GRI 102­45 ABOUT THIS REPORT This Corporate & Sustainability Report for 2021 pre­ sents our business activities and sustainability perfor­ mance as well as financial data from CHG­MERIDIAN. We highlight our impact in the social, environmental, and economic spheres and describe the concepts we have developed and the goals we have defined. The aim of the report is to inform our stakeholders about how we are meeting our responsibilities. Our Corporate & Sustainability Report follows the frame work of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and was written in accordance with the GRI’s Core standard. This is also our ‘communication on progress’ to the UN Global Compact. CHG­MERIDIAN is a signatory of the UN Global Compact and a supporter of other initiatives such as the Diversity Charter and the Development and Climate Alliance. The period under review in this consolidated report is the 2021 fiscal year (January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021). Unless otherwise stated, all figures disclosed in this report apply to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, which includes CHG­MERIDIAN AG, CHG­MERIDIAN Industrial Solutions GmbH, CHG­MERIDIAN Schweiz AG, and CHG­MERIDIAN Austria GmbH. Not included is the subsidiary abakus Consulting GmbH based in Germany due to its entirely different business model and its single­digit workforce. An audit with limited assurance was carried out for all GRI­relevant information (see pp. 70–73), with the exception of total energy consumption (p. 44) and emissions data (p. 47). s t n e t n o C 2 40 CIRCULAR ECONOMY & CLIMATE PROTECTION Using resources and materials efficiently 54 CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP Committed to the common good

THE FUTURE DOES NOT l a i r o t i d E 4

Dear Reader, Change has again been a dominant feature at CHG­ MERIDIAN in 2021. As a technology management and financing company, we help companies to drive forward their digitalization projects. We also show them how to turn their digital transformation into a sustainable one: carbonZER0, the carbon­neutral financing product we launched in 2021, is a good example of this. STABILITY IS A KEY SELLING POINT In addition to the ongoing transformation, 2021 was also shaped by the ongoing COVID­19 pandemic and its impact on economic activity, travel, and interna­ tional collaboration. But as in 2020, we continued to manage the crisis well. Above all, our digital and sustainable business model based on the circular economy yet again proved to be highly resilient and reliable. Stability has thus become an important factor for us, and its value increases in times of great uncertainty. Our customers seem to agree: our managed technology portfolio grew further to €7.8 billion in the past financial year. The Group’s net income also reached a new high of €113 million. New customer business remains a challenge, as this is where restrictions on people’s lives and the pan­ dem ic in general have had the most impact on CHG­ MERIDIAN. Uncertainty in the markets and supply bottlenecks have contributed to a drop in lease originations of 2 percent to €1.727 billion in 2021. This is something that we will have to work on, but I am very confident that targeted innovations and a strengthening economy will enable us to quickly return to profitable growth in the future. SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS PRACTICES Our resilient business model and our current sus­ tainability strategy, which we adopted in 2020 and updated in 2021, are proof of our reliability. For example, we were able to take a significant step forward in our funding, which will serve as a blueprint for further projects. We have agreed the first ESG­ linked loan with Helaba Landesbank Hessen­Thürin­ gen. The loan with a value of €50 million provides attractive terms for the funding of our lease origina­ tions. This partnership was made possible thanks to our silver status awarded by EcoVadis, the renowned international sustainability ratings platform. OUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND TO DIVERSITY CHG­MERIDIAN’s operations have been carbon­ neutral since 2021, and we aim to reduce the per­ employee share of our overall carbon footprint by 25 percent by 2025. We are also continuing to evolve as an employer. With nearly 1,200 employees in 28 countries, our l a i r o t i d E 6

T I O N A L A N R E T IN

GRI 102­2, 102­4, 102­5, 102­6, 102­7, 102­18 CHG­MERIDIAN AT A GLANCE AN INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY MANAGER – SINCE 1979 CHG­MERIDIAN is an international technology management and financing company in the areas of IT, industrial technology, and healthcare technology. We manage the technology infrastructures of large corporations, SMEs, public bodies, and hospitals through 39 locations employing nearly 1,200 people in 28 countries. Our approach is to support our customers with their digital transformation and to help them make their businesses more efficient and sustainable. Based on the principles of the circular economy, our service portfolio includes planning, financing, and operational implementation, as well as certified data erasure, refurbishment, and remarketing of used equipment at our two technology centers in Germany and Norway, and via our international network of partners. Across three business segments, we offer custom­ ized business concepts tailored to our customers’ requirements and applications. In the IT segment, we offer eight IT solutions, such as the digital workplace, to help customers to efficiently implement their tech­ nology projects from start to finish. In the industry segment, we lease industrial infrastructure for fleet management, production, machinery, warehouses, and logistics. In the healthcare segment, we finance advanced healthcare technology and hospital IT. Our service portfolio also includes the TESMA® technology and service management system, carbon­ neutral leasing via our carbonZER0 product, and certified data erasure with eraSURE®. All products and services have been approved for use in all of our markets. The CHG­MERIDIAN Group’s Board of Manage­ ment has four members, who regularly report to the Supervisory Board on business matters. The Board of Management is made up of CEO Dr. Mathias Wagner, CSO Frank Kottmann, CFO Ulrich Bergmann, and CIO Oliver Schorer. CHG­MERIDIAN AG is an unlisted stock corporation. The exact ownership structure can be found in the ‘Economy & Finance’ chapter (p. 21). s t h g i s n I l a n o i t a n r e t n I 10 G E R M A N Y LICHTENSTEIN ANDORRA PANASONIC DIGITAL WORKPLACES Our journey begins in Hamburg. This is where PISCEU, the division of Panasonic Business Support Europe GmbH responsible for IT infrastruc­ ture, coordinates the installation and maintenance of the company’s IT. Panasonic is a global leader in consumer electronics, and it comes as no surprise that it has high expectations of its infrastructure. PISCEU leases complete digital workplaces through CHG­MERIDIAN, currently covering more than 7,300 assets including laptops, monitors, smart­ phones, servers, and large printers. “We very much appreciate CHG­MERIDIAN’s tremendous flexibil­ ity and the comprehensive support the company provides throughout the asset lifecycle,” says Ulf Kütemeyer, Senior Contracting & Procurement Manager at PISCEU. “We also appreciate the high level of transparency. Thanks to TESMA®, all commercial and technical data is automatically collated so that we can view the status, demand, and costs at all times. This makes planning much easier and increases produc­ tivity and profitability.”

