research community
generates. We’ve been working to foster closer
partnerships between researchers and policymakers.
Our aim is to deepen our understanding of what
policymakers need from the research and academic

We also share a variety of tools to help policymakers
access and understand complex research matters,
including Nature Energy’s Policy Briefs and Nature
Sustainability’s expert panels.

Energy, and Thea Sherer, Director of Sustainability
at Springer Nature, at Evidence Week. They
delivered individual briefings to parliamentariansin Westminster, on how evidence from frontline
research can inform policymaking in the UK
Parliament. Similarly, the Rt Hon. Lord Deben,
former Chair of the UK’s Climate Change Committee,
joined our ‘In Conversation’ interview series to talkabout climate research and policymaking.

SCIENCE STORIESOur award-winning Science Stories series grewin 2023, with 68,000 views on our YouTube
channel. We released a new short film on research
into women’s sport from authors including Leah
Williamson, captain of the England women’snational football team, in time for the latest
FIFA Women’s World Cup.
In the paper, the authors conclude that, whilesome progress has been made in addressing
the equipment requirements of female players,
essential gaps in research, development andproduction remain in women’s football. The
findings caught the attention of manufacturers
looking to address these issues, and the paper
was one of the journal’s most read articles.

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OVERVIEWP UB L I S H I N G

P EO P L E

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GOVERNANCEA P P E NDI X

RESEARCH INTEGRITYAt Springer Nature, we know how important it is to beable to trust and rely on research. It plays a pivotal rolein our daily lives and advances our understanding of
how humankind will address climate change, reduce
inequality and solve its most challenging problems.
We are committed to protecting the integrity of
research. This includes supporting the researchcommunity in ensuring rigour and best practice,protecting the publication record and equipping
our editors with the tools they need to remove
problematic content.
Our policy teams and Springer Nature’s ResearchIntegrity Group (SNRIG) are dedicated to ensuringthat our policies and practices keep up to date withchanges affecting research, including technology
developments and ethical concerns.
Recognising that challenges to research integrity
affect the entire publishing community, we played akey part in establishing the STM Integrity Hub andchair the STM Research Integrity Committee. This
shared resource responds to the challenges posedby the increasing volume of submissions that fail toreach accepted research integrity standards.

IN 2023:
We launched our own Research Integrity
webpage for all related resources, including a
multi-language overview of our commitment topublishing trustworthy, reliable research.
Springer Nature’s Research Integrity Director,
Chris Graf, was appointed to the UK Committee
on Research Integrity, hosted by UK Researchand Innovation, to help deliver its 2023–2025
strategic plan.
We implemented a tool – at scale – to screen
submissions for indicators, including generated
text, that the manuscript has or may haveoriginated from a paper mill.
Nature Masterclasses on-demand began offering
the course Research Integrity: Publication Ethics
for free and for all researchers of any level ofexperience to access.
SNRIG identified and prevented publication ofover 8,000 submitted papers with major integrity
problems, and reviewed more than 1,700 other cases
related to published papers, overall representinga small proportion of total papers submitted tous. These cases included questions regarding
authorship, data, plagiarism, duplicate submissions
and publications, research ethics and research
participant consent. Where issues are confirmed,
we act by publishing corrections, editors’ notes andexpressions of concern, or retracting articles.

SPR INGER NATURE ACQUIRED THE SC IENCEDI V ISION OF SLIMMER A I IN 2023 AND WE ARENOW USING I TS A I TOOLS TO AUTOMATE THE
IDENT IF IC AT ION OF POTENT I AL PROBLEMSW I TH PAPERS, SUCH A S PLAGI AR ISM.
PROTECTING CONTENT AUTHORSHIP
We proactively identify, monitor and act against
potential legal infringements in all content published,ensuring that threats are identified, targeted,disrupted and, where possible, countered.
We work with other publishers to help higher
education institutions protect themselves against
cybercrime through the Scholarly Networks Security
Initiative. Any concerns about online piracy or
physical counterfeiting can be reported to ouranti-piracy team.

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HARNESSING TECHNOLOGY
From matching papers with the most appropriate peer
reviewers to creating tailored, AI-supported researchsummaries, technology is threaded throughout ourbusiness. It is also a key factor in driving forward open
science and unlocking the power of knowledge faster.
Technology has always played a significant role at
Springer Nature. It enabled us and other academic
publishers to transition from print to digital earlier
than other content industries, and fuelled ourtransition to OA. Our research-centric platforms arecentral to our ability to serve our communities and are
key to speeding up the process of publishing.

AI: THE POTENTIAL TO ACCELERATERESEARCH PROGRESSAI was at the centre of our technological developmentin 2023 and we continue to unlock its potential by
combining our tech know-how and commitment
to ethics. Working with our communities andpartners, we have been piloting ways in which AI andother emerging technologies can help us meet our
mission to accelerate solutions to the world’s urgent
challenges, always with human oversight.
WAT CH A SHOR T V IDEO A B OU T HOW
SPR INGER N AT URE I S A PPROACHING A I .

By helping editors find the right peer reviewers fasterand by supporting scientists for whom English is nottheir first language, AI can expand the reach of scienceand promote equitable access. AI-driven automation
also frees up researcher time to focus on making
discoveries.
AI SAFETY AND ETHICS
To help us mitigate risks, we have a strong focus
on safety and ethics. Springer Nature is committed
to adopting an ethically focused approach while
designing, developing and deploying AI-based
solutions. We use AI solutions responsibly, making
sure that we consider and mitigate any negative
societal or environmental impacts. See more on our
AI principles in the Governance section.

C A SE S TUDIESFIRST PUBLISHER TO CREATE A NEW
ACADEMIC BOOK USING GenAI
As part of an innovative experiment, Springer
Nature was the first publisher to create an
academic book with generative AI. Developed
during a ‘hack day’ that brought together authors,
editors and experts from across Springer Nature,
the German-language book Einsatzmöglichkeiten
von GPT in Finance, Compliance und Audit(Applications of GPT in Finance, Compliance andAudit) has now been published. It took less than
five months from inception to publication – about
half the time normally taken.

AI-SUPPORTED RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
We’re using AI to experiment with ways tocommunicate science more effectively. This
includes summaries of editorially selected papers,
which we draft using an internally developed
Springer Nature AI tool. This is then reviewed,
fact-checked and revised by a human editor toensure it meets our high quality and accuracy
standards. Nature Aging and Nature Reviews
Microbiology were the first journals from the
Nature Portfolio to publish these AI-supported
research highlights in 2023.

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P EO P L E

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GOVERNANCEPEOPL EUNLOCKINGPOTENTIAL
Around the world, Springer Nature aims to be agreat company to work for, dedicated to living ourvalues and unlocking the full potential of ourpeople. Our commitment to our colleagues extends
to fostering an inclusive culture, as well as offering
opportunities for continuous learning anddevelopment so that they enjoy rewarding,enduring careers with us.

I N T H I S S EC T IO N
19

AT T HE HE A R T O F A NE T W O R K

20B U I LDI N G A GR E AT P LA C E T O W O R K

21

BE PA R T O F P R O GR E S S

23DI V E R S I T Y, EQ U I T Y A ND I N C LUS IO N

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AT THE
HEART OFA NETWORKOVERVIEW

Springer Nature is truly a peoplebusiness. Our work touches millions
of people every day: our fantastic
colleagues; the communities ofresearchers and educators we work with;and the wider public who read or benefit
from the research we publish.

P UB L I S H I N G

Our company is made up of dedicated, curious,
passionate and highly skilled people. Withoutthem, we simply wouldn’t be able to deliver on ouroverall business mission to help solve the world’s
greatest challenges.
We want Springer Nature to be a place where ourpeople can be themselves and learn, develop andthrive in an inclusive culture. We asked our people
what’s important to them about the work we do andwhy they enjoy working for us. This led to the creationof our first employer brand, Be Part of Progress,
which helps us talk consistently about what we offer,attract the best candidates and present to our existing

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At our core lies our support
for the people in our researchand education communities –the bridge builders of humanunderstanding. In the researchcommunity, we build deep
connections with authors and bringglobal visibility to their work.

initiatives such as surveys to better understandresearchers’ experience of diversity, equity andemployees what they can expect from working here.

inclusion (DEI). It also includes our commitment
to expanding the talent pipeline to new voices andThroughout this section, we share examples ofwhat we offer our staff, from extensive learningperspectives on publishing and research, with our
Opening Doors internship programme. We also
know that we have the ability to positively impact

and development opportunities to ‘workations’ –particularly relevant given the global backgroundof our colleagues. We are also working to build an
inclusive culture with a more diverse workforce andequitable structures that enable all our colleagues tothrive. In 2023, we strengthened our focus on data,using employee feedback to inform our strategic
decisions, and we increased opportunities for personal
development with the new DEI Learning Journey.
We celebrate the work our people do every day to

the world around us with the content we publish,
and we’re proud to highlight a few examples of
how our brands have taken the lead in broadening
conversations about diversity, using their platforms
to pioneer new ways of thinking about inclusion.
We are very much at the heart of a network ofpeople who believe in the benefits of a valuesdriven business. Together, we can contribute to
making the world better.

be sustainable, inclusive and forward-looking.
This ranges from trailblazing conversations about
representation and allyship, to ‘hack days’ on how to
use AI to support book authors, to committing time to
implement green initiatives in our offices.
Ultimately, we firmly believe that better
representation of the communities we serve leads
to better research. In this section, you’ll see how we
consider the people behind the research throughGR EGO R K A R O LUS ,C H I E F HUM A N
R E S O UR C E S O F F IC E R

JE S S IC A GE D A MU, V P
GLO B A L DI V E R S I T Y,
EQ U I T Y A ND I N C LUS IO N

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GOVERNANCE

BUILDING A GREAT PLACE TO WORK
Every day, our people work to help researchers,
clinicians and educators find solutions to the world’s
greatest challenges. Our open and ambitious culture
gives our colleagues space to develop their curiosity
and stretch their horizons, as well as everything
they need to be themselves and perform at their best.

SETTING OUT OUR APPROACH AS AN EMPLOYER
We want all our colleagues to continually seek tostretch their horizons and grow their long-term
career with us. We also want people embarking on
a career with us, and those who have been here forsome time, to be clear about what we stand for andwhat they can expect as an employee.

Working at Springer Nature means being part ofprogress and making a real impact on society. In
return, we offer a place to work that enables colleagues
to develop their curiosity by challenging themselves ina collaborative, nurturing environment that prioritises
wellbeing, flexibility, opportunity and inclusion.
To create a workplace that allows our colleagues tofollow their passions and be themselves, we listen
to them through engagement surveys and employee
forums, and act on their feedback.

THERE ARE SIX KEY ELEMENTS IN THE PEOPLE AND PLANET AREAS OF OUR GROUP STRATEGY:ENGAGING OUR PEOPLE
WORKING
PRACTICES

Shape our future
working practices.

TALENT

Ensure that ourcolleagues are equipped
to continuously drive
business success.

CULTUREContinue todrive colleague
engagement andbuild an inspiring,
inclusive and sharedcompany culture.

DIVERSITY, EQUITYAND INCLUSION

Build an organisation
where everyone cancontribute at their best
and thrive.

SUSTAINABLE
BUSINESS

Deliver on ourcommitment to berecognised as a purposedriven company.

PROCESSES

Improve the employee
experience of all HR
services.

In 2023, 74% of our colleagues took part in our annual
employee engagement survey and shared more than
8,000 comments to contextualise their feedback. The
score for the main engagement question “How happy
are you working at Springer Nature?” went up by one
point to 74 out of 100, while the score for the question“I would recommend Springer Nature as a greatplace to work” went up two points to 75. Other scoresremained stable or saw positive changes.
The insights we gather from this survey help us
shape future initiatives, deliver on our employer
brand promises and create a workplace where people
feel engaged, supported and motivated. The executive
committee goes through the results in detail every

year to identify any topics that need to be addressed
at a global scale. In 2024, as a result of the survey
feedback, we will take further action on careerdevelopment opportunities and support
managers to create greater understanding of
how the company strategy relates to specificareas and roles in the business.

