Digital responsibility

The Otto Group has established binding requirements and processes for handling personal data. These take into account the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as well as other internal guidelines and standards. Data protection aspects are considered in the development, introduction, and use of digital applications.

Projects and initiatives:

• AI Guidelines: In order to put people at the center of algorithm development, Otto Group one.O, the central partner for strategy consulting and technology within the Group, has developed guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence. They support developers in considering aspects such as data processing and the potential impacts of algorithmic decisions. Top premise: We develop AI applications for people – not against them. In addition, Otto Group Tech Strategy, together with data and AI experts from across the company, has developed a Responsible AI Guide. This comprises five basic principles that serve as guidance during the conception, development, implementation, and use of AI applications.
• Ethical AI community: The group-wide Ethical AI Community was founded in 2021 and strengthens internal networking and exchange between data and AI experts. The community deals with questions surrounding the use of artificial intelligence, potential risks, and approaches to avoiding bias. In addition, concepts and approaches for AI governance are discussed and further developed.
• Responsible AI Alliance: The Otto Group is a partner of the Responsible AI Alliance, a Hamburg-based network of companies, academia, and other actors that aims to design and use artificial intelligence in a way that adheres to ethical principles and societal values such as fairness, safety, and transparency. The alliance promotes exchange on questions regarding the development and use of artificial intelligence, as well as topics such as transparency, safety, governance, and the potential impacts of AI applications. By participating in the network, the Otto Group contributes its experience and takes part in the professional dialogue on the framework conditions for the use of AI.

Digitization requires flexibility. Knowledge and skills often require quick updates so you do not get completely lost in the speed of digital change. Our employees therefore need tools that help them to further their education. It is our responsibility to provide these tools. We are addressing this need with the learning initiative TechUcation. At the same time, it is important in terms of digital participation that our offerings, for example in online commerce to be barrier-free. They must be intuitively applicable. So that people without special expertise can also make use of them. We work on this every day.

Projects and initiatives:

• Lifelong learning is an essential part of our corporate culture and key to the transformation of business models, as well as to the future viability of the Otto Group and its employees. In addition to a company-wide training initiative (TechUcation), which fosters a common understanding of digitization, we have created our own digital learning ecosystem with the Learning Experience Hub (LXHub). It consolidates learning content across the Group and serves as a central access point to all offerings. The goal is to engage employees, promote upskilling, and further integrate learning into everyday work. Self-developed, video-based learning paths, for example on the topic of Artificial Intelligence, play a major role here. Experts from the Otto Group explain terminology and use cases, thereby reducing any potential fear of contact. Only through a willingness to learn, sharing knowledge, and ongoing development can we create future career opportunities for all employees in a world where technological change makes many job profiles redundant, while  at the same time generating new job profiles. The comprehensive learning content empowers and encourages employees to actively shape the digital transformation.

Data and digital technologies can help analyze processes, make information more readily available, and manage the use of materials, energy, and other resources more transparently.

Projects and initiatives:

• App BHive: The BHive app, used by individual Otto Group companies, digitizes chemical management at factory level. The goal is to create transparency regarding the chemicals used, provide information on particularly critical substances, and manage their handling more systematically. Following a pilot phase with around 35 factories in 2021, the application was expanded to 115 factories in 2025.
• Initiative "Digital Data Clean-up": Since 2022, the Otto Group has regularly drawn attention to the resource requirements that can be associated with storing digital data. As part of the initiative, employees are called upon to review and, if necessary, delete files, emails, and data sets that are no longer needed. Since 2023, the CDR Initiative of the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV) has also supported the project. Together with other companies and organizations, drives, email inboxes, and data sets are reviewed and cleaned up.

The Otto Group is committed to an independent and competitive digital economy in Europe. It supports dialogue on the economic, social, and technological framework conditions of digitization and participates in initiatives that address the impact of digital transformation on business and society. Its focus includes issues such as long-term competitiveness, social inclusion, and how to address technological developments. Together with stakeholders from politics, academia, business, and civil society, the Otto Group is involved in dialogue on ensuring the future viability of Germany and Europe as places to do business. Economic, social, and environmental issues are considered jointly in this context.

Projects and initiatives:

• ZukunftsWerte initiative: With this network, the Otto Group creates a forum for exchange on economic, social and political issues of digitization. The initiative brings together representatives from businesses, start-ups, science, politics and civil society, and provides a space for discussions on topics such as data economy, artificial intelligence, working environment, education, and social participation. The goal is to exchange perspectives and develop proposals for shaping the digital transformation.
• Corporate Digital Responsibility (CDR) Initiative: The Otto Group is a founding member of the CDR Initiative launched in 2018 by the Federal Ministry of Justice and for Consumer Protection (BMJV). Within the framework of the initiative, a CDR Code was developed, which describes principles and objectives for handling digital technologies. These are aimed at actors from business, politics, and civil society, as well as consumers. The member companies of the CDR Initiative publish individual reports documenting measures and activities related to Corporate Digital Responsibility.
• Business Council for Democracy: The Otto Group participates in the Business Council for Democracy (BC4D), an initiative of the non-profit Hertie Foundation, the Robert Bosch Foundation, and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue Germany. The program offers employees training on topics such as hate speech, disinformation, and conspiracy narratives. The goal is to contribute to strengthening democracy and its resilience.