Taxonomy-Eligible Operating Expenditure

Taxonomy-eligible operating expenditure comprises the cost of maintenance and repairs of property, plant and equipment (including building refurbishment measures), non-capitalized R&D costs, and short-term leases for taxonomy-eligible economic activities. We calculate the OpEx KPI as the ratio of taxonomy-eligible operating expenditure to total direct, non-capitalized costs, which comprise those related to R&D, building refurbishment measures, short-term leases, maintenance and repair, and direct expenditures related to the maintenance of property, plant and equipment to retain functionality. The majority of taxonomy-eligible operating expenditure comprises servicing and maintenance costs at WACKER POLYMERS and WACKER SILICONES, and R&D expenditures. Taxonomy-eligible operating expenditure from the other economic activities for servicing and maintenance is of a subordinate nature.