LOOKING AFTER OUR PEOPLE
We strive to support wellbeing and promote goodmental health by making wellbeing guidance andresources available to all colleagues. Our global
Employee Assistance Programme offers short-termcounselling as well as information and resources on
emotional, financial, legal and work-life issues. The
confidential, free-to-use service is available 24/7
for employees and immediate family members.
In 2022, we announced that we would makesignificant additional payments to 6,000 employees
earning below a certain threshold in high-inflation
countries, to help with the increased cost of living.
The second of two payments was made in 2023.

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BE PART OF PROGRESSINTRODUCING OUR EMPLOYER BRAND
We developed Be Part of Progress, our new employer brand, by listening
to our colleagues. It reflects the strongest overall message that we heard
from them about why they work at Springer Nature – knowing that what
they do every day helps solve the world’s greatest challenges.
Be Part of Progress is supported by three promises that help us shapeand deliver plans to put our employer brand into practice.

BE

YOURSELF

STRETCHYOUR
HORIZONSDEVELOPYOUR
CURIOSITY

Make a positive impact and haveyour contribution recognised,working on varied, purposefuland rewarding projects that
support our customers and theircommunities.

Enjoy working for an ambitious
and truly global business, fullof talented people that want
you to do well.

Work alongside smart andinspiring colleagues in acollaborative and innovativeenvironment, which celebrates
intellectual curiosity.

BE

YOURSELF

OUR CULTURE AT SPRINGER NATURE
We want everyone at Springer Nature to makea positive impact, while working on varied,
rewarding projects that support our customers andtheir communities, and to have their contributions
recognised. Our open, welcoming and supportive
culture – with thriving employee networks –invites our employees to fully participate, perform
at their best and be themselves at work.
HOW WE PUT THIS INTO PRACTICE IN 2023
Workations

Our workation programme allows staff to work
remotely from another location and combine
it with a holiday or an extended visit to see friends
and family. 723 colleagues took a workationin 76 countries in 2023.
Employee networks

Our 10 employee networks focus on fostering
dialogue around diversity, community building,advice, advocacy and sustainability.

The DEI employee networks unite people andcreate strong communities and safe spaces for
employees who share common experiences, interests,
backgrounds or identities, and face marginalisationor underrepresentation. All networks also welcome
allies who want to support members of thesecommunities and learn more about the perspectives
and experiences within the network.
The Green Office Network brings colleagues together
to help reduce our environmental impact and raiseawareness around the environmental challenges
we are experiencing at a global level. See more on theGreen Office Network on page 36.
Our networks are also strategic partners for thebusiness, offering invaluable insights and guidance tohelp us better understand diverse markets, customer
needs and emerging trends.
Given the networks’ impact and the role theirmembers play in our company culture, in 2023, we
introduced new initiatives to offer network organisers
enhanced structural support and professional
development opportunities. This included additional
training and a greater connection with senior leaders.

EMPLOYEE NETWORKS IN 2023
10

EMPLOYEE NE T WORK S,INCLUDING A NE W NE T WORK:SN MUSLIMS

1,800+ MEMBERS
120

DE I NE T WORK E VENTS230

INTERNAL BLOG P OS TS

36

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BE PART OF PROGRESSSTRETCHYOUR
HORIZONSTALENT AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
We want everyone at Springer Nature to be able toenjoy working for an ambitious and truly global
business. Our people have a drive and a passion to
perform, and can discover a culture that believes in
identifying, developing and promoting talent.
HOW WE PUT THIS INTO PRACTICE IN 2023
Develop your career at Springer Nature

In response to feedback from our 2023 employee
engagement survey, the executive team agreed to focus
on career opportunities. This led to the creation of a
new internal career hub that brings together resources,
training and events to help our people take ownershipof their careers with the support of their manager.
We’ve also made internal vacancies more transparent.
Around 17% of our advertised vacancies in 2023 werefilled internally, but we’d like to see this increase.
We aim to help every colleague drive their careerdevelopment through planning, acquiring new skills
and discovering opportunities to grow.
SN Leader Programme

Our new SN Leader Programme aims to build ashared leadership community and culture across ourbusiness. The programme helps colleagues becomealigned, committed and jointly accountable fordelivering our group strategies, and works to ensure
they’re equipped to attract, retain and develop thetalent in their teams.

During this inaugural year, 500 participants spenttime developing and practising approaches on topics
such as leading hybrid teams, and behavioural andvalues-based leadership.

IN 2023, A S PART OF OUR SPR INGER NATUREEMPLOYER BR AND AMBA SSADOR PROGR AMME,# SNAMBA SSADORS, WE TR A INED 40
COLLE AGUES, HELPING THEM DEF INE THE IRPERSONAL BR AND, GROW THE IR NE T WORKAND INCRE A SE THE IR INFLUENCE ON
LINKEDIN. WE EMPOWERED THEM TO BR ING
OUR COMPANY CULTURE, VALUES AND MISSION
TO LIFE AUTHENT IC ALLY. THIS WAY, OUR OWNEMPLOYEES AC T A S BR AND AMBA SSADORS,HELPING TO BUILD BR AND TRUS T, AND TO
AT TR AC T AND RE TA IN TALENT.

DEI Learning Journey

Also new for 2023, the DEI Learning Journey is a
training programme for colleagues, with an annual
theme and a specific focus for each quarter. Activities
range from virtual, instructor-led training andworkshops, to discussions, e-learning modules andevents organised by the DEI employee networks.
This year, we focused on inclusive behaviours. This
provided opportunities for colleagues to strengthen
their knowledge, get practical tips on how to be more
inclusive in the workplace and exchange ideas on DEI
best practice.

DEVELOPYOUR
CURIOSITYINSPIRATION AND INNOVATION
Our employees work alongside smart, inspiringcolleagues in a collaborative and innovativeenvironment that celebrates intellectual curiosity. Our
extensive range of resources helps them accelerate
discovery by keeping up with the latest thinking andstaying open to new ideas.

HOW WE PUT THIS INTO PRACTICE IN 2023
All employees are encouraged to spend up to five days ayear undertaking training and development activities.
These include online and in-person courses, mentoring,job shadowing and other on-the-job training, as
well as our mandatory values and conduct training.
Other training opportunities include our employeegenerated learning programme, which taps into internal
knowledge and empowers colleagues to create theirown specialist training programmes.

IN 2023, AS ONEPART OF OUR C AREERDEVELOPMENT OFFER,WE DELI VEREDMORE THAN 60,000
HOURS OF TR A ININGV I A OUR ONLINE
LE ARNING PORTAL

RECOGNISING INNOVATIONThe Springer Nature Innovation Tournamentis an internal competition that recognises andcelebrates innovative work aligned with ourstrategic pillars. In 2023, we had more than 80
submissions, almost twice as many as in 2022.
The winning entry this year is an internallydeveloped tool that enables editors to quickly
create engaging social media posts to increase
the impact of published content via social media
promotion. All finalists visited the Heidelberg
Innovation Lab and enjoyed inspiring talks andQ&As about innovation with two AI start-ups:
Paretos and Rabbit.ai.

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DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION
Springer Nature is deeply committed to DEI
within our organisation, in our content andacross our communities.

BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE
We want to build an inclusive organisation witha diverse workforce and equitable structures thatenable everyone to thrive.
One of the ways we focus on diversity is by setting
aspirational goals for representation in our seniorleadership roles.

Gender representation is an important componentof our DEI strategy. Women now make up 44% of
our global leadership cohort†. In 2018, 39% of ourglobal leaders (those in the top three tiers of theorganisation) were women. We set a goal to reach
45% by the end of 2023. We’re proud to have seen asignificant increase of 5% in gender representationin this group over the period covered by the goal. The
increase is largely driven by internal promotions andreporting line changes, and we’re pleased that ourinvestment in talent has led to greater opportunities
for women to grow their careers into senior leadership
positions. This is also reflected in our Management
Board, which, as of January 2024, is now 50% female.
After widening the perspective and scope of our
DEI activities in 2021 to increase our focus on
representation across the company, we set new global
representation goals for race and ethnicity in seniorleadership roles. We also set goals to make sure oursenior leaders reflect our global footprint. You canlearn more about these goals on our group website.
We are always looking for ways to improve ourapproach, especially after completing a full cycle ofreporting on our gender representation target in 2023.
In early 2024, this will include a review of how wedefine the senior leadership cohort that our goals andtargets are based on.

C A SE S T UDY

DEI INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME:OPENING DOORSIn 2023, Springer Nature launched a newinternship programme to support DEI and provide
opportunities to students and recent graduatesfrom historically underrepresented groups.
The Opening Doors scheme, initially available
in the UK and US, offers training and careerdevelopment, and a chance to learn more
about our recruitment processes and otherbusiness areas.
This initiative aims to invest in a diverse talentpipeline, helping kick-start a successful careerin research publishing for the next generation
shaping our industry.

†

Data in this statement reviewed by auditors; see audit statement on page 42.

This has truly been one of themost rewarding experiences of myprofessional career thus far, and it
has been an honour to be part of thepilot cohort. I can’t wait to see what
the future holds!

M IC HE LLE HE ,OPENING DOORS INTERNA P P E NDI X

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DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

LI S T ENING T O OUR PEOPLE

INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY SURVEY
Around 59% of our workforce took part in ourthird global inclusion and diversity survey in 2023,
6% more than in 2022. We use the feedback tomake sure our programmes respond to colleagues’
needs and our actions foster an inclusive
work environment.
Through this survey, we aim to ensure thatcolleagues are asked to self-report, rather thanmaking assumptions based on previously collectedor assumed demographic data. This is an essential
and progressive methodology that allows us tocollect DEI insights.

SURVEY RESULTS
For Springer Nature as a whole, scores for inclusion
questions remain favourable and stable, andmostly at or above benchmark levels, with only
minor changes since 2022. Additionally:
Most inclusion scores remain favourable(75 points or greater) among women, LGBTQ+
colleagues, parents and carers, as well as each raceand ethnicity group.
Scores among respondents with disabilities orneurodivergent conditions showed a positive trend
since 2022, but are as much as eight points lower
than the company average.
A larger proportion of non-binary colleagues are
happy working at the company compared to lastyear (score of 76, an increase of four points).
The survey also shows that respondents who arepart of our employee networks consistently reporthigher inclusion scores.

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DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

INFLUENCING POSITIVE CHANGE
Our approach to DEI extends to how we work beyond
our business, with partners and our research andeducation communities, to ensure we serve ourcustomers and others in a fair and inclusive way.
We are data-driven, collecting and using reliable
information on DEI opportunities in our communities
to measure, monitor and further our progress. In
2023, we commissioned a study of 5,000 researchers
to understand how the research community perceives
and experiences DEI. The study found widespread
discrimination, harassment and bullying reported
by respondents across all demographics. There isalso a notable gap in perceptions of DEI and a lackof sufficient discussion on the specific challenges
facing those in different geographic regions. While
this survey is not unique, this new data offers further
evidence of the need to reform the research culture– something Springer Nature prioritises.

WE HAVE SE T OUT AN INTENT IONAL CONTENTS TR ATEGY FOR BOOK S ACQUISI T ION EDI TOR I AL
S TAFF TO E XPLORE HOW CONTENT PORTFOLIOSC AN BE ADJUS TED TO IMPAC T INCLUSION AND
REPRESENTAT ION MORE POSI T I VELY.

C A SE S T UDIESINCLUSIVE HEALTH RESEARCH AWARDSNature’s Inclusive Health Research Awards, in partnershipwith Takeda, celebrate those who are driving a more
inclusive approach to health research and demonstrate thebenefits of the research community working collaboratively
across the world, for better outcomes in health equity.
The 2023 award winners included the HEAlthcaRe needs ofDeaf (HEARD) project from Monash University on healthinequity facing Deaf individuals in Malaysia. The second
winner was the Māori and Bipolar Disorder research projectfrom New Zealand’s University of Otago on the factors
impacting the wellbeing of Māori with bipolar disorder.

RESEARCHER IN RESIDENCE PROGRAMME
Two active researchers from communities
underrepresented in research and publishing, who havebeen unable to continue their work due to circumstancessuch as armed conflict, joined Springer Nature in 2023
for 10 days per month over a three-month period. During
the programme, our teams gained new insights into theexperience of such researchers. Our ambition was tobridge the gap between authors and publishers, ultimately
resulting in a better understanding of the publishingecosystem for all.