I A R A U S T LICHTENSTEIN ANDORRA COCA­COLA HBC AUSTRIA FROM PROCURER TO ADVISOR Our journey continues to Austria. Coca­Cola HBC Austria’s ultra­modern production and logistics center, located less than an hours’ drive from Vienna in Edelstal in the Burgenland region, supplies most of the Coca­Cola products for the domes­ tic market and selected products to the surrounding markets in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Switzerland. Sustainability has the highest priority. The company positions itself as a role model in this area and has committed to reducing its emissions across the group to net zero by no later than 2040. The partnership with CHG­MERIDIAN is wide­ranging and includes the entire IT infrastructure, carbon­neutral leasing of IT equipment via carbonZER0, and resource­efficient business concepts. Assets are sustainably refurbished at the end of the lease term and given a second life. CHG­MERIDIAN is a partner that shares our belief in the need for climate action and sustainability from start to finish. Within a short space of time, the company has turned from our procurer of hardware and provider of financing into a trusted advisor and partner in innovation. Ingeborg Tichy and Christian Balenovic, Coca­Cola HBC Austria s t h g i s n I l a n o i t a n r e t n I 12

THE RIVA ROBOT Thanks to the RIVA robot, cancer patients can receive intravenous chemotherapy without the need for human intervention. This signifi­ cantly reduces the risk of errors and contamination. s t h g i s n I l a n o i t a n r e t n I 14

BORENIUS SUSTAINABLE LAW FIRM A nd so we arrive in the far north. Borenius is one of the leading law firms in Finland and employs around 200 people at its office in Helsinki. For managing partner Casper Herler, the IT infrastructure must be both state­ of­the­art and sustainable: “We are a member of the World Wide Fund For Nature’s Green Office Network and are committed to conserving resources.” A good reason for Borenius to switch to CHG­MERIDIAN. “The fact that carbonZER0 offers carbon­neutral leasing of IT equipment ties in perfectly with our values,” Herler adds. The end­to­end lifecycle management provided by CHG­MERIDIAN is exactly what Borenius expects during each phase, from initial advice on sustainable procure­ ment all the way to remarketing. “Thanks to this partner­ ship, we have taken a decisive step towards conserving resources and protecting the environment.” The erasure of – often sensitive – data is part of refur­ bishment, and is a process that makes the remarketing of assets possible in the first place. For Herler, it is essen­ tial that CHG­MERIDIAN’s eraSURE® product meets the high est security requirements at all times. A N D FIN L LICHTENSTEIN ANDORRA carbonZER0 • Our product for carbon­neutral leasing of IT equipment • Offsetting of all CO2 generated during manufacture, trans­ portation, and use and post­use phases • Offset payments go toward certified climate protection projects • Marginal increase in the lease instalment s t h g i s n I l a n o i t a n r e t n I 16 I Borenius employs around 200 people at its law firm in Helsinki

ECONOMY & F NANCE Cost­efficiency and resource­ efficiency are not the only benefits of our sustainable business model. It has also proven to be very robust in times of crisis.

New customer business remains a chal­ lenge. The impact of the pandemic is particularly noticeable here. Uncertainty in the markets, supply bottlenecks, and significantly reduced planning certainty have caused the volume of lease origi­ nations to drop 2 percent to €1.727 bil­ lion (2020: €1.758 billion). “Our task is to reverse this trend so that we can fulfil our ambitions. Profitable growth is a key strategic aspect at CHG­MERIDIAN,” says Dr. Mathias Wagner, Chairman of the Board of Management. To develop our portfolio in this direction, we take options such as external idea fac­ tories and start­ups into consideration. This type of development will enable our portfolio to continue to grow, giving us the flexibility we need to quickly and easily respond to changing customer requirements. We will also increasingly offer sustainable financing options so that we can remain an attractive part­ ner for customers and funding partners alike (p. 22). “Our sustainable and resilient business model offers stability even in uncertain times,” says Wagner. “We give companies the certainty they need for their plan­ ning. After all, investment in digitaliza­ tion and sustainability can be postponed only for so long when it comes to keeping pace with the shift in the economy.” i e c n a n F & y m o n o c E 20 GRI 102­5, 102­7, 201­1 THE CHG­ MERIDIAN GROUP IN NUMBERS: 2021

2 2 Economy & Finance SUSTAINABLE FINANCE

Our target is to source half of all funding through sustainable finance. Ulrich Bergmann – Member of the Board of Management and CFO at CHG­MERIDIAN BANKS MUST SHOW RESPONSIBILITY Banks have a key role to play in this transition, and should do so by taking a balanced approach. While they should encourage and reward sustainability, they should not deny companies access to money. The current boom started just over eight years ago with green bonds. At that time, the Paris Agreement had yet to be signed and children did not take to the streets on Fridays to protest against the lack of climate action. Since then, sustainability has become an important factor in the war for talent, with many companies appointing sustainability officers to develop their new strategy. We have witnessed the emergence of an entirely new mindset, and how the market is now ready for profit with purpose. DEMAND IS OUTSTRIPPING SUPPLY Demand for sustainable finance products now out­ strips supply, with funds often oversubscribed several times over. One of the reasons behind this immense pressure is the fact that, thanks to low interest rates worldwide, there is a lot of money looking to be invested. This boom is proof that the economy is one of the drivers of a global change, but most of all it underlines that the market is quite capable of organizing itself as it can react creatively to the opportunities presented by a new mindset. Too much regulation would put the brakes on the economy and therefore on progress. The European Union’s Green Deal has created the legal framework for an economic change process that is steadily picking up speed. Syndicated loans and ESG­linked loans provide affordable funding for progressive companies and they enable fundamental research to be carried out, for example in the area of green transport, or help businesses to switch to sustainable strategies. Companies that commit to and adhere to carbon targets will be rewarded with low­interest loans, while everyone else will struggle › to attract funding. i e c n a n F & y m o n o c E 24

GREEN INVESTMENTS €360 billion poured into green investments in Germany in the first half of 2021 according to a report by news magazine Der Spiegel. Data from the United Nations shows that the global figure was around US$3.2 trillion in 2020. OUR TARGET IS TO SOURCE HALF OF ALL FUNDING THROUGH SUSTAINABLE FINANCE In Germany, CHG­MERIDIAN is one of the early adopters in the capital market. We have nego­ tiated a syndicated loan of €50 million with our long­standing, innovative partner Helaba Landes­ bank Hessen­Thüringen, with an interest rate based on our EcoVadis rating. For us, this innovative deal is a blueprint. It is a first step, so to speak, with many more to follow, as we aim to make sustainable finance an integral element of our funding strategy. Our objective is to source half of our funding based on this principle. Sustainable finance fills precisely the gap that needed to be filled as part of our commitment to sustainability. Products such as carbonZER0 help i e c n a n F & y m o n o c E 26

& Y G E T A R T S E C N A N R E V O G CHG­MERIDIAN approaches sustainability with a holistic, interdisciplinary strategy. We have defined clear responsibilities and targets in four action areas with which we, together with our stakeholders, aim to drive sustainability across the Group.