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DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSIONDEI IN OUR PUBLISHING CONTENTC A SE S TUDIES

We interact with millions of people every day.
Connecting with them as authors, peer reviewers,
editors, readers, teachers and users of ourplatforms provides us with the opportunity to
influence behaviour on a large scale and effectreal change.

THE QUEER IN CHEM SERIESWE ARE SIGNATOR IES OF THE UK’S PUBLI SHINGACCESSIBILI T Y AC T ION GROUP (PA AG)
CHARTER. THE CHARTER INCLUDES 10 SPEC IF ICCOMMI TMENTS FOR PUBLISHERS AT E VERYS TAGE OF THE PUBLIC AT ION PROCESS, WHEN
PRODUC ING DIGI TAL PUBLIC AT IONS ANDEBOOK S, TO CRE ATE MORE ACCESSIBLE,
USER-FOCUSED CONTENT.

In 2023, we set up a hub of tailored DEI
resources to inform, inspire and support our
editorial community in developing inclusive
publishing practices.

Acknowledging the challenges that queer scientists face and actively
working to address them, Communications Chemistry presented its
Queer in Chem series – a collection of Q&As with accomplished
LGBTQ+ chemists discussing their scientific interests and professional
experiences. With this collection, the journal hopes to foster a deeper
understanding of the rich tapestry of identities and experiences within
the chemistry community, as well as to encourage understanding,
acceptance and support, both within the field of chemistry and acrosssociety at large.

THE PALGRAVE HANDBOOK OF DISABILITY
AND COMMUNICATIONThis collection features contributions from more than 40 international
scholars experiencing and researching disability, and focuses on the
lived experience of disability in all its variety. The scholars examine
the way people communicate with people with disabilities, talk about
disability and express themselves through their disabled identity. The
book deconstructs ableist communications from the past and present,
as well as showing how today, empowered people with disabilities
have more agency to control communicative structures.

FE ATURE S CONTR IBUT IONSFROM MORE THAN 40
INTERNAT IONAL SCHOLARSE XPER IENC ING AND
RE SE ARCHING DI SABILI T Y.

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COMMUNITY SUPPORTOur responsibility to the global communities
we work with goes beyond our publishing andcommercial activity. We partner with and donate
to others who contribute positively to the research,health and education communities that we work in,
and our charitable giving helps our communities todiscover, learn and achieve.

SUPPORTING CHARITABLE CAUSES
Donations to charitable organisations and good causes
amplify our impact, help address societal challenges
and support our communities. Our approach tocharitable giving includes strategic donations
reviewed by our global charity committee, and thefunds allocated for causes chosen by employee groups.

SUPPORTING THE UKRAINIANRESEARCH COMMUNITY

Through our contributions, we aim to:

In ongoing support for the Ukrainian scienceand research community, we supported a panel
discussion event by the Alexander von Humboldt
Foundation in November 2023. Chaired by Professor
Robert Schlögl, president of the Foundation,
researchers and experts from Ukraine and morethan 20 other countries discussed how science canbe an engine for the country’s reconstruction. The
summary of the participants’ recommendations has
been presented to a high-ranking delegation fromthe Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science,as well as representatives of the German Federal
Ministry of Education and Research and German
research organisations.

• Enable access to equitable quality educationand science.
• Align with our commitment to the SDGs.
• Champion DEI in our communities.
• Work with causes of interest and value to ourcolleagues, editors, authors, customers andother partners.

IN 2023, WE GAVE APPROX IMATELY€900,000 IN DONAT IONS AND SPONSORSHIPTO CHAR I T IES AND OTHER ORGANISAT IONSTHAT SHARE OUR VALUES. THIS IS IN
ADDI T ION TO DONAT IONS OF BOOK S,
OTHER EQUIPMENT AND VOLUNTEERED T IME.

C A SE S T UDIESCELEBRATING 180 YEARS OF
MACMILLAN EDUCATION –WITH 180 DAYS OF GIVING BACK
A love of learning, reading and innovation
for social good has always been Macmillan
Education’s mission. To mark its 180th
anniversary, the company is continuing to buildon this commitment, started by its founders,Daniel and Alexander Macmillan, almost two
centuries ago.
Macmillan Education launched 180 days ofgiving back to celebrate its positive impact on
education globally, and to show its dedication
to serving local communities. This programmegave Macmillan Education employees one dayof leave to volunteer for a charity that supports
education in their region. Each location, from
Poland to Eswatini and Mexico to India, selected
a local charity to support, giving colleagues theopportunity to make a difference.
In South Africa, for example, 25 colleagues
displayed their artistic skills by helping toremodel the Shine by Hope daycare centre andpreschool in Johannesburg. Transforming thecentre into a colourful haven, it has since beeninundated with parents who want to enrol theirchildren for 2024.

SUPPORTING DIVERSITY IN CANCERRESEARCH
In 2023, Springer Nature made a donation to theAmerican Cancer Society to support 10 participantsin its Diversity in Cancer Research (DICR) internshipprogramme. The donation follows on from our
support for organisations such as In2ScienceUK,with the aim of diversifying the talent pipeline forthe future and improving social mobility. The DICR
interns spent 10 weeks over the summer engaging
in hands-on research. They were mentored by anaccomplished investigator in a cancer research lab
or in a clinical or community setting.

With this donation, we can get closer
to our goal of increasing the numberof underrepresented minority cancer
researchers. Diversity in science iscritical because it invigorates problemsolving, drives innovation and better
equips the scientific community toaddress inequities that exist in cancer
prevention, treatment and care. We
could not do this without the help ofpartners like Springer Nature.
E LLI E D A N I E LS , MD, MP H , S E N IO R V IC E P R E S I D E N T,
C E N T E R F O R DI V E R S I T Y I N C A N C E R R E S E A R C H

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PL A NE T

ACTING ON
CLIMATEIn 2023, our targets to reduce greenhouse gas(GHG) emissions were validated by the Science
Based Targets initiative (SBTi). We arecommitted to reaching net zero GHG-emissions
across the value chain by 2040 from a 2019baseline year. This reflects our ambition tofollow the science that we are proud to publish.

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FUTURE:FOLLOWING
THE DATAOVERVIEWP UB L I S H I N G

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We are proud to say that at Springer

Our targets lay out a roadmap for ambitious

Nature, we follow the science. Since
2020, we have been carbon neutral

near-term emissions reductions. These align withthe scientific consensus that rapid emissions

our carbon emissions. However, we acknowledge that
offsetting alone is not a sustainable solution, andrecognise that achieving net zero requires ambitious

for our buildings, fleet and flights,

reductions are necessary to avoid the worst effects

emissions reductions. So, while we continue toof climate change.

purchase carbon certificates for our scope 1, 2 andthrough our use of renewables, offsets
We now understand our total

and increased efficiencies.
The subsequent year saw us sign

partial scope 3 emissions, we are prioritising ways
to reduce emissions at the pace needed.

The Climate Pledge and commit tovalue chain carbon footprint, andthe scale of ambition needed tosetting science-based targets, both ofoperate within the 1.5°C global

We believe that these examples underscore ourdedication to embracing the science, and illustrate
the actions we are taking to drive down ourwhich gave us a clear goal of net zero

warming limit.

carbon emissions.

by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris
Agreement. In 2022, we developed ourscience-based targets, and in 2023 wewere delighted to have them externallyvalidated. We published these targets
in a net zero supplement, alongside
our first full scope 3 inventory.

This is in line with the science we publish. Armedwith this knowledge, we are empowered to takedecisive actions to reduce our carbon footprint andlead by example.
Using data to inform changes, we will continue
working to reduce our emissions. For example, thisyear, we’ve undertaken an in-depth review of ourglobal fleet of more than 700 vehicles so that we canreduce fleet emissions in the coming years. In 2023,
more than 120 of these vehicles used an electric
battery 1, up from 36 in 2019, our baseline year.
In our books and journals, our aim is to decouple theprocess of sharing knowledge from carbon emissions.
Printed products can be printed nearer the customer.
We increased data collection through our ongoingsupplier sustainability programme, to ensure key
suppliers are aware of the value we place on reducing
carbon emissions, as well as protecting human rights.

Our carbon reduction ambitions are only part ofour environmental sustainability journey. Our
9,000 colleagues across Springer Nature play a
crucial role in delivering our sustainable businessstrategy, and we want to empower them to join us
on this journey. That’s why, this year, we had our
first compulsory environmental training for all
our staff, which received an approval rating of 4.6
out of 5. We also support and encourage initiatives
such as the employee-led Green Office Network ofvolunteers, which initiates projects and inspires
action on sustainability-related behaviour in our
offices. The significant growth of the network, nearly
doubling to 400 members in 2023, is a clear indicationthat sustainability is important to many of ourcolleagues. We will remain committed to engaging
and supporting our colleagues as we move ahead indelivering our goals.

We also continue to see the restoration of biodiverse
forests as a way to contribute to managing global
carbon levels and deliver positive co-benefits to local
communities. In light of this, we aim to balance out
1Includes: fully electric, plug-in hybrid, andself-charging hybrid vehicles.

J OYC E LO R IG A N ,GR O UP HE A D O F
CO R P O R AT E A F FA IR S

M A R C SP ENLÉ , C HIEF
O P ER AT IN G O F F IC ER

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P L A NE TOUR CARBON APPROACH
In 2023, we published our carbon footprint acrossall three scopes for the first time. Measuring ouremissions allows us to take a data-driven approachto driving down our carbon footprint. We continue tosupport biodiverse reforestation through our forestry
offset programme, as well as recognising the need toprioritise emissions reductions.

SETTING OUR TARGETS
We shared the news that our emissions reductions
targets were validated by the SBTi. Taken together
with our total carbon footprint, these map out ourroute to net zero by 2040.
Setting science-based targets required us to develop
a comprehensive emissions inventory, which can now
inform our strategy. Additionally, we are signatories
to the Business Ambition for 1.5°C framework.

WE REMAIN CARBON NEUTRAL
Springer Nature Group has been carbon neutral for
its offices, warehouses, fleet and flights since 2020,
powered by increased renewable electricity, energy
efficiencies and offsets.
We recognise that to reach net zero, we will need todeliver 90% emissions reductions (as detailed in thetable to the right) by 2040, and that offsetting is notincluded in those reductions.
When quantifying our carbon removals, we include a
portion of homeworking and commuting emissions,in light of increased hybrid working patterns.
We continue to see the restoration of biodiverse
forests as a way in which we can contribute positively
to managing global carbon levels, and deliver
positive social co-benefits to local communities.
We review our use of forestry offsets, as well as
responsibly sourced forestry products, in our supply
chain on an ongoing basis.

OUR S C IENCE-B A SED TA RGE T S
NEAR-TERM TARGET (2032)

NET ZERO TARGET (2040)

Scope 1 and 2
Includes:• On-site fuel and electricity• FleetReduce absolute scope 1 and 2
GHG emissions by 54.6%

Reduce absolute scope 1 and 2
GHG emissions by 90%

Scope 3
GHG Protocol categories 1–15

Reduce absolute scope 3 GHG
emissions2 by 32.5%

Reduce absolute scope 3 GHG
emissions by 90%

Baseline year: 20192

Categories covered are purchased goods and services, capital goods, fuel- and energy-related activities, upstream transportationand distribution, waste generated in operations, business travel and upstream leased assets.

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GOVERNANCEOUR CARBON APPROACHC A SE S T UDIESREFORESTATION IN NICARAGUAWe are now in our fifth year of supporting
Taking Root’s CommuniTree project inNicaragua, working with C Level. In 2023,
we purchased certificates totalling around
17,500 tonnes of CO2e, equal to our net carbon
footprint from our direct emissions. We areproud that our ongoing engagement provides
stability to local communities.
We prioritise the core principle of ‘additionality’by ensuring that the certificates we purchasereflect carbon balancing that would not haveoccurred without our investment. The initiativeis certified by Plan Vivo, the longest-standing
voluntary carbon standard, and enables farmers
to reforest land with native trees in ways thatbuild their capacity to earn money from wellmaintained forests.

MANAGING CLIMATE-RELATED RISKS
We consider the risks related to climate change
within our overall risk management processes,
including physical risks to our operations and thoseof critical suppliers, and transition risks such as theimpact of regulatory and market factors. We havebusiness continuity processes in place.
Our net zero roadmap is a core component of ourclimate response and we will report annually on
progress. Our publishing activities contribute to thebetter understanding of climate risk, mitigation
and adaptation.

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CARBON INVENTORY AND REDUCTIONS
In line with our previous reports, we publish theemissions associated with our sites and fleet (scopes 1
and 2) and emissions associated with serviced sites andairlines (partial scope 3) in three ways: gross emissions;net carbon emissions before offsetting; and net carbon
emissions after the purchase of carbon offsets.

In this report, we publish 2023 data for buildings,
fleet and flights. Based on data for previous years, we
expect these emissions to be around 10% of our fullcarbon footprint.
Our full carbon footprint includes scope 3 emissions
related to homeworking, commuting, events, products
and logistics, business travel and other supplieremissions.

In 2023, we expanded our data set to include our fullscope 3 emissions covering the years 2019–2022.
For each year, the figures comply with the minimum
reporting requirements per category as described in
the GHG Protocol’s Corporate Value Chain (scope 3)
Accounting and Reporting Standard.

You can find our full 2022 carbon footprint in the net
zero supplement we published in 2023. Our 2022 net
carbon footprint across all three scopes was 140,674
tonnes CO2e3. We will publish our full carbon footprintfor 2023 in a second supplement in 2024.

OUR NET ZERO ROADMAPThe chart is a high-level representation of our net zero roadmap and milestones. It shows net carbon emissions,
including offsets (detailed in this report and on page 50), i.e. scope 1, scope 2 and partial scope 3 – those relating toserviced offices and flights. Striped sections of the bars are indicative only – showing data that will be reported in the
future. For 2023, full scope 3 emissions will be published in the 2024 net zero and scope 3 supplement. The 2023
supplement can be found on our website.

Net carbon emissions.
Scope 1, scope 2
and partial scope 3

Net carbon emissions.
Remainder of scope 3

HISTORICAL CARBON
2019
Our baseline year

T O TA L G H G E M I S S I O N S F R O M S C O P E 1 A N D 2 , S E R V I C E D S I T E S A N D F L I G H T S( P A R T I A L S C O P E 3 ) ( T O N N E S O F C O ₂ E Q U I V A LE N T, t C O ₂ e)

2023
NET EMISSIONS (BEFORE OFFSET TING)

Science-based targets (SBTs)
validated

GROSS EMISSIONS

2023†

17,2242023†

22,0842022

10,1072022

15,1752019 (BASELINE)**

28,0422019 (BASELINE)***

DOWN 39%
SINCE 2019*34,236DOWN 35%
SINCE 2019

FUTURE PROJECTION
2032
Deliver the rapid
decarbonisation needed tomeet our near-term SBTs
BY 2040, WE WILL REACH NET ZERO
We will prioritise carbon
reduction efforts†***

Data reviewed by auditors, see audit statement on page 42.
Data reviewed by auditors in a prior year.
Data has been restated.

3This figure includes 6,204 tonnes CO2e of emissions, the reporting of
which is currently optional under GHG Protocol guidance and is notcovered by our carbon targets in line with SBTi’s approach.

Carbonemissions offset

Indicativeemissions

All scopes,
indicative emissions

Indicative carbon
emissions offset

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CARBON INVENTORY AND REDUCTIONSC A SE S T UDIESDATA-DRIVEN REDUCTIONSSUPPLY CHAIN EMISSIONSRENEWABLE ENERGY
In 2023, our renewable and clean electricity use in
our buildings reached 99% for the first time.4 We

Tackling supply chain emissions will be a vital
part of our net zero journey. We are working with
11 priority suppliers in the pre-press and printing
area to understand their emissions and improve
our own reporting. We also hope to encourage
additional carbon reporting and reductions fromthese suppliers. We are reviewing our supply chain
to minimise product and logistics emissions where
we can.

Our Business Partner Code of Conduct includes
expectations for suppliers to improve their impact
on the environment and promote responsibility intheir own supply chains.

prioritise purchasing renewable electricity directlyfrom our suppliers and where that is not practical,
we buy renewable electricity certificates (RECs). We
purchased carbon offsets for a small number of sites
where it was impractical to buy RECs (see page 46).
BUILDING ENERGY USE
Compared with 2022, our buildings’ total energy
use decreased by 10.7% overall, as we continued
to consolidate our portfolio and improve energy
efficiency.

by the Mayor of London’s office. This resulted
in several actions that we completed in 2023,
including changes to office heating management
and the installation of LED lighting in our onsite
catering kitchen. We have selected a new office sitein Heidelberg, Germany, which we expect to moveinto in 2024, that has been built to the ambitious
Passivhaus standard.
BUSINESS TRAVEL
Compared with pre-pandemic levels, our 2023
business flight emissions remain low, at around 65%
of 2019 volumes. As expected, travel increased in
2023 compared to the previous year. In line with ourenvironment policy, we are monitoring this trend
and taking actions to avoid ongoing increases.

We aim to have increasingly energy-efficientbuildings. In 2023, our London office undertook
an energy audit as part of a scheme administeredT O TA L E N E R G Y U S E ( M W h)

B U S I N E S S F L I G H T E M I S S I O N S ( t C O ₂ e)

2023

17,6132023†

13,5072022

19,716

2022

6,467

2019 (BASELINE)**

28,4272019 (BASELINE)***

DOWN 38%
SINCE 2019†

Data reviewed by auditors, see audit statement on page 42.

*

Data reviewed by auditors in a prior year.

**

Data has been restated.

20,478DOWN 34%
SINCE 20194

More information on energy sources in this category can be found on
page 46, footnote 11.

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REPORTING ON CARBON ACTIONSIn 2023, we continued to make progress on thesix short-term carbon actions that we announced
in our 2021 Sustainable Business Report. These
actions were designed to start addressing
emissions quickly.

AREA

ACTIONSPROGRESS AND NEXT STEPSNET ZERO

Set science-based targets against a 2019 baseline,
covering at least 95% of our scopes 1 and 2 emissions andtwo-thirds of our scope 3 emissions in 2022.

Targets validated by the SBTi in 2023.

PEOPLE

Roll out introductory sustainable business training to all
employees via a three-year programme, starting in 2022.

Launched and rolled out mandatory sustainable business training modules(2022-2024).
In 2023, the training included a dedicated Environmental module, which
achieved a high approval rating of 4.6 out of 5. Overall, these modules have an
91% completion rate.

OFFICESSet up Green Building Checklists and action plans for major
sites in 2022, and review half-yearly 2022–2025.

Major sites reviewed the Green Building Checklist and created action plans,
comprising 158 identified potential actions across all 18 sites.
We review and monitor progress every six months.

Implement space-saving strategies across our global office
portfolio and measure associated carbon reductions.

Reduced office space by 7.4% in 2023 as a direct result of office reduction strategies.
The implementation of space-saving strategies is ongoing. We will measure theimpact of this reduction.

PRODUCTS

Inform end-of-life recycling by labelling new titles in our
printed books and journals portfolio by 2025.

Action plans for each area of the business are under development.

IT

Transition from data centres to carbon-neutral andenergy-efficient cloud-based suppliers wherever possibleby 2025.

We formed a specialised team to prepare our applications for cloud deployment.

Actively engage 50% of print and 50% of pre-press
suppliers (by spend) to align with our sustainability goals

In 2023, we requested carbon footprint data from print and pre-press suppliers,
covering more than 50% of our spend in that area.

SUPPLIERS

by 2022.

Our two major cloud providers have net zero goals.

Where usable carbon intensity data is available from priority suppliers, this has beenused in scope 3 calculations.

STATUS

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OUR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
DOWN 55%
SINCE 2019
We consider the impact of our operations on thenatural environment and manage our resource use
to minimise negative impacts, as well as supporting
projects that have co-benefits for biodiversity.

We continue to reduce logistics emissions byincreasing our use of print-on-demand services. In
2023, we also explored optimising our supply chain to
make stock movement more efficient (see page 33).

OUR WORKPLACESSUSTAINABLE PAPER SOURCING
Our paper policy requires us to only use paper fromknown, legal and responsible sources in our products.
Papers must be graded three or five stars in the
Publishers’ Database for Responsible Environmental
Paper Sourcing (PREPS) or certified by one of thefollowing: Programme for the Endorsement of Forest
Certification, Sustainable Forestry Initiative or Forest
Stewardship Council standards.

RESOURCE USE
Our offices are currently using less water and office
paper, and producing less waste, than before thepandemic, due to an increase in hybrid working. In
our largest offices, waste segregation – for recycling,reuse, production of biofuels and composting –reached more than 50%. Our IT recycling guidelines
set out how we handle electronic equipment that is
no longer usable.

IN 2023, OUR 1,500 COLLE AGUES BA SED IN
PUNE, INDI A , MOVED INTO A NE W OFF ICE. THE
BUILDING I S LEED PLAT INUM CERT IF IED, AND
WA S DESIGNED W I TH SUS TA INABILI T Y ANDEMPLOYEE WELLBE ING IN MIND.
OUR SUPPLIERS
PRINTED PRODUCTS
Many of our products are provided in digital-onlyformat, and where they are printed, materials areproduced by third-party suppliers. Our printed
products required 28,230 tonnes of paper in 2023,
a decrease of around 5.8% since 2022.

We collate data from our largest printers and othersources to determine compliance with the policy.
In 2023, compliance was 97%, an increase from 92%
in 2022. Areas of non-compliance, and any exceptions
to policy, are analysed and reviewed with businessareas and printers, in some cases working in tandem
to ensure paper is properly certified for future use. In
2024, we will review processes for collating data on
paper volumes purchased across the whole group to
improve data quality and accuracy.

W AT E R U S E (m3 )2023

42,611

2022

37,2162019 (BASELINE)**

95,495OFF ICE PA PER USE ( TONNES)

2023

20

2022

22

2019 (BASELINE)**

85

2023

537

2022

585

2019 (BASELINE)**

1,060

**

This data has been restated.

C A SE S TUDYENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATIONIN GERMANY
Our Wiesbaden office was recognised throughthe Ökoprofit environmental certification aspart of their Environmental Consulting andClimate Protection Programme.

OFFICE WASTE (TONNES)

DOWN 49%
SINCE 2019

DOWN 77%
SINCE 2019

We have scrutinised our environmental andclimate-relevant processes and developed astrategy to reduce GHG emissions and conserve
resources. The programme of measures covered
the areas of energy, water, waste, mobility
and procurement.
Our certification in this programme is a big stepin our ongoing sustainability and environmental
protection journey in Wiesbaden.

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OUR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN SUSTAINABILITY
In 2023, 93% of Springer Nature employees completed
our first compulsory training on environmental
impact topics, as part of the values and conduct
training. This was developed in-house and usedleading climate science published in our journals andbooks. It achieved a rating of 4.6 out of 5 from those
who completed it.

The Green Office Network

Springer Nature’s global Green Office Network is an
employee-run network for colleagues to share their
passion for sustainability. The network runs internalsustainability campaigns, and promotes behaviouralchange and colleague engagement in environmental
topics with around 400 members in 28 locations
across the world. In 2023, the network experienced
significant growth, with more than 250 new members
joining since 2022.

GREEN OFFICE NETWORK HIGHLIGHTS IN 2023

2

SWAP SHOPS

5

SUS TA INABIL I T Y
WORK SHOPS

2C YCLING E VENTS

7

CLE AN-UP E VENTS

3

RECYCLINGCAMPAIGNS

100s

OF SHARED R IDESFOR SUS TA INABLE
COMMUT ING

3

ELECTRONICRECYCLING DRIVES155

TREES PLANTEDC A SE S T UDY

SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES IN OUR
NEW PUNE OFFICE
Following the move to our new office in Pune,
India, the local Green Office Network has beenencouraging behavioural change throughcommuting and waste reduction initiatives.