A COMPLETE, INTERDISCIPLINARY STRATEGY CHG­MERIDIAN has developed a sustainability strategy, partly based on the UN’s sustainable development goals, which was approved by the Group Sustainability Board. This interdisciplinary strategy is aligned with the goals of the corporate strategy and linked to the strategies of the subordinate Group functions. Each function and employee implements the sustainability strategy through suitable operational measures, ensuring that these are compatible with the existing functional and corporate strategies. This is how we ensure that sustainability is completely and per­ manently integrated across the CHG­MERIDIAN Group and that it is the main principle that drives our actions. We have set ourselves specific goals for our four action areas up to 2025 (see table ‘Our sustainability goals’) and have already partially achieved them. The material topics identified by CHG­MERIDIAN guided the selection and definition of targets (see ‘Identifying material sustainability topics’). A detailed description of our mea­ sures and targets can be found in the chapters ‘Business Ethics & Compliance’, ‘Circular Economy & Climate Action’, ‘Partnership & Supply Chain’, and ‘Collaboration & Dialogue’ in this report. OUR SUSTAINABILITY GOALS Area Goal Labor rights and human rights Business ethics Increase the proportion of women in management positions to 30% Time frame 2025 Scope Group Status (2021) Ongoing (23.1%) Corresponding SDG target SDG 5.5 Ongoing development of informa­ tion security management to achieve ISO 27001 certification readiness 2022 Germany, Austria, Switzer­ land Achieved SDG 16.4 Comprehensive training on our shared values (e.g. code of conduct) for all current and new employees 2022 Group Ongoing SDG 16.5 Environment Carbon­neutrality (company emissions) 2021 Group Achieved SDG 13.2 Reduction in direct and indirect CO2 emissions (scope 1, 2, and partly 3) per employee by 25% compared to the base year 2020* Supplier assessment and procurement standards to cover own requirements and customer requirements resulting from lease obligations Sustainable procurement 2025 Group New SDG 13.2 2024 Group Ongoing SDG 8.8 and SDG 12.2 * Scope 3 emissions in the categories 3.6 (business travel) and 3.7 (employee commuting) relate to the base year 2019 in order to show pre­pandemic behavior. e c n a n r e v o G & y g e t a r t S 30

GRI 102­46, 102­47, 102­49 REPORTING MATERIAL TOPICS Material topics as defined by the GRI standards include governance structure, risk management, economic value created and distributed, anti­cor­ ruption and bribery, data protection and information security, circular economy, lifecycle management and waste, CO2 emissions, diversity, and equal pay. We also voluntarily report on other topics, including anti­competitive behavior, environmental compli­ ance, employment, occupational health and safety, training and development, and supplier assessment based on environmental and social criteria. In accordance with the GRI standards, we consider our impact on the environment and on society from two perspectives for the topics identified as material and those voluntarily reported: a) impact within the organisation, and b) impact outside the organization in the upstream and downstream value chain. #CHGSUMMIT2021 On June 23, 2021, we launched our #CHGsummit2021, held under the banner ‘#SpeedUp! Successful with sustainable IT strategies’. More than 300 participants from 14 countries attended the digital event across two live streams, which addressed German and international stake­ holders, sector experts, customers, and media representatives. In addition to a live tour of the technology center in Gross­Gerau, the event provided a plat­ form for expert presentations on topics such as digitalization and the circular economy, and featured panel discussions and networking sessions. e c n a n r e v o G & y g e t a r t S 32 In 2020, we laid the foun­ dations with our sustain­ ability strategy. Since then, we have steadily expanded our activities in 2021 with carbonZER0 and our first ESG­linked funding. Matthias Steybe – Group Sustainability Officer at CHG­MERIDIAN GRI 102­40, 102­42, 102­43, 102­44 DIALOGUE WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS From satisfied customers and employees, to transparency vis­ à­vis the general public and auditing bodies, through to reli­ able supplier and partner relationships, we believe that taking the interests of our various stakeholder groups into account is crucial to our success. In the course of the materiality analysis, we identified relevant stakeholder groups and their concerns based on the AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard, and incorporated them in our sustainability strategy. We are con­ tinuously refining our approach to addressing the interests of our stakeholders so that we can maintain a reliable dialogue with the most important groups. We are also planning to regu­ larly review with all Sustainability Leaders any matters brought to CHG­MERIDIAN’s attention by stakeholders. Our particular focus will be on business partners, customers, shareholders, and funding partners with whom we are in regular contact. For example, our European Funding Partner Conference (EFPC) and Funding Partner Conference (FPK) take place every year. In 2021, we held our first digital #CHGsummit2021 as a special format (see box on the left). As a finance and technology ser­ vice provider, we also maintain a dialogue with public bodies, such as the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and similar institutions in the countries in which we operate.

GRI 102­12, 102­13 JOINING OUR PARTNERS IN PROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY Together with our partners and other organizations, we are committed to social, environmental, and economic sustainability beyond our day­to­day business. We regularly consider joining more initiatives. CHG­MERIDIAN We are playing our part in achieving the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) and consider them a key factor in future business success. INITIATIVES AND MEMBERSHIPS THE UNITED NATION’S SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS The sustainable development goals (SDGs) are the cen­ terpiece of the United Nation’s Agenda 2030, the action plan for a better and more sustainable global future adopted in 2015. The 17 SDGs and 169 targets set uniform standards and formulate concrete goals for global challenges such as climate change, species extinction, poverty, and hunger. They are aimed at governments, businesses, and society. The goals to be achieved by 2030 offer the most compre­ hensive vision for sustainable development. OUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CHG­MERIDIAN wants to be part of the solution to over­ coming the challenges of our time. We want to actively shape the path toward sustainable development. As part of an analysis, we evaluated the 17 goals of the 2030 Agenda, their 169 targets, and the underlying indi­ cators against our business activities and our sustainability activities. The result of this analysis was that our company can contribute to seven SDGs and relevant targets. GERMANY • Bundesverband der Personalmanager e.V. (BPM) (German Association of HR Managers) • Bundesverband Deutscher Leasing­ Unternehmen (BDL) (Federation of German Leasing Companies) • Bundesverband Nachhaltige Wirtschaft e.V. (BNW) (German Sustainable Economy Federation) • Charta der Vielfalt e.V. (Diversity Charter) • Initiative D21 • Stiftung Allianz für Entwicklung und Klima (Development and Climate Alliance) • Wirtschaftsinitiative Nachhaltigkeit (WIN) (Sustainability Initiative) • Verein zur Förderung des For­ schungsinstituts für Leasing an der Universität zu Köln (society for the promotion of the leasing research institute at the University of Cologne) INTERNATIONAL • Febelfin ASBL (Belgium) • UN Global Compact (worldwide) This is an extract of relevant member­ ships with a direct link to sustainability. e c n a n r e v o G & y g e t a r t S 34

S C E N SS ET HIC MPLIA E IN S U B O C & Our objective: efficient technol­ ogy management with strong information security, fair and ethical business practices, and compliance with environmental and social standards.