300+ KG

OF WASTE COLLECTED
IN CLEAN-UPS

000 s
1, OOOOF PLA S T IC I TEMSREMOVED FROMOFF ICES

1,500

PLANTS INS TALLEDIN OFF ICES

10,000

PAPER CUPS SAVED

The network targeted the carbon emissions
generated by commuting through carpooling,
bike sharing and shuttle service initiatives,
creating tools, shared via an internal MySpace
portal, to help employees reduce time spent inpeak-hour traffic, minimise fuel consumption,
decrease emissions, and cut both costs and effort.
By the end of 2023, 724 people (52% of the officepopulation) had used the tool. IT colleagues helped
develop an in-house application as an easy way forcolleagues to offer and accept shared rides to andfrom the office, or book a shuttle from common
locations.
In addition, an initiative called Sustainify aims
to reduce the use of non-recyclable products andreplace them with eco-friendly alternatives. As
part of this campaign, a ‘No Paper Cup Day’ wasinitiated each month. Colleagues are encouraged
to bring their reusable coffee mugs and waterbottles regularly, and on the agreed days, there
are no paper cups available for use in the office.
In total, the use of more than 16,000 cups has been
avoided since July 2023.

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PUBLISHING CLIMATE SOLUTIONS
Publishing trusted, peer-reviewed climate research,and enabling it to reach the decision-makers whoneed it, is the greatest action we can take to help
reduce global emissions and tackle climate change.

C A SE S T UDY

NATURE RECOGNISED BY
PRESTIGIOUS AWARD
Nature was named Environmental Personality of the Year at

WE CONT INUE TO PUBLISH RESE ARCH FROMACROSS THE SDGs, INCLUDING SDG 13:
CLIMATE AC T ION. FOR E X AMPLE, AN ART ICLE
IN NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE FUTURE
OF THE WES T ANTARC T IC ICE-SHELF GARNERED
INTERNAT IONAL AT TENT ION W I TH OVER 1,500
MEDI A HI TS. I T DESCR IBES HOW THE COLLAPSEOF THE WES T ANTARC T IC ICE SHEE T MAY BE
INE V I TABLE REGARDLESS OF AT TEMP TS TO
MI T IGATE GHGs.

the 24th Ecovidrio awards for its extensive track record indisseminating the latest scientific discoveries and research,
including on climate change and its effects and on thebiodiversity crisis. Ecovidrio is the non-profit organisation
responsible for managing glass recycling across Spain, andprevious winners include former Director of the UNFCCC
Christina Figuerres and anthropologist and primatologist
Jane Goodall. This is the first time a research journal hasreceived the award.

This award is a fantastic endorsement of thecritical role Nature plays in communicating
about critical topics including climate change toboth scientific audiences and the general public,
across the world. We are in great company withprevious winners and are grateful to Ecovidrio

SPRINGER NATURE HASSHARED MORE THAN 70,000
CLIMATE RESE ARCH JOURNALART ICLES AND BOOK CHAPTERS
SINCE 2015

for recognising the importance of science andtrusted research in identifying solutions to
the pressing global challenges, and ultimately
speeding up progress we desperately need forthe future.
M A GD A LE N A S K I P P E R , E DI T O R I N C H I E F, N AT UR E

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GOV ERN A NCE

WORKINGETHICALLY
Our work is guided by codes of conduct for
employees, business partners and editors, andis supported by a range of group-wide policies
and procedures. These give us the frameworks
we need to uphold our values and implement
our sustainable business priorities, within theorganisation and through every part of our
supply chain.

I N T H I S S EC T IO N
39

GO V E R N A N C E , R I S K A ND C O MP LI A N C E

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C R I T IC A L C O N C E R NS

39

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A I P R I N C I P LE S

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W H I S T LE BLO W I N G

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GOVERNANCE, RISK AND COMPLIANCE
Supported by guidelines and frameworks, integrity
is a key value for Springer Nature. Through ourgovernance, risk and compliance approach, we
proactively address relevant legal and regulatory risks
across all of our operations. Our governance approachis not just about our direct operations. For us, beinga responsible business means we also need to engage
with parties who can have an impact on our businessor who are impacted by our business. Throughengagement of our internal and external stakeholders
on a periodic basis, we aim to identify emerging
issues, risks and opportunities relevant to them andtherefore to our business. We employ an extensive
system of policies, procedures, controls and oversightpractices to ensure all aspects of our business andextended relationships are managed responsibly.

APPROACH TO REPORT AND MATERIALESG REPORTING
At Springer Nature, effective governance is essential
to the way we manage our ESG impacts. The executive
team oversees the internal controls and risk
management practices around ESG topics material to
our business.
Our sustainable business strategy and managementof material ESG topics are overseen by a steeringgroup, which includes members of the Management
Board, and executive team. Dedicated committees
and working groups focus on specific strategies
and the operational activities through which they
are implemented.
Our governance, risk and compliance team designs
and operates our group-wide risk and compliancesystem. This system identifies and proactively

addresses relevant ESG, legal and regulatory risks,and other issues covered in our Code of Conduct.
• Company policies: Company-wide policies aredesigned to help us manage and mitigate topics,
and are reviewed at least every five years toensure they stay up to date. A policy management
committee meets several times a year to review
existing, new and updated policies.
• Staff awareness: We train all staff on the
expectations set out in the Code of Conduct andgroup policies.
• Monitoring compliance: We detect issues
through compliance reviews, internal audits andmonitoring.
• Escalating issues: We have a global Speak Up
system to escalate and investigate issues.
The internal audit department conducts audits on awide range of topics throughout the group, and in 2023,
the team launched an insight programme to build agreater understanding about company-wide audit
process, risk management and compliance awarenessacross the business. In 2023, we conducted six site visits
for internal audits.

CRITICAL CONCERNS
We seek to identify any new risks and material changes
to our risk profile on a quarterly basis. We consider
the major risks and uncertainties that could affectSpringer Nature, as well as the possible relationships
and interdependencies. We also track 12 principal risk
areas (€1–5 million or equivalent) and eight emerging
risk areas (risks that may impact in future years).
In 2023, we reported on 25 significant principal risk
areas (>€5 million or equivalent) in 14 risk categories.

BEHAVING ETHICALLY
Our Code of Conduct for employees sets out our
expectation that all employees are treated fairly
and respectfully. All staff must affirm theircommitment to this code annually.
We expect the communities we work with and our
suppliers to adhere to the same standards we set
for ourselves by acting in a sustainable, ethical andsocially responsible way. In addition to the Codeof Conduct for our staff, we have a targeted code of
conduct for stakeholders across our supply chain(business partners). We also have targeted codes ofconduct for the publishing activities of the authorsand editors we work with.
TRAINING
We train all staff on the expectations set out in
the Code of Conduct and group policies on an annual
basis through our values and conduct training
programme. All employees are required to complete
this training programme, which includes topics
from the Code of Conduct.
The training programme generally follows athree-year cycle, starting with the Code of Conduct(year 1) and then breaking down the topics into
bite-sized modules (years 2 and 3). From 2022 to2024, the overarching theme for this training is‘sustainable business’. The programme covers ESG
topics connected with the Code of Conduct andBusiness Partner Code of Conduct that are material
to our business, as well as our internal values, oursustainability strategy and the SDGs.

IN 2023, WE LAUNCHED THREE NE W TR A INING
MODULES – ‘ENV IRONMENTAL IMPAC T’, ‘HUMAN
R IGHTS IN THE SUPPLY CHA IN’ AND ‘PREPAR ING
FOR THE UNE XPEC TED’. RE AD MORE ABOUT OUR
ENV IRONMENTAL IMPAC T TR A INING IN THE
PLANE T SEC T ION. IN 2023, THE TR A INING HAD
A COMPLE T ION R ATE OF 93%.
We also provide additional specialised training andwebinars for colleagues in higher-risk and/or senior
management roles and locations.

AI PRINCIPLES
Springer Nature is committed to adopting an ethicallyfocused approach while designing, developing,
deploying and using AI-based solutions.
Springer Nature’s AI governance forums and processes
have been set up to provide for regulatory and legal
compliance, as well as adherence to our own AI
principles. The use of AI technologies aligns with
our group strategies and values, meets the principlesof ethical AI and aims to fulfil current and future
legal requirements. We use AI solutions responsibly,
making sure that we consider and mitigate any
negative societal or environmental impacts. We place
human-centred values at the heart of our approach to
the responsible use of AI.
Under the oversight of the Management Board, in
2023, we set up an AI governance structure, including
forums and processes, to ensure regulatory andlegal compliance. An AI board and four decision
forums (AI Ethics Forum, Product and Technology

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Forum, Sales and Commercial Forum, and the Legaland Group Policy Forum) are in place to make sure
we communicate with and consider the needs of all
stakeholder groups and to localise decision-making
with cross-functional collaboration.
We have developed a set of principles to guideour colleagues in the use of AI (see table, right).
The AI Ethics Forum has also produced two AI ethics
health checks to help those working with AI adhere
to and apply the AI principles. The principles andhealth checks will be regularly reviewed as thelandscape evolves.
ANTI-BRIBERY, FRAUD AND CORRUPTION
We operate a zero tolerance policy for any corruption
involving our employees or supply chain. In 2023,
the anti-bribery, fraud and corruption (ABFC) risk
assessments for the education division were updated
by the finance directors. We completed an ABFC risk
assessment for part of the research division in 2023
and will continue to focus on the ABFC controls within
the research division in 2024.
In 2023, we had no confirmed significant incidentsof corruption.

MANAGING OUR SUPPLY CHAIN
SUPPLIER ONBOARDING
We expect our business partners to align with thesame standards that we set out for ourselves. Our
Business Partner Code of Conduct covers topics
including fair pay and conditions, prevention offorced and child labour, health and safety, andenvironmental practices. Compliance with ourBusiness Partner Code of Conduct is part of ourstandard contract for suppliers.

A S OF 31 DECEMBER 2023, 95% OF
BUSINESS PARTNERS THAT ARE AC T I VELYMANAGED IN OUR LABOUR STANDARDSPROGR AMME HAD COMMI T TED TO FOLLOW
THE CODE. TO ENSURE ONGOING COMPLI ANCEW I TH THE BUSINESS PARTNER CODE OF
CONDUC T, WE AC T I VELY MANAGE AND MONI TOROUR SUPPLIERS THROUGH OUR SUPPLIERENGAGEMENT PROGR AMME.
MONITORING AND EVALUATION
Once onboarded, all in-scope suppliers are required
to complete a due diligence questionnaire coveringmodern slavery and human trafficking, and to
update it at least once every three years or more
often, depending on the risk profile of the supplier.
Our due diligence questionnaires are regularly
reviewed to align with upcoming legal and regulatory
requirements relating to ESG matters.
We audit major suppliers to monitor adherence to ourBusiness Partner Code of Conduct. In 2023, there were
23 audits in scope and 21 were completed.
Where we have concerns, we work with suppliers
to address them, discussing audit findings and any
action plans stemming from them. We follow up
on agreed actions and provide support to ensure
action plans are executed. In 2023, our supplier audit

program found 11 high-priority issues. Most of themwere in the ‘working conditions’ and ‘health andsafety’ categories and involved excessive working
hours, fire drills not done, storage of hazardous
waste in an open area, blocked emergency exits, andblocked aisles and unmarked aisles. At the time thisreport was published, four of these actions were still
open. They are from two audits that were reported in
November 2023. Two actions were completed in March2024 and the other two are still being discussed toagree a deadline for closure.

WHISTLEBLOWING
We have processes for staff, business partners andall third parties to ask questions or raise concerns
about how Springer Nature is operating. One ofthese channels is a confidential and independentwhistleblowing system. In 2023, 107 reports wereraised via the Speak Up system, consistent with 2022.

The percentage of anonymous reports has declined
substantially since 2022, allowing us to better address
the issue raised and communicate with the reporter
more easily. This is positive as it indicates that staff
trust the business enough to disclose their identities
when asking questions or sharing concerns.
We continue to engage regularly, including via
company-wide training and targeted awarenesssessions, on the importance of speaking up. This
includes training for managers on how to respond to areport made directly to them.
WHISTLEBLOWING REPORTS
2021

2022

2023

REPORTS RECEIVED

133

125

128

VIA SPEAK UP

114

106

107

SPRINGER NATURE AI PRINCIPLESHUMAN-CENTRED VALUESDIGNITY, RESPECT AND FAIRNESS AND EQUITYMINIMISING HARM
We mitigate the
We prioritise humanwellbeing and dignity,
and take steps toprevent harm to society
and the environment.

potential for structural
bias and inequities.