GRI 205­2, 206­1, 403­5, 419­1 COMPLIANCE REPORTING SYSTEM AND COMPLIANCE TRAINING FOR EMPLOYEES We have set up a multilevel reporting system for suspected corruption or anti­competitive behavior. Our employees and external parties have access to a global whistleblowing system, consisting of a hotline, a function­specific address, a reporting portal, and an impartial ombudsperson to report such violations. There were no confirmed cases of anti­competitive behavior during the reporting period (2020: no cases). Equally, there were no pro­ ceedings pending against CHG­MERIDIAN for confirmed viola­ tions of laws in the social and economic spheres (2020: no cases). Training Information Completed tests** in 2021 and average test score/ undertaking Completed tests in 2020 Code of conduct training Mandatory for all new employees. Has to be repeated every three years. Made mandatory for all global employees in 2020. 162 of 162 (100%) 100% undertaking Executive compliance Mandatory for all new management staff worldwide. 6 of 6 (100%) 100% undertaking Anti-Money Launder- ing Act (GwG) Mandatory in Germany. Money Laundering Act refresher Mandatory in Germany. Refresher every three years. Information security Mandatory for all new employees worldwide. Information security refresher *** Mandatory worldwide, refresher every three years. Data protection Mandatory for all new employees worldwide. Has to be repeated every three years. Occupational health and safety and crisis management Mandatory in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Has to be repeated every year, and scheduled whenever changes or updates are made. 89 of 89 (100%) Average test score: 93% (89 employees) 696 of 696 (100%) Average test score: 95% (696 employees) 162 of 162 (100%) Average test score: 90% (162 employees) 1,039 of 1,039 (100%) Average test score: 92% (1,039 employees) 162 of 162 (100%) Average test score: 90% (162 employees) 601 of 623 (96%) Environmental management Mandatory in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Has to be repeated every year, and scheduled whenever changes or updates are made. 705 of 712 (99%) Average test score: 94% (705 employees) * New employees includes new hires, people returning form parental leave, rehires, and external parties with access to the system. ** Number of employees joining the Company and leaving the Company during the defined processing period; employees on long­term sick leave and employees released from their duties were not included in the basis figure or in the percentage of tests completed. *** Courses that were assigned to employees and delivered in the following calendar year, but within the defined escalation period, were recognized in the year in which the course was first assigned. 1,173 of 1,173 (100%) 9 of 9 (100%) 101 of 101 (100%) n/a 170 of 170 (100%) n/a 170 of 170 (100%) n/a n/a e c n a i l p m o C & s c i h t E s s e n i s u B 38

CIRCULAR ECONOMY & CLIMATE PROTECTION Extending the lifecycle of equipment through refurbishment and reuse is part of CHG­MERIDIAN’s core business. By helping to conserve resources and mitigate climate change, we become part of the circular economy. We are continually striving to make our environmental management more professional, most recently by obtaining ISO 14001 certification for all of our sites in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, which involved the implementation of a comprehensive envi­ ronmental management system.

96% of lease returns were remarketed environmental officers, and employees have also received specific training, with further courses in the pipeline. The training and pro­ cedures are designed to encourage proactive thinking and behavior with regard to environmental protection and energy efficiency, and we are planning to extend professional, ISO 14001­certified envi­ ronmental management to other sites. We have produced an environmental guideline to facilitate the roll­ out. It is based on our sustainability strategy and therefore part of sustainability management at Group level. The overall objective of the environmental guideline is to help the company to avoid infring­ ing environmental law, to improve the environmental performance of all activities, products, and services, and to reduce or avoid emis­ sions. The Environmental Sustainability Leader is responsible for implementing the environmental guideline across the Group. In collaboration with our global network of certified partners, 96 percent (2020: 95 percent) of IT lease returns were professionally refurbished and sold on the secondary market in 2021. This enabled us to remarket 840,000 assets (2020: 855,000) in total in 2021*. *Based on an internal survey Our goal is to further increase our efforts with regard to the circular economy. How many assets we will be able to refurbish and prepare for a second lifecycle will depend on the lease returns that come in and, in particular, on their condition. As we only have limited influence on how many IT assets might be suitable for refurbishment, we are focusing on low­carbon and sustainable refurbishment. Our objective is to maintain a realistic remarketing rate of 95.5 percent. HANDLING NON­REPAIRABLE AND DATA­SENSITIVE LEASE RETURNS The remaining 4 percent (2020: 5 percent) of lease returns were assets that could only be sold on for spare parts, were beyond repair and therefore no longer usable, or were devices with highly sensitive data that had to be destroyed. The bulk of these are small and large IT devices as defined under no. 160214 of the European Waste Catalogue, as well as monitors, data storage media, and electric cables. After careful pre­sorting, the assets are recycled by certified waste disposal partners of our technology center in Gross­Gerau in accordance with various national and international quality, environmental, and energy management standards. These include EN 50625ff (CENELEC) for the collection, logis­ tics, and treatment of old electrical equipment, DIN 66399 for secure data erasure, and section 21 of the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG) for receiving decommissioned devices. Of the 422 tonnes (2020: 477 tonnes) of decommis­ sioned assets that our certified waste disposal part­ ner received from our technology center in Gross­ Gerau, 74 percent (2020: 81 percent) were recycled, 22 percent (2020: 16 percent) used for energy generation, and 4 percent (2020: 3 percent) stored or rendered harmless in the most environmentally friendly way possible. As a result, 74 percent (2020: 81 percent) of the materials from old equipment is now being used in new products. Materials such as copper, gold, silver, and aluminum are separated using the latest technological standards and reused wherever possible. n o i t c e t o r P e t a m i l C & y m o n o c E r a u c r i C l 42

DISPOSAL BY WASTE TYPE IN TONNES Headquarters Type Waste similar to household waste Cardboard/paper 2021 4.27 2020 5.48 9.02 9.20 Gross-Gerau technology center Type Waste for recycling Cardboard/paper PE film Polystyrene Wood Lithium-ion batteries 2021 15.48 66.88 8.78 4.35 39.07 0.88 Electronics recycling 422.21 2020 33.46 91.42 7.69 2.41 43.52 5.08 477.14 GRI 102­2, 102­9 CIRCULAR ECONOMY & LIFECYCLE EXTENSION Taking a lifecycle thinking approach, CHG­MERIDIAN relies on refurbishment and reuse to extend asset lifecycles. As a technology management company, we assist our customers throughout the lifecycle of their assets, including needs­based procurement and green transportation. Once an asset comes to the end of its first lifecycle, we refurbish and remarket it for a second lifecycle. Old assets or those containing sensitive data are recycled and the resources they contain returned to the material cycle. This is how our business model helps to promote the circular economy. In contrast to a linear economic model where the value of an asset is almost entirely lost at the end of its lifecycle, the circular model aims to retain an asset’s value for as long as possible. By giving these devices a second lifecycle, we support the efficient use of resources and help to close loops. GRI 302­1, 305­1, 305­2, 305­3, 305­5, 307­1 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND CLIMATE ACTION When it comes to environmental management, CHG­MERIDIAN attaches great importance to compli­ ance with legal requirements. Responsibility for compliance with our environmental and waste disposal guidelines at our headquarters, our technology center in Gross­Gerau, and our other locations lies with the local management team. We report on processes and events that are relevant to legal compliance and can state that no fines and no sanctions were imposed on us in 2021 (2020: none) for non­compli­ ance with environmental protection regulations. We want to continue meeting the requirements at all locations and aim to widen our measures to ensure compliance with applicable legislation. For example, as part of the ISO 14001 certification we have commissioned an external service provider to carry out an annual compliance review at all locations in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Our environmental management activities based on ISO 14001 are aimed at reducing energy consump­ tion and therefore CO2 emissions. Any projects that reduce energy consumption or increase energy efficiency help to reduce our corporate emissions. Since 2015, we have been carrying out an energy audit at CHG­MERIDIAN based on EN 16247 every four years. Our overall energy consumption across the Group was 28,603,347 MJ* (2020: 27,092,734 MJ*). * not externally audited n o i t c e t o r P e t a m i l C & y m o n o c E r a u c r i C l 44

CARBON­NEUTRALITY AND REDUCTION OF COMPANY EMISSIONS Based on its own calculations, the CHG­MERIDIAN Group has been carbon­neutral since 2021 by following the principle of avoiding, reducing, and offsetting emissions. In September 2020, we launched a project to record all of our CO2 emissions with a view to initiating targeted measures. We also produced a comprehensive climate audit and climate report for 2019, 2020, and 2021 in accordance with ISO 14064 and based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocols. The calculation method was assessed by an independent auditor in the form of a readiness check. The findings show that the bulk of our corporate emissions are generated by travel and transport, which includes business travel, commuting, and our vehicle fleet. All other emissions are listed in detail for comparison of 2020 with 2021 in the ‘Corpo­ rate emissions overview’ table on the next page. We have introduced a range of measures aimed at avoid­ ing and reducing emissions, such as switching to green electricity at our sites in Germany and Austria, supporting remote working models to avoid commutes, and raising our employees’ awareness of energy efficiency as part of our environmental management. Even before the COVID­19 pandemic, we had already developed a travel policy for cli­ mate­aware travel planning, which we will review as required. Our travel policy specifies that we avoid travel wherever possible and rely on telephone and video meetings instead. In general, the policy recommends using public transport for unavoidable travel. We have set ourselves the goal of reducing our corporate emis­ sions per employee by 25 percent by 2025 compared to 2020. CHG­MERIDIAN considers corporate emissions to include emis­ sions directly resulting from our business activities and from our own energy consumption (scope 1 and scope 2). CHG­MERIDIAN also feels responsible for some of the indirect emissions gener­ ated in the value chain (scope 3 emissions), which is why our calculations take all emissions categories from the upstream value chain into account. As we only have limited influence on emis­ sions in the downstream value chain (product lifecycle emissions), we do not include them in our calculations. In a final step, all remaining emissions are offset via selected, gold­standard climate change mitigation projects. Based on CHG­MERIDIAN’s own calculations, the Group’s offsetting payments mean it has been carbon­neutral since 2021. To reduce the volume of emissions that will need to be offset in the future, we are forging ahead with measures to reduce the CHG­MERIDIAN Group’s carbon footprint. * Scope 3 emissions in the categories 6 (business travel) and 7 (employee commut­ ing) relate to the base year 2019 in order to show pre­COVID­19 pandemic behavior. n o i t c e t o r P e t a m i l C & y m o n o c E r a u c r i C l 46

“A NEW OPERATING SYSTEM FOR THE ECONOMY” Society is demanding greater sustainability, and policymakers are creating the appropriate business and regulatory environment across all levels. This puts pressure on companies to play their part in shaping the transition to a more sustainable economy. What role can the circular economy play in this? And how is the shift in customer behavior changing the market? r h ü K r e g i d ü R . r D e b y e t S s a i h t t a M

If you want to fix the climate, you have to fix the economy first. The market is most likely to succeed in changing the market. Matthias Steybe – Group Sustainability Officer at CHG­MERIDIAN that our warnings about the vast mountain of electron ic waste are finally hitting home in the public consciousness. They have certainly given pause for thought. Steybe: This zeitgeist is defining the way we think. The automotive industry has been under close scrut i ­ ny from customers for some time regarding its envi­ ronmental impact, and has reacted with products that address consumer concerns. This trend is now continuing in the IT sector. These kinds of questions are hugely important to customers today. Kühr: IT is a little behind the curve when it comes to sustainability, despite the public perception that the industry is highly innovative. The discussion of IT’s environmental impact and the launching of zero­ emissions campaigns are recent developments. Steybe: Yes, the IT sector has certainly been lagging behind. The scarcity of resources and the associ­ ated costs are now driving change. This is what the n o i t c e t o r P e t a m i l C & y m o n o c E r a u c r i C l 50

Mr. Kühr, where is the pressure mainly coming How can manufacturers be encouraged to design from to find a better balance between the their products with the circular economy in mind? economy and the environment? If, taking Mr. Steybe’s quote as our cue, we want to fix these two systems? Kühr: Mainly from society. Policymakers pick up on trends, put them on the agenda, and create the regulatory framework. But they only pick up on trends that are popular, and offer little in terms of vision themselves. Among other things, this is down to election cycles, which is why we probably shouldn’t expect too much from governments. Businesses, on the other hand, must think and plan for the long term. This is where the interaction between business and society is a key driver. Steybe: One example of successful interaction is the EU’s sustainable finance initiative, part of its Green Deal. By demanding longer­term thinking in invest­ ment, policies are having a positive impact. Our syn­ dicated loan of €50 million from Helaba Landesbank Hessen­Thüringen, for example, is linked to ESG criteria (see page 26). This shows that companies with a sustainable business model enjoy advantages in the market and can leverage these when it comes to financing. What tools for shaping these developments are available to policymakers? And which do you consider the most suitable: bans or incentives? Kühr: Bans won’t get us very far as implementation would involve a large amount of personnel and red tape. You have to offer incentives. And find ways to ensure circularity so that electronic waste is no longer exported to Africa, for example. Steybe: The circular economy can bring about change, but it remains to be seen whether this will be embraced by manufacturers and product design­ ers. There have been almost no green IT products so far. The IT industry is yet to unveil its equivalent of the hydrogen car. Steybe: I think that you can leave that to the market. Competition boosts innovation. Just think of car2go. In this case, a company within the Mercedes­Benz Group questioned the primacy of buying. That was revolutionary. We are now witnessing something similar in IT. New usage models and changes in the way that users behave can influence product design – from components to longevity. Policymakers can accelerate certain processes, of course. In the same way that the Green Deal is driving sustainable finance, legislation like the one proposed to establish THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH The scarcer global resources become and the more obvious the consequences of climate change are, the more urgent the need to move away from a throwaway society and embrace a circular economy. The idea is to reduce waste to a minimum, to recycle materials, and to lease, share, and refurbish products and extend their useful life. This is nothing less than another industrial revolution, driven by innovation. Its aim will be to conserve valuable resources such as rare earth elements, reduce CO2 emissions, and provide a boost to the economy, for example by raising European GDP by half a percent and creating 700,000 additional jobs across the EU by 2030. This is how sustainability can provide growth and added value. n o i t c e t o r P e t a m i l C & y m o n o c E r a u c r i C l 52

CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP Corporate citizenship is firmly established in CHG­MERIDIAN’s corporate culture. We put our corporate strategy into practice by taking responsibility in the regions in which we operate.