TRANSPARENCYACCOUNTABILITY

We disclose when an
Al system is being
used and explain our
processes in accessible
language.

We maintain humanoversight of thedevelopment andoutcomes generated
by our Al tools andsolutions.

PRIVACY AND DATAGOVERNANCE
We safeguard personalprivacy and follow
all relevant dataprotection laws.

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APPENDIXI N T H I S S EC T IO N
42

AUDI T O R ’ S R E P O R T

44

K E Y D ATA

48

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M A N A GE ME N T A P P R O A C H T O M AT E R I A L T O P IC S

50

GLO B A L R E P O R T I N G I N I T I AT I V E (GR I ) I ND E X

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AUDITOR’S REPORTTO SPRINGER NATURE AG & CO. KGAA, BERLIN
We have performed a limited assurance engagement
on selected non-financial indicators in the area ofdiversity and carbon reporting (hereafter “selectedsustainability disclosures”) marked with the †symbol within the Sustainable Business Report of
the Springer Nature Group (Springer Nature AG & Co.
KGaA, Berlin, and its subsidiary companies; hereafter
the “Company”) for the reporting period from 1
January 2023 to 31 December 2023 (hereafter the“sustainability report”).
Our engagement exclusively refers to selectedsustainability disclosures marked with †.
† Not subject
to our assurance engagement are sustainability
disclosures for prior years.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORSThe executive directors of the Company are
responsible for the preparation of the sustainability
report, which comprises the selected sustainability
disclosures, with reference to the GRI Sustainability
Reporting Standards (hereafter “reporting criteria”).
These responsibilities of the Company’s executive
directors include the selection and application of
appropriate methods for the preparation of theselected sustainability disclosures and making
assumptions and estimates about individual nonfinancial disclosures of the Group that are reasonable

in the circumstances. Furthermore, the executive
directors are responsible for such internal control
as the executive directors consider necessary toenable the preparation of selected sustainability
disclosures that are free from material misstatement,
whether due to fraud (manipulation of the selectedsustainability disclosures) or error.
INDEPENDENCE AND QUALITY ASSURANCE OF THE
AUDITOR’S FIRM
We have complied with the German professional
requirements on independence as well as otherprofessional conduct requirements.
Our audit firm applies the national legal requirements
and professional pronouncements - in particular the
BS WP/vBP [“Berufssatzung für Wirtschaftsprüfer/vereidigte Buchprüfer”: Professional Charter
for German Public Accountants/German Sworn
Auditors] in the exercise of their Profession and the
IDW Standard on Quality Management issued by
the Institute of Public Auditors in Germany (IDW):
Requirements for Quality Management in the
Audit Firm (IDW QS 1) and accordingly maintains acomprehensive quality management system that
includes documented policies and procedures withregard to compliance with professional ethicalrequirements, professional standards as well as
relevant statutory and other legal requirements.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE AUDITOR
Our responsibility is to express a conclusion withlimited assurance on the selected sustainability
disclosures based on our assurance engagement.
We conducted our assurance engagement inaccordance with International Standard on
Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3000 (Revised):“Assurance Engagements other than Audits or
Reviews of Historical Financial Information” issued
by the IAASB. This standard requires that we planand perform the assurance engagement to obtain
limited assurance about whether any matters havecome to our attention that cause us to believe thatthe selected sustainability disclosures are notprepared, in all material respects, with reference tothe reporting criteria. Not subject to our assurance
engagement are any sustainability disclosures forprior years.
In a limited assurance engagement, the procedures
performed are less extensive than in a reasonableassurance engagement, and accordingly, a
substantially lower level of assurance is obtained.
The selection of the assurance procedures is subject
to the professional judgment of the auditor.
In the course of our assurance engagement wehave, among other things, performed the following
assurance procedures and other activities:• Gain an understanding of the structure of
the Group’s sustainability organization, thesustainability strategy of the Company,• Inquiries of the executive directors and relevant
employees involved in the preparation of theselected sustainability disclosures about the
preparation process and about the internal control
related to this process,• Identification and assessment of risks of material
misstatement in the selected sustainability
disclosures,• Analytical procedures on selected sustainability
disclosures,• Inquiries, inspection of sample documents andobtaining evidence relating to the collection andreporting of selected disclosures in the selectedsustainability disclosures,• Evaluation of the presentation of the selectedsustainability disclosures.
ASSURANCE CONCLUSION
Based on our assurance procedures performed andthe evidence obtained, nothing has come to ourattention that causes us to believe that the selectedsustainability disclosures of the Company for theperiod from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023 are
not prepared, in all material respects, with reference
to the reporting criteria.
We do not express an assurance conclusion on any
sustainability disclosures for prior years.

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AUDITOR’S REPORTRESTRICTION OF USE
We draw attention to the fact that the assurance
engagement was conducted for the Company’s
purposes and that the report is intended solely to
inform the Company about the result of the assurance
engagement. As a result, it may not be suitable
for another purpose than the aforementioned.
Accordingly, the report is not intended to be used bythird parties for making (financial) decisions based on
it. Our responsibility is to the Company alone.

We make express reference to the fact that we will not
update the report to reflect events or circumstances
arising after it was issued, unless required to do soby law. It is the sole responsibility of anyone taking
note of the summarized result of our work containedin this report to decide whether and in what way thisinformation is useful or suitable for their purposes
and to supplement, verify or update it by means of
their own review procedures.
Berlin, 8 April 2024

We do not accept any responsibility to third parties.
Our assurance conclusion is not modified in thisrespect.
GENERAL ENGAGEMENT TERMS AND LIABILITY
The enclosed “General Engagement Terms for
Wirtschaftsprüfer and Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaften [German Public Auditors and Public
Audit Firms]” dated 1 January 2017 are applicable tothis engagement and also govern our relations withthird parties in the context of this engagement(www.de.ey.com/general-engagement-terms).
In addition, please refer to the liability provisions
contained there in no. 9 and to the exclusionof liability towards third parties. We accept no
responsibility, liability or other obligations towards
third parties unless we have concluded a writtenagreement to the contrary with the respective third
party or liability cannot effectively be precluded.

EY GmbH & Co. KG
Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft
Lehmann
Wirtschaftsprüferin[German Public Auditor]

Fischer
Wirtschaftsprüferin[German Public Auditor]

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KEY DATA
2021

2022

2023

2
3

Economic
Revenue (€ billion)

1.70

1.82

1.85

Proportion of journal content published immediate (gold) open access (OA) (%)1

36

38

44

Number of new OA articles published1

149,700

154,868

183,800

Number of fully OA books

1,671

2,212

3,130

Number of full-time employees (headcount)

9,133

9,553

9,402

Number of full-time employees (FTE)

8,728

9,202

8,821

E urope

4,751

4,906

4,654

North America

1,024

1,031

1,062

South America

696

709

713

Asia

2,310

2,540

2,609

Africa

265

286

278

Oceania

88

81

86

Newly reported

1,962

1,483

Our research content

People2

Number of employees by continent (headcount)

Number of new hires3in 2022
Number of new hires per region3

1

Newly reported
in 2022

Europe

-

791

680

North America

-

204

172

South America

-

123

101

Asia

-

736

472

Africa-94

46

Oceania-

14

12Includes research journal and review article content only, published in fully open access journals or within hybrid
journals. Excludes editorials and opinion pieces. From 2023 onwards, includes content published by Cureus.
As at 31 December of the respective year.
Excludes joiners who left after a day or less; includes interns, trainees and apprentices.

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KEY DATA

2021

2022

2023

Newly reported

40/58

39/59

People2 (continued)
Overall gender split (% men/women)4

in 2022
Newly reported

Gender split per region (% men/women)4

in 2022
Europe

-

37/62

37/63

North America

-

35/61

40/58

South America

-

45/53

41/56

Asia

-

48/52

47/53

Africa

-

37/61

40/59

Oceania

-

36/64

35/65

Gender split – Management Board (% men/women)4

67/33*

67/33*

67/33†

Gender split – tiers one to three (% men/women)

59/41

59/41

55/44†

527

1,350

893

Newly reported

99

95

95

91

4

*

*

Social impact
Cash donations and sponsorship (€ thousands)5Compliance
Percentage of suppliers covered by sustainable procurement measures (%)6

in 2022
Proportion of staff undertaken Code of Conduct training (%)7*†

Data reviewed by auditors in a prior year.
Data reviewed by auditors, see audit statement on page 42.

97

4
5

6
7

Remaining percentage: other, prefer not to say, not known.
This estimated figure comes from group-wide research and information taken from financial systems, and includes
funds given in donations and sponsorships to charities and non-profit organisations to support projects andprogrammes that align with our aims. Donations in kind are not included in this figure.
Indicates the percentage of suppliers covered under the Business Partner Code of Conduct.
Percentage of staff that registered and completed online training.

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KEY DATA

2021

2022

2023

8

Total energy use (MWh)920,55919,716

17,613

9

Renewable energy (%)10

52

59

61

11,371

12,218

10,93495

95

99

Greenhouse gas emissions, gross (tonnes CO2e)13

8,602*

15,175*22,084†

Greenhouse gas emissions, net (tonnes CO2e)134,304*

10,107*

17,224†

Carbon balance after purchase of carbon offsets (tonnes CO2e)

0*

0*

0†

2,910*

3,048*

3,385†

10 This figure shows our renewable and clean electricity purchases, as a proportion of total site energy use.
11 This figure relates to both renewable and/or clean electricity purchased directly through the electricity provider, for oursites and one major outsourced data centre, and additional renewable energy certificates (RECs) purchased via a broker
for electricity used at other sites. We have updated this metric to include nuclear electricity (<1% of the total) stated asclean electricity, which was purchased for some of our sites in Spain from July 2023 onwards.
12 In 2020, Springer Nature set a target to be carbon neutral for our offices, fleet and flights. All figures exclude emissions
relating to properties leased by Springer Nature to third parties, and the transmission and distribution of electricity.
Additionally, the ‘outside of scopes’ (‘biogenic’ part of biofuels) emissions are estimated at 107 tonnes.
13 Gross emissions do not factor in purchasing of renewable and clean energy, including RECs, or offsets. Net emissions
factor in supplier-sourced renewable and clean electricity and purchases of additional RECs but excludes offsets.
14 Scope 1 figure includes 111 tonnes CO2e relating to an accidental release of refrigerant (‘F-gas’) at our previous Pune
office during demolition work by a licensed contractor in 2023.
15 For location-based emissions reporting, we apply the following hierarchy of emissions factors:
1 Regional or subnational grid average where a recent factor is available, including from eGRID and theAustralian Government.
2 National production figures sourced from the International Energy Agency (2023).

Environment8
Energy usage

Total electricity use (MWh)Renewable and clean electricity (%)

11

Overview of carbon neutral target 12

Emissions within scope of carbon neutral target 12
Scope 1 (tonnes CO2e)14

We collect primary data for our largest sites (those with more than 100 employees, and several other strategicallyimportant sites). Approximately 79% of energy consumption, 78% of the associated gross carbon emissions (92%including flight emissions) and more than 80% of resource use is therefore based on actual data. Data for the remaining
locations is extrapolated based on average values. The following 2023 acquisitions are reflected in the environmental
data: College Press Publishers, Troupant Publishers Proprietary Limited, Slimmer AI Science and protocols.io;
additionally, the Springer Fachmedien München business was divested in June 2023. The overall impact on gross andnet emissions is 1.2% and 1.6% respectively. Prior years’ figures have not been restated.
This figure includes energy used by sites where we have operational control, our serviced sites and major outsourced
data centres.