Recognition for digital pioneers The objective of the ‘digitalheroes@Klassenzimmer’ education initiative, endowed with €12,000, was to support committed teachers and promote the latest teaching methods. The search was on for groundbreaking projects that involved the use of the latest technology in classrooms across south­west Germany. While Germany has a very good educational system, its schools are lagging behind when it comes to digitalization. The COVID­19 pandemic and its impact on schools has high­ lighted this issue, which was particularly evident in home schooling during lockdown. The Mossakowski Foundation in southern Germany launched the ‘digitalheroes@Klassenzimmer’ education initiative in 2020, and CHG­MERIDIAN has provided it with project and communications support from the very start. The Zentrum für Schulqualität und Lehrerbildung (center for school quality and teacher training) Baden­Württemberg assisted the initia­ tive in an advisory capacity. Teachers in Baden­Württemberg who are already applying innovative ideas for the use of digital teach ing materials at their schools were invited to take part. A judging panel of experts selected the leading digital pioneers from the 34 entries and honored the winning projects at a virtual awards ceremony last October. But that was not the end of the initiative. Best practice, experiences, and expertise continue to be shared on a dedicated platform so that other teachers can benefit from the innovative digital projects. i p h s n e z i t i C e t a r o p r o C 56 As a technology company, we know how important it is to famil­ iarize children and young people with information technology at an early age, and to introduce them to new, modern forms of learning. Much still depends on the com­ mitment of individual teachers at the schools. Through this initiative we aim to hold them up as role models for their colleagues. Dr. Mathias Wagner – Chairman of the Board of Management, CHG­MERIDIAN Group

ABO R L L O C A T I ON & D We believe I A that mutual respect and diversity are an advan­ L O tage. As far as possible, we want to offer our employees equal oppor­ tunities and support them with training and further education. Our occupational health and safety measures provide the basis for a working environment that focuses on the safety and well­ being of our employees. G U E

99% of CHG­MERIDIAN employees enjoy working here* With this in mind, we will continue to focus on those areas where there is still work to do, such as the implementation of the ‘modern workplace’ across the Group. To promote collab o­ rative and agile working, we will provide information and tools on the intranet, from general tips and detailed content about the Surface Hub to handouts on using interactive media in meeting rooms and video conferences. The international employee survey we carried out in 2020 had a very high participation rate of just under 82 percent. More than 84 percent* of respondents stated that there have been tangible improvements in the company since the last survey in 2018. We conduct the survey every two to three years, with the next one scheduled for the first quarter of 2023. * Combined figure for ‘strongly agree’ and ‘partially agree’ answers in our employee survey in 2020 GRI 404­1, 404­2 CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING We require highly skilled employees and we offer spe­ cific training opportunities with this in mind. For our management team, we also offer CPD programs on our leadership culture (accountability, network ing, acting as a role model). The CHG­MERIDIAN Group runs its own HR Academy with freelance and internal trainers, and also offers external training courses. A total of 4,833 training sessions were held around the world in 2021 (2020: 1,969). On average, each employee1 completed just under 17 hours of CPD (2020: ten). In line with the principles of diversity, CHG­MERIDIAN records the total hours for all em­ ployees and does not break them down by gender and employment type. In 2021, we introduced new training courses tailored to the current circum­ stances, on topics such as working in a virtual team, agile methods, and creative webinars. Wherever possible, the training was switched to digital formats. Overall, our internal training portfolio covers a range of skills, which we have divided into ‘personal skills’, ‘sales’, ‘leadership’, ‘expert classrooms’, ‘bespoke & external’, and ‘software’. Sessions included training on mindfulness, intercultural collaboration, and the changing working environment known as New Work. We have developed new training courses for 2022, for example in the areas of individual skills management, self­reflection, New Work, leadership, and sales. We also help employees who have been off sick to reintegrate. In Germany, we offer return­to­work and disability management (BEM), in line with statutory requirements, for employees who have been unable to work repeatedly or for longer than six weeks at a time over a twelve month period. We work with employees who are entitled to BEM to find a way of preventing existing incapacity to work and protecting their jobs. As part of a defined BEM process, we support them in their search for suitable measures to reduce stress in their day­to­day work and to permanently boost their ability to work. l i e u g o a D & n o i t a r o b a l l o C 60

feedback on vaccination status and satisfaction with COVID­19 protection measures. Across the Group, around 78 percent of all employees took part, with a total of 97 percent stating that they are ‘very satisfied’ or ‘satisfied’ with the measures taken. To better protect our employees’ health, we established a cor­ porate health management system throughout Germany that includes health courses and regular activities, as well as medical check­ups and advice on ergonomics and eyesight provided by external partners. Under the banner ‘CHG – we enjoy health’, we offer free, one­year memberships to a fitness app, a portal with videos about yoga, chi gong, running, and other exercis es at and away from the workplace, as well as online cooking courses and dietary advice. We also have a dedicated Microsoft Teams channel to encourage networking and the sharing of informa­ tion on these topics. Employees across the Group can access information and poli­ cies on workplace safety and health on myCHG, our interna­ tional intranet, and via iKNOW. We also provide information on topics such as safety in the office, fire safety, emergency management, first aid, and environmental protection through mandatory e­training on the iQ training platform (see table on training measures in the ‘Business ethics & compliance’ chap­ ter, p. 38). New employees, tenants and leaseholders of our premises, and employees of external cleaning companies must attend a mandatory safety briefing by the relevant safety officer at our headquarters in Weingarten and our technology center in Gross­Gerau, as well as annual follow­up briefings. We also carry out regular evacuation drills at some locations and plan to extend these to all sites. There was one accident at work in Germany in 2021 (2020: three), and no deaths resulting from work­related illnesses were reported to CHG­MERIDIAN during the same period2. The illness rate at CHG­MERIDIAN AG has fallen steadily over the last three years to 1.8 percent ( 2020: 2.1 percent)3. In line with legal requirements, CHG­MERIDIAN does not document the type of illness and therefore has no record of work­related illnesses. 2 The accident data for CHG­MERIDIAN AG and CHG­MERIDIAN Industrial Solu­ tions GmbH is based on accidents reported to the employers’ liability insurance association of the retail and goods logistics industries (Berufsgenossenschaft Handel und Warenlogistik, BGHW). We access the number of reportable accidents via the BGHW’s extranet. All data relates to December 31, 2021. / 3 In this case, the total number also includes students and trainees at CHG­MERIDIAN. All data relates to December 31, 2021. In 2021, we conducted an anonymous employee survey at our site in Gross­Gerau to enable us to more easily identify risks in and around the workplace. The findings matched those of our annual risk assessment and have been taken into account accord ingly. In addition to the existing form for reporting risks and incidents, which will also be available via the intranet from now on, we have set up a health and safety mailbox at the Gross­Gerau site for submitting anonymous tip­offs and complaints. The works council is responsible for handling and assessing all tip­offs and complaints submitted in Gross­Gerau, and discusses them with the Head of Logistics and Production. Employees can also contact the SGAM officer, who raises any tip­offs or complaints in the health and safety committee. A COVID­19 task force has been set up and holds weekly vir­ tual meetings to discuss the current situation, assess employee feedback and queries, and produce recommendations for action for the Board of Management. Since the start of the pande­ mic, employees have been able to report that they are infected, and/or share information about recent contacts, via the COVID­ 19 notification form on the intranet or via a dedicated email address. There is also an email distribution list for the COVID­19 task force, which employees regularly use to send queries and feedback. A voluntary and anonymous staff survey was con­ ducted worldwide in September and October 2021, providing l i e u g o a D & n o i t a r o b a l l o C 62