Factor source

Scope 2 (tonnes CO2e)Country

Umwelt Bundesamt, Strom- und Wärmeversorgung in Zahlen (2023)

Germany

UK Government, greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors (2023)

UK

Location-based emissions15

4,182*

4,715*

4,279†

Market-based emissions16

538*

463*

239†

The most recently published regional or subnational grid factors
available from the national government

Argentina, Australia, France, Japan,
Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore,
Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, USA
and Vietnam

Flights

672*

6,467*

13,507†

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change,

Leased building services (location-based emissions)15

838*

945*

913†

Standardized baseline – grid emission factor for Southern African
Power Pool, Version 01.0 (2018)

Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, South
Africa and Zimbabwe

Leased building services (market-based emissions)16

184*

129*

93†

Partial scope 3 (tonnes CO2e)17European Environment Agency, greenhouse gas emission intensityof electricity generation (2023 edition)

All other European operations

IEA, Emissions Factors (2023 edition)

All other operations

16 Market-based emissions figures include the carbon benefits of purchasing supplier-sourced green and clean electricity
and additional purchases of RECs.
17 We expect to publish the remainder of our scope 3 footprint for 2023 later in 2024. For additional information on our fullscope 3 footprint 2019–2022, see our net zero supplement .
*†Data reviewed by auditors in a prior year.
Data reviewed by auditors (excluding footnotes), see audit statement on page 42.

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KEY DATA

2021

2022

2023

5

8

12

3

6

9

Total water usage (cubic metres)

41,09037,216

42,611

Total site waste production (tonnes)18

503

585

537

Proportion office waste separated from general waste streams (%)19

51

49

55

Office paper (tonnes)

23

22

20

Production paper (tonnes)

24,412

29,961

28,230

Production waste (tonnes)20

2,074

615

1,300

Environment8 (continued)
Emissions intensity (per unit of revenue)
Gross emissions per million euros (tonnes CO2e)13
Net emissions per million euros (excludes offsets) (tonnes CO2e)

13

Resource use

18 Figure relates to typical Springer Nature office and warehouse waste streams and excludes recycling of unsold product anddamaged production paper and recycling of construction wastes.
19 The indicator relates to waste that has been separated for recycling, reuse, production of biofuels and composting. It does
not include waste that has been sent to incineration (such as in energy-from-waste facilities) or landfill. This indicatorrelates to our largest sites (those with more than 100 employees, and several other strategically important sites).
20 We report production waste generated from third-party warehouses and printers, which includes unsold product. Data forthe largest warehouse suppliers shows this paper is sent for recycling.

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SUSTAINABILITY GOVERNANCE AND MATERIALITYSUSTAINABILITY GOVERNANCE
Our sustainable business strategy and managementof material environmental, social and governance(ESG) topics are overseen by a steering group, which
includes members of the Management Board andexecutive team. Dedicated committees and working
groups focus on specific strategies and the operational
activities through which they are implemented.
Governance is a key component of our approachto managing ESG topics. Our governance, risk andcompliance team designs and operates our groupwide risk and compliance system. This system
identifies and proactively addresses relevant ESG,
legal and regulatory risks, and other issues covered in
our Code of Conduct.
• Company policies: Company-wide policies aredesigned to help us manage and mitigate topics,
and are reviewed at least every five years to ensure
they stay up to date.
• Staff awareness: We train all staff on the
expectations set out in the Code of Conduct andgroup policies. A policy management committee
meets several times a year to review existing, newand updated policies.

OUR GOVERNANCE APPROACH
SUPERVISORY BOARD AND
EXECUTIVE TEAMSUSTAINABLE BUSINESSSTEERING GROUP

Related groups guideour actions on thefollowing material issues:
Business partner
risk management
Diversity, equity
and inclusion
Editorial andpublishing policies
Environment
Governance, risk
and compliance
Policy management
committee
Reporting andcommunications
SDG publishing• Monitoring compliance: We detect issues throughcompliance reviews, internal audits and monitoring.
• Escalating issues: We have a global Speak Up
system to escalate and investigate issues.
The implementation of group policies and proceduresis the responsibility of functional, divisional andregional management. Our business leaders aresupported in this by a network of senior managers,
including legal, HR, IT and finance teams.
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

Sustainable business and diversity, equity andMaterial topics are shared with the executive teamand are reflected in our quarterly risk management
reporting processes (see more on page 49).
The assessment approach follows the principles ofdouble materiality, with placement of the issue on thematrix reflecting its impact, or potential impact, on
the environment and on communities that we workwith, as well as its impact on our own operations.

MATERIALITY MATRIX

inclusion (DEI) are strategic priorities, with
progress against milestones and key performanceindicators provided to the supervisory board andexecutive team quarterly.

1

Senior leaders oversee core activities that address2

ESG risks, and work in partnership with oversightcommittee members. See our GRI Index for moreon these members.

MATERIALITY
Our materiality assessment identifies the ESG issues
that are deemed to be most significant to Springer
Nature and incorporates stakeholders’ concerns
and input. We manage our materiality process on acycle aligned with the development of our five-year
strategy, ambitions and targets. The process includes
an annual review of emerging topics for consideration,
including those that are identified in the group-widerisk management process, and also takes into accountbusiness changes. This drives our disclosure effort.

5

7

Influence on stakeholder decisions

The principles of responsible governance, compliancewith laws and ethical business conduct are embedded
throughout Springer Nature. Policies, guidance andculture are overseen by members of the Management
Board and wider executive team to ensure we areoperating responsibly and addressing the issues
that are of most importance to our business and our
stakeholders.

4

8
14

6

9
11

3

19

10

1

Opening up accessto research2

Safeguarding research
integrity

3

Accelerating solutions to SDGs

4

Technology and innovation(including AI)

5

Responsible editorial policies

6

Diversity in the researchcommunity

7

Workforce wellbeing

8

Employee engagement

9

Workforce diversity, equity
and inclusion

10 Author rights
11 Data privacy and security

15

13
12

12 Content piracy/intellectual
property
13 Business conduct and integrity
14 Climate impacts

16

15 Product/packaging materials

18
17

Significance of economic/social/environmental impact

16 Tax17 Labour standards
18 Occupational health and safety
19 Political uncertainty

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GOVERNANCE

MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO MATERIAL TOPICS
APPROACHING COMPLIANCE RISKS AND CRITICAL CONCERNS
On this page, our GRI index, and in relevant pages ordocuments on the Springer Nature Group website, we setout our approach to managing ESG topics. Governanceis a key component of our approach to managing ESG
impacts. Led by our Chief Risk and Compliance Officer,
our governance, risk and compliance team is responsible
for group risk reporting.
The executive team and audit committee receive
quarterly risk reports and biannual complianceupdates, including the reporting of significant
compliance incidents, if any.
CRITICAL CONCERNS
We seek to identify any new risks and materialchanges to our risk profile on a quarterly basis. We
consider the major risks and uncertainties that
could affect Springer Nature, as well as the possible
relationships and interdependencies.
All our operational locations are covered byinternal risk assessments. The governance, risk
and compliance and internal audit teams undertakeinternal reviews of our operations, and work withexternal auditors to audit our supply chain.
ANTI-BRIBERY, FRAUD AND CORRUPTION
We operate a zero-tolerance policy for any corruption
involving our employees or supply chain and recognise
our role in ensuring that the funds committed toprojects are not diverted or misused.

We conduct stand-alone anti-bribery, fraud andcorruption (ABFC) risk assessments on a regularbasis and have an ABFC policy and ABFC management
guidance. Compliance with the requirements set out
in the policy is the responsibility of the heads of each
global division or group function. This responsibility
includes designing controls (with the assistance of thegovernance, risk and compliance team and financemanagement) to prevent, where possible, fraud or
staff offering and receiving bribes.
DIGITAL SECURITY AND DATA PROTECTION
We aim to be a data-driven and customer-centricorganisation, offering valuable services and insights.
We have established technical and organisational
measures to protect our systems and commerciallysensitive information. We also ensure all personallyidentifiable information is stored and processed in alegally compliant manner, in recognition of the severerisks from unsecure data and systems.
We run infrastructure and server-level security
initiatives, and continue to invest in employee
training on a regular basis.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
We have a global environment policy that sets out
expectations of how we manage the company’s mostmaterial environmental impacts, including carbon
emissions. The policy applies to all our locations andcolleagues, and brings together a range of practicalguidance on areas including office paper, water,
fluorinated gases, waste and electronic waste. It is
supplemented by a paper policy, which is sharedwith the suppliers that we work with to produce ourprinted products.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Our global health and safety policy guides how wemanage both mental and physical health risks at
all our sites. Our buildings are primarily offices, so
ergonomics and wellbeing are important concerns.
We keep these risks as low as we can, with mandatory
annual training for colleagues, a health and safety
management system, and regular reporting to senior
management to consider trends or actions to avoid arecurrence.
LABOURWe follow the UN Global Compact, the Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises andthe standards issued by the International Labour
Organization, and we expect our business partners to
do the same.
We publish an annual Modern Slavery Act Statementon our website.
MANAGING OUR SUPPLY CHAIN
We expect all our suppliers to adhere to the same
standards we set for ourselves by acting in asustainable, ethical and socially responsible way. We
apply a proportionate risk-based approach to suppliermanagement, coordinated by the business partner risk
steering group. We use a third-party risk assessment
tool to collect supplier due diligence data and prioritise

suppliers. Suppliers are assessed for risks related to bribery
and corruption, labour standards and human rights, dataprotection, information security and the environment.
Completing periodic due diligence helps us to work withbusiness partners who follow the same standards that we
set ourselves, as per our Business Partner Code of Conduct.
PAYING A FAIR SHARE OF TAX
We commit to contributing a fair share of tax andsubscribe to initiatives that increase tax transparency. The
average tax rate currently of the Springer Nature Group isapproximately 26% and we do not expect material changes
in the mid-term.
Our tax strategy for the year ending 31 December 2023 ispublished on our website.
PUBLISHING ACTIVITIESMaterial risks and opportunities related to publishingactivity are overseen by the executive team, relevant
senior leadership team members and other working
groups. The topics include opening up access to research,safeguarding research integrity, accelerating solutions
to SDGs, responsible editorial policies and diversity inthe research community. We share resources relevant tothese topics on our website, aimed at the communities wework with, including codes of conduct that set out ways ofworking and expectations.
• Open research• Research integrity• SDG Programme• Editorial policies• Diversity, equity & inclusionA P P ENDI X

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GLOBAL REPORTING INITIATIVE (GRI) INDEX
Springer Nature has reported the information cited in this GRI content index for the period 1 January to 31 December 2023 with reference to the 2021 GRI Standards. This index can be used to find key ESG information, organised by the relevant and most
up-to-date GRI Universal and Topic Standards with GRI 3-3 Management Approach integrated for each topic. We believe this is the most appropriate approach for communicating effectively with our stakeholders.

GRI STANDARDDISCLOSURE

DETAILGRI 2: General

2-1 Organizational details

Springer Nature Group

2-2 Entities included in the organization’ssustainability reporting

Reporting covers entities that are part of Springer Nature Group: Springer Nature AG & Co. KGaA and its subsidiary companies. It is referred to through this report as ‘Springer
Nature’, ‘the company’ or ‘the organisation’. During 2023, Springer Nature acquired Troupant Publishers Proprietary Limited (acquisition), protocols.io and Slimmer AI Science,
and we divested our transport business, Springer Fachmedien.

Disclosures 2021

Please see the About Us section of our website for more information.
2-3 Reporting period, frequency
and contact point

The 2023 Sustainable Business Report covers the period from January to December 2023, in line with Springer Nature’s financial year. We report annually, typically in thesecond quarter.
Enquiries can be forwarded to communications@springernature.com.

2-4 Restatements of information

To ensure fair comparison of data year on year, and in accordance with our baseline and recalculation policy, we restate figures from previous years if there is a significant
change to data-gathering processes, methodology and improvements in data accuracy. We have restated 2019 figures (our baseline year) for carbon emissions and energy use,
used in charts on pages 32 and 33.

2-5 External assurance

Our auditor, EY, performed a limited assurance engagement on selected non-financial indicators in the area of diversity and carbon reporting, marked in the data charts on
pages 42-43 of this report and the data table on pages 44-47 with † in accordance with the International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3000 (Revised). The fullstatement can be read on pages 42-43 of this report.

2-6 Activities, value chain and otherbusiness relationships

Springer Nature is a leading publisher of research, professional, health and education content. We add value to our communities by providing digital and print content in theform of journals, books and databases primarily to academic and governmental institutions, corporate customers and individuals.
More information can be found in the About Us section of our website, and in our Annual Progress Report.
Springer Nature has an international supply chain. Direct goods and services include: global production (pre-press, print, paper) and global distribution (transport andshipping, postage, warehousing and logistics). Indirect goods and services include: IT (hardware, software, services, fixed/mobile telecoms), marketing, travel and events,
external agencies and communications, auditing, consulting/outsourcing/offshoring. See page 32 of this report for how we are engaging our value chain with our net zerocommitments.

2-7 Employees

Unlocking Potential, pages 18-27

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GLOBAL REPORTING INITIATIVE (GRI) INDEXGRI STANDARDDISCLOSURE

DETAILGRI 2: General

2-8 Workers who are not employees

The vast majority of our company’s activities are performed by permanent employees.

Disclosures 2021

Temporary staff include seasonal workers in warehouses, to assist with peak seasons.
2-9 Governance structure and composition

More information can be found in the About Us and Corporate Governance sections of our website.

2-10 Nomination and selection of the highest governancebody

Corporate Governance

2-11 Chair of the highest governance body

Our supervisory board

2-12 Role of the highest governance body in overseeing
the management of impacts

Corporate Governance

2-13 Delegation of responsibility for managing impacts

Corporate GovernanceOur executive teamSustainability governance and materiality, page 48

2-14 Role of the highest governance body insustainability reporting

Sustainability governance and materiality, page 48

2-15 Conflicts of interest

Corporate Governance

2-16 Communication of critical concerns

Approaching compliance risks and critical concerns, page 39

2-17 Collective knowledge of the highest governancebody

Corporate Governance

2-18 Evaluation of the performance of the highest
governance body

Corporate Governance

2-19 Remuneration policies

Corporate Governance

2-20 Process to determine remuneration

Corporate Governance2-22 Statement on sustainable development strategy

Joint statement from our Chair and CEO, page 5

2-23 Policy commitments

Our Code of Conduct for employees sets out our expectation that all employees are treated fairly and respectfully. The group-wide compliance system is designed to
identify and proactively address relevant legal and regulatory risks, and other issues covered in our Code of Conduct. See page 39 of this report.

Sustainability governance and materiality, page 48

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GLOBAL REPORTING INITIATIVE (GRI) INDEXGRI STANDARDDISCLOSURE

DETAILGRI 2: General

2-24 Embedding policy commitments

Code of Conduct

Disclosures 2021

Governance, risk and compliance, page 39
All stakeholders can raise concerns via Speak Up
2-25 Processes to remediate negative impacts

Code of Conduct
Governance, risk and compliance, page 39
All stakeholders can raise concerns via Speak Up

2-26 Mechanisms for seeking advice andraising concerns

Code of Conduct
Governance, risk and compliance, page 39
All stakeholders can raise concerns via Speak Up

2-27 Compliance with laws and regulations

We had no instances of fines for non-compliance that met our materiality threshold.

2-28 Membership associations

This non-exhaustive list includes associations that are important for Springer Nature to represent company interests and where our staff take a leading role.
Book Chain Project, Media Law Resource Center
Research and Health segments: American Library Association, Associação Brasileira de Editores Científicos (ABEC), Association of Learned and Professional Society
Publishers (ALPSP), Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, CHORUS, Crossref, De Mediafederatie, International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, LIBER, NASIG,
National Information Standards Organization (NISO), Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), ORCID, the Publishers Association, Research Data Alliance,
Research4Life, SNSI, Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP), South African National Library and Information Consortium, Special Library Association, STM International.
Education segment: Associação Brasileira de Livros e Conteúdos Educacionais (Abrelivros), Association of Publishers – India, Cámara Argentina del Libro,
Cámara Nacional de la Industria Editorial (CNIEM), Federation of Indian Publishers, Publishers Association of South Africa (PASA), Polish Chamber of Books, Egyptian
Publishers Association.

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GLOBAL REPORTING INITIATIVE (GRI) INDEXGRI STANDARDDISCLOSURE

DETAILGRI 2: General

2-29 Approach to stakeholder engagement

We define our stakeholders as those parties who can have an impact on our business or who are impacted by our business.

Disclosures 2021

Our key stakeholders are those with the greatest impacts, i.e. the institutions, researchers and educators we work with; our employees; and our shareholders. We use
a variety of means to engage with stakeholders. This engagement is not carried out specifically as part of the report preparation process but as part of our generalmanagement approach, and summaries are reviewed as part of the materiality approach. For example:• We engage with our global workforce through our annual employee engagement survey (see page 10 of this report).
• We engage with institutions, researchers and educators mainly at conferences, client meetings, via editorial boards, library advisory boards and other events.
• We engage with others in our industry on environmental issues through the quarterly meetings of the Book Chain project and as part of the UK Publishers
Association Sustainability Taskforce.
2-30 Collective bargaining agreements

Springer Nature recognises the importance of open communication and engagement between workers and managers regarding working conditions. We respect ouremployees’ legal rights to freely associate, organise and bargain collectively without fear of harassment, intimidation, penalty or reprisal. We require our business
partners to do the same with their own employees, as stated on page 9 of our Business Partner Code of Conduct.
We have works councils, employee representation forums or other local formally elected employee representation groups in Austria, France, Germany, theNetherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom, covering around 50% of our global workforce. Around 28% of our workforce is covered by collective bargaining
agreements. In markets where collective bargaining is inhibited by law or by custom, we provide other means for employees to submit collective feedback and receive
a considered response, such as town halls and via our company intranet. An international staff representative forum maintains regular dialogue about importantorganisational developments or employee matters, and also includes representatives from countries not formally covered by works councils.

GRI 3: Material

3-1 Process to determine material topics

Topics 2021

3-2 List of material topics

Sustainability governance and materiality, page 48

3-3 Management of material topics

GRI 203: Indirect

3-3 Management of material topics

Economic

Sustainability governance and materiality, page 48
Annual Progress Report

Impacts 2016
203-2 Significant indirect economic impacts

In the section Advancing Discovery, pages 11–17, we outline our role in facilitating access to research, professional, health and education content for a wide range ofindustry sectors. We go further by supporting the participation of researchers from low- and lower-middle-income countries and other underrepresented groups in
the global research community – for example, through our membership of Research4Life and provision of article processing charge (APC) waivers. We have a specificfocus on research for the SDGs, supporting sustainable development.

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DETAILGRI 204:

3-3 Management of material topics

Business Partner Code of Conduct

Procurement

Modern Slavery Act Statement

Practices 2016Engaging our suppliers, page 40

GRI 205:

3-3 Management of material topics

Anti-corruption

205-1 Operations assessed for risks related to corruption

Sustainability governance and materiality, page 48

205-2 Communication and training aboutanti-corruption policies and procedures

Governance, risk and compliance, pages 39–40

2016

Anti-bribery, fraud and corruption, page 49

Code of Conduct

205-3 Confirmed incidents of corruption
and actions taken

GRI 206:
Anti-competitive
Behavior 2016

3-3 Management of material topics

We are cooperating with authorities in three jurisdictions to respond to competition-related investigations.

206-1 Legal actions for anti-competitive behavior,anti-trust, and monopoly practices

Anti-bribery, fraud and corruption, page 49
Sustainability governance and materiality, page 48
Governance, risk and compliance, pages 39–40
Code of Conduct

GRI 207:

3-3 Management of material topics

Paying a fair share of tax, page 49

Tax 2019

207-1 Approach to tax

Please see our tax policy.

207-2 Tax governance, control, and risk management
207-3 Stakeholder engagement and managementof concerns related to tax

GRI 301:

3-3 Management of material topics

Reducing our impact on nature, page 35

Materials 2016

301-1 Materials used by weight or volume

The tonnage of paper used to produce our printed products is reported on page 35 of this report, where you can also find out more about our policies for responsible
sourcing of paper. As we increasingly distribute content digitally, this issue is becoming less material over time. We do not have centralised data on the use of
packaging materials for all our products.
See page 35 of this report for our work on reducing the impact of product packaging. We report production waste generated from third-party warehouses and printers,
which includes unsold product (see page 35 of this report).

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DETAILGRI 302:

3-3 Management of material topics

Our carbon approach, pages 30–31

Energy 2016

302-1 Energy consumption within the organization

Environment data table, pages 32-33

302-2 Energy consumption outside of the organization
302-3 Energy intensity
302-4 Reduction of energy consumption
302-5 Reductions in energy requirements of products
and services

GRI 305:

3-3 Management of material topics

Our carbon approach, pages 30–31

Emissions 2016305-1 Direct (Scope 1) GHG emissions

Environment data table, pages 32-33

305-2 Energy indirect (Scope 2) GHG emissions

2022 scope 3 emissions in this report include emissions currently optional under GHG Protocol guidance and not covered by our carbon targets in line with
SBTi’s approach.

305-3 Other indirect (Scope 3) GHG emissions
305-4 GHG emissions intensity
305-5 Reduction of GHG emissions
305-6 Emissions of ozone-depleting substances (ODS)

GRI 308: Supplier

3-3 Management of material topics

Environmental
Assessment 2016

Carbon emissions for flights presented in this report reflect the combustion of aviation fuels and Radiative Forcing. Emissions associated with the sourcing andrefining of aviation fuels are included in our net zero supplement.
Our net zero supplement is published on our website.
Business Partner Code of Conduct
Our carbon approach, pages 30–31

308-1 New suppliers that were screened using
environmental criteria

Our carbon approach, pages 30–31
Governance, risk and compliance, pages 39-40

308-2 Negative environmental impacts in the supply
chain and actions taken

GRI 401:
Employment 2016

3-3 Management of material topics

Be part of progress, pages 21-22

401-1 New employee hires and employee turnover

Data table in this report, page 44

401-2 Benefits provided to full-time employees that are
not provided to temporary or part-time employees

Setting out our approach as an employer, page 20

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DETAILGRI 402: Labor/

3-3 Management of material topics

Code of Conduct

Management

Be part of progress, pages 21-22

Relations 2016
GRI 403:

3-3 Management of material topics

Occupational

The accident frequency rate in the locations where it is reported was 0.49 per million hours worked. The accident reporting covers 42 countries and 137 sites, whichamounts to 100% of our full-time employees.

Health and
Safety 2018
GRI 404: Training

3-3 Management of material topics

and Education 2016
GRI 405: Diversity
and Equal
Opportunity 2016
GRI 406:

Employee wellbeing and engagement, pages 20-27

Employee wellbeing and engagement, pages 20-27
Data table in this report, page 44

3-3 Management of material topics

Diversity, equity and inclusion, pages 23-26

405-1 Diversity of governance bodies and employees
3-3 Management of material topics

Code of Conduct

3-3 Management of material topics

Our Business Partner Code of Conduct covers topics including fair pay and conditions, prevention of forced and child labour, health and safety and environmental
practices. We also publish an annual modern slavery statement.

Non-discrimination
2016
GRI 408: Child
Labor 2016
GRI 409: Forced orCompulsory Labor

408-1 Operations and suppliers at significant risk
for incidents of child labor
3-3 Management of material topics

2016

409-1 Operations and suppliers at significant risk
for incidents of forced or compulsory labor

GRI 410: Security

3-3 Management of material topics

Practices 2016

Our Business Partner Code of Conduct covers topics including fair pay and conditions, prevention of forced and child labour, health and safety and environmental
practices. We also publish an annual modern slavery statement.

Our Business Partner Code of Conduct covers topics including fair pay and conditions, prevention of forced and child labour, health and safety and environmental
practices. We also publish an annual modern slavery statement.

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DETAILGRI 414:

3-3 Management of material topics

Modern Slavery Act Statement414-1 New suppliers that were screened usingsocial criteria

Business Partner Code of Conduct

Supplier Social
Assessment 2016414-2 Negative social impacts in the supply chain andactions taken

GRI 418: Customer
Privacy 2016

3-3 Management of material topics

Digital security and data protection, page 40

418-1 Substantiated complaints concerning breaches ofcustomer privacy and losses of customer data

During 2023, an incident related to a customer data breach was reported to the relevant authorities in Germany and the UK. We supported the customers that were
impacted by the breach and updated relevant processes. There were no material impacts on Springer Nature’s operations. The competent authorities in the UK haveconfirmed that regulatory action based on UK GDPR is not required in this case.

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