beneath senior management level, excluding sales. All sales employees are paid the same basic wage irrespective of their gender, plus a variable salary based on success and targets that reflects their role and experience. They can therefore be excluded from this analysis, the results of which show that, with the exception of a few cases, the remuneration of female and male employees in comparable roles is equal across the workforce. Where discrepancies cannot be explained, for example by a longer period of service, we will take appropriate measures to rec­ tify them. Irrespective of this, an overall analysis of the average salaries of male and female employees showed a difference of 14.3 percent in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. This is due, among other things, to the fact that higher­paid positions, in par­ ticular, are predominantly occupied by men. The aim is to reduce this gender pay gap over the coming years through targeted measures. At the end of 2021, a total of 532 women and 719 men worked at the CHG­MERIDIAN Group, which equates to a proportion of around 42.5 per­ cent women and 57.5 percent men. We currently do not produce a list of employees based on em­ ployee category and diversity indicators, but we are planning to collate this data in 2022 as part of the ongoing development of our reporting. Most of CHG­MERIDIAN AG’s senior and middle managers are currently male, while women make up 36.7 per­ cent (2020: 41.3 percent) of its lower management. Overall, the proportion of female managers is just over 23.1 percent (2020: 24.5 percent). The Board of Management is made up entirely of men, while the CHG­MERIDIAN Group’s Supervisory Board comprises five men and one woman. DIVERSITY AT MANAGEMENT LEVEL IN THE CHG­MERIDIAN GROUP (2021) Management level Gender Lower (team leaders) Middle (directors, interna- tional managers, national managers) Upper (Board of Management, Supervisory Board) Male Female Male Female Male Female up to 30 years old 30–50 years old 2.0% 6.9% 1.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 84.0% 79.3% 54.9% 86.7% 44.4% 100.0% 63.3% 36.7% 85.8% 14.2% 90.0% 10.0% Age group Over 50 years old 14.0% 13.8% 44.0% 13.3% 55.6% 0.0% l i e u g o a D & n o i t a r o b a l l o C 64

6 6 Partnership & Supply Chain SUPPLY CHAIN PARTNERSHIP &

GROUP­WIDE SUPPLIER MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR GREATER SUSTAINABILITY SUPPLIER ASSESSMENT SUPPORTED BY ECOVADIS As part of our sustainability strategy, in 2021 we set ourselves the goal of revising our supplier management and adding fur­ ther sustainability aspects by 2025. The aim is to create our first Group­wide supplier management strategy. Procurement at CHG­MERIDIAN is decentralized, with a num­ ber of departments involved in sourcing. The Supplier Manage­ ment department, led by the Head of Supplier Management, was created in 2020 within the existing Service Delivery unit to assist individual company departments with professional sup­ plier management across all business processes. Among other things, this covers identifying, selecting, onboarding – includ­ ing performance assessment – and managing relevant suppliers. The aim is to ensure that suppliers meet CHG­MERIDIAN’s requirements with regard to quality, reliability of supply, data protection, governance, compliance, and sustainability. On ­ boarding new suppliers and re­onboarding existing ones is a key focus here. The department’s main task is to work with service partners of particular relevance to CHG­MERIDIAN on customer projects that, in addition to pure equipment leasing, include services such as troubleshooting and logistical services. The team currently manages around 35 service partners. Under the leadership of the Supplier Management department, we have developed and implemented an onboarding process for existing and new suppliers with the aim of strengthening their link to our company. This process includes, among other things, a questionnaire for assessing suppliers against our minimum requirements regarding environmental protection, business ethics, labor rights, and human rights. In 2021 we concluded this onboarding process with new, and re­onboarding process with existing, service partners to assess the sustainability stan­ dards of our most important suppliers. At the end of 2020, the CHG­MERIDIAN AG con­ ducted a survey among our suppliers to gain an insight into their sustainability procedures. This was the first time we had evaluated suppliers according to environmental and social criteria. We have now tasked the independent sustainability ratings agency EcoVadis with assessing our sup­ pliers based on a proprietary scoring model, with the aim of further improving our sustainable supply chain management and creating even greater trans­ parency. Through its ratings, EcoVadis provides all companies with a verifiable decision­making basis for working with their partners in global supply chains. We worked with EcoVadis on a plan to cate­ gorize our suppliers in order to select the companies to be assessed. These companies receive a question­ naire specific to their industry and company size, and are assessed based on the answers they give, any documents they make available, such as certifi­ cates, and any other information provided by stake­ holders, including NGOs. We aim to require all strategic suppliers with whom we have a long­term relationship to undergo assess­ ment. The plan is to incorporate the results of the EcoVadis scorecard into our supplier performance management process. We will continually evaluate our suppliers’ commitment and progress, and take the results into account in our purchasing decisions. Overall, the dialogue with our supplier network, and in particular with our service partners, has grown stronger as a result of the measures we have taken so far. We aim to refine and expand this process. i l n a h C y p p u S & p h s r e n t r a P i 68

GRI CONTENT INDEX GRI standards Page Omission/comment Production credits Production credits Our global locations Our locations worldwide corre­ spond to the markets we serve Not applicable to: Austria (7 employees, of which 1 part­time) Switzerland (9 employees, of which 1 part­time). There are no fixed­term contracts in these countries GRI 101 Foundation 2016 GRI 102 General disclosures 2016 Organizational profile GRI 102­1 Name of organization GRI 102­2 Activities, brands, products, and services 10, 44–45 GRI 102­3 Location of headquarters GRI 102­4 Location of operations GRI 102­5 Ownership and legal form GRI 102­6 Markets served GRI 102­7 Scale of the organization GRI 102­8 Information on employees and other workers 10 10, 21 10, 44 10, 21, 65 63, 65 GRI 102­9 Supply chain 44–45, 67 GRI 102­10 Significant changes to the organization and its supply chain GRI 102­11 Precautionary principle or approach GRI 102­12 External initiatives GRI 102­13 Membership of associations Strategy GRI 102­14 Statement from senior decision­maker GRI 102­15 Key impacts, risks, and opportunities Ethics and integrity GRI 102­16 Values, principles, standards, and norms of behavior GRI 102­17 Mechanisms for advice and concerns about ethics Corporate governance GRI 102­18 Governance structure GRI 102­30 Effectiveness of risk management processes Stakeholder engagement GRI 102­40 List of stakeholder groups GRI 102­41 Collective bargaining agreements GRI 102­42 Identifying and selecting stakeholders 68 37 34 34 4–7 4–7 37 39 10, 29 39 32–33 59 32 x e d n I t n e t n o C I R G 70

GRI standards GRI 306­1 Waste generation and significant waste­related impacts GRI 306­2 Management of significant waste­related impacts GRI 306­3 Waste generated GRI 405 Diversity and equal opportunity 2016 GRI 103 Management approach 2016 (including 103­1, 103­2, 103­3) GRI 405­1 Diversity of governance bodies and employees Omission/comment Not applicable to other locations in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Waste types are not recorded separately in rented offices Page 42–44 42–44 42–44 63 64 GRI 405­2 Ratio of basic salary and remuneration of women to men 63–64 GRI 418 GRI 103 GRI 418­1 Customer privacy 2016 Management approach 2016 (including 103­1, 103­2, 103­3) Substantiated complaints concerning breaches of customer privacy and losses of customer data Other non-material topics GRI 206 Anti-competitive behavior 2016 GRI 103 Management approach 2016 (including 103­1, 103­2, 103­3) GRI 206­1 Legal actions for anti­competitive behavior, anti­trust, and monopoly practices GRI 302 Energy 2016 GRI 103 Management approach 2016 (including 103­1, 103­2, 103­3) GRI 302­1 Energy consumption within the organization GRI 307 Environmental compliance 2016 GRI 103 Management approach 2016 (including 103­1, 103­2, 103­3) GRI 307­1 Non­compliance with environmental laws and regulations GRI 308 Supplier environmental assessment 2016 39 39 38 38 44 44 44 44 GRI 103 Management approach 2016 (including 103­1, 103­2, 103­3) 67–68 GRI 308­1 New suppliers that were screened using environmental criteria GRI 401 Employment 2016 GRI 103 Management approach 2016 (including 103­1, 103­2, 103­3) GRI 401­1 New employee hires and employee turnover GRI 403 Occupational health and safety 2018 GRI 103 Management approach 2016 (including 103­1, 103­2, 103­3) GRI 403­1 Occupational health and safety management system 68 65 65 61–62 61–62 GRI 403­2 Hazard identification, risk assessment, and incident investigation 61–62 GRI 403­3 Occupational health services GRI 403­4 Worker participation, consultation, and communication on occupational health and safety GRI 403­5 Worker training on occupational health and safety GRI 403­10 Work­related ill health 62 62 38, 62 62 x e d n I t n e t n o C I R G 72

LIMITED ASSURANCE REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR regarding Sustainability Information1 To the Management Board of CHG­MERIDIAN AG, Weingarten PRACTITIONER’S RESPONSIBILITY We have been engaged to perform an independent limit­ ed assurance engagement on the sustainability information published in the “2021 Corporate & Sustainability Report” (further “Report”) for the period from January 1 to December 31, 2021 of the CHG­MERIDIAN Group, Weingarten (further “Company” or “CHG­MERIDIAN). An audit with limited assurance was carried out for all GRI­ relevant information (see pp. 70–73), with the exception of total energy consumption (p. 44) and emissions data (p. 47). MANAGEMENT’S RESPONSIBILITY The legal representatives of the Company are responsible for the preparation of the Report and the determination and pre­ sentation of the sustainability information in accordance with the Reporting Criteria. CHG­MERIDIAN applies the principles and standard disclosures of the Sustainability Reporting Standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) supported by internal guide­ lines (further: Reporting Criteria). This responsibility of the legal representatives includes the selection and application of appropriate methods to prepare the Report and the use of assumptions and estimates for individual disclosures which are reasonable under the given circumstances. Furthermore, the legal representatives are responsible for the internal controls they deem necessary for the preparation of the Report that is free of – intended or unintended – material misstatements. It is our responsibility to express a conclusion on the Report based on our work performed within a limited assurance engagement. We conducted our work in accordance with the International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3000 (Revised): “Assurance Engagements other than Audits or Reviews of His­ torical Financial Information” of the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB). Accordingly, we have to plan and perform the assurance enga­ gement in such a way that we obtain limited assurance as to whether any matters have come to our attention that cause us to believe that the Report of the Company for the period from January 1 to December 31, 2021 has not been prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with the Reporting Criteria. We do not, however, issue a separate conclusion for each disclosure. As the assurance procedures performed in a limited assurance engagement are less comprehensive than in a reasonable assu­ rance engagement, the level of assurance obtained is substanti­ ally lower. The choice of assurance procedures is subject to the auditor’s own judgement. Within the scope of our engagement we performed, amongst others, the following procedures: • Inquiries of group­level personnel who are responsible for the materiality analysis in order to understand the proces­ ses for determining material topics and respective reporting boundaries for CHG­MERIDIAN t r o p e R ’ s r o t i d u A 74

PRODUCTION CREDITS Published by: CHG­MERIDIAN AG / Franz­Beer­Strasse 111 88250 Weingarten / Germany sustainability@chg­meridian.com / www.chg­meridian.com Concept and editing: Caroline Bruß, Sabine Kania, Sarah Lemke, Yannik Woserau (CHG­MERIDIAN) akzente kommunikation und beratung GmbH Design: Anja Pircher Design Photo credits: Jehle & Will: p. 4 / 7 / 22 / 25 Martin Joppen Photographie: p. 33 / 53 Conné Van D’Grachten: p. 28 Joel Kimmel Illustration: p. 48–51 Other photos by: Borenius Attorneys Ltd, CHU Lille, Helaba, Dr. Rüdiger Kühr, private, Shutterstock, iStock, Getty Images Printed by: Eberl & Kœsel GmbH & Co. KG Disclaimer: This report contains forward­looking statements that reflect the views currently held by the Board of Man­ agement of CHG­MERIDIAN AG with respect to future events. These forward­looking statements are based on our latest plans, assessments, and projections. Asser­ tions relating to the future merely reflect the situation at the time that they were made. These assertions are dependent on risks and uncertainties as well as other factors over which CHG­MERIDIAN has no influence and which can lead to significant deviations from the actual results of these assertions. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors are described in detail in the risk report section of the CHG­MERIDIAN AG annual report. CHG­MERIDIAN AG does not intend to update such assertions relating to the future. © CHG­MERIDIAN 2022