The Vodafone Group won the award for Best Report at the CR Reporting Awards 2007, which were announced online on March 3. Other winners included:
> Best First Time Report: Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc
> Best SME Report: Green Mountain Coffee Roaster Inc
> Best Integrated Report: Novo Nordisk
> Best Carbon Disclosure: BMW
> Creativity in Communications: Coca-Cola Enterprises
> Relevance and Materiality: BP
> Openness and Honesty: Bayer
> Credibility through Assurance: BP
The CR Reporting Awards 2007 are the first online corporate responsibility reporting awards. Global and independent, the CRRA 2007 is an annual programme developed to identify and acknowledge the best in corporate non-financial reporting. The CR Reporting Awards are managed by CorporateRegister.com – and online directory of corporate and sustainability reports.
BMW, the automobile manufacturer, has published its CSR Annual Report. Its CSR activities have been divided into five categories – cultural promotion, education support, environmental protection, corporate governance, and customer integration. As part of its educational support category, BMW launched a long-term BMW children’s traffic safety education programme. www.bmw.com
European Commission
The European Commission has developed an online CSR facility providing examples of initiatives for corporate social responsibility in EU member states. http://ec.europa.eu
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, the law firm, has pledged to act on the results of its CSR report, which showed it has too few female partners and that there is room to improve its pro bono commitments. It will review its diversity training and, before 2009, aim to increase its pro bono commitments by 30%. Freshfields plans to cut carbon emissions by 10% through a reduction in air travel. www.freshfields.com
Unilever
Unilever, the household products manufacturer, has published Measuring Unilever’s Economic Footprint: The Case of South Africa and found that 100,000 jobs in South Africa depend on the company, making the company responsible for 0.8% of South Africa’s employment and 0.9% of its GDP. The total spent on training in one year was equivalent to 27% of the corporate payroll at Unilever South Africa. Training undertaken by the company was not only for employees, but also included skill-building initiatives for the unemployed. Unilever SA’s social investment programmes have had an emphasis on healthcare, addressing the issues around HIV and AIDS. www.unilever.com
Philips Electronics
Philips Electronics has published its Sustainability Report 2007, which shows that green product sales at the electronic products manufacturer has risen by 33% in 2007. The report also includes more detail on the company’s social and economic performance. www.philips.com
ANZ
ANZ, an Australian bank, has reported 77.2% customer satisfaction and 64% employee engagement in its third CSR report – What’s the Difference. The bank has also started construction of its new environmentally friendly office building in Melbourne and outlined two-year commitments to improve environmental performance. www.anz.com
United Technologies
United Technologies, the technology products and services company, has proved that cutting carbon emissions and increasing shareholder returns at the same time can be done. It reported a 5% cut in greenhouse gas emissions during 2007, whilst total shareholder return reached 24%. The US-based company also analyses its performance in six key areas – governance, environment, products, customers and suppliers. www.utc.com
Danske Bank Group
Highlights of Danske Bank’s second CSR report include joining the UN Global Compact, developing a financial literacy programme, approving its climate strategy and introducing a stress management policy in with regard to its Denmark operations. www.danskebank.com
Landcom
Landcom, the Australian urban development company, has released its fifth annual sustainability review, outlining its Walking to School Bus initiative, promoting healthier travel choices, and achieving a 127 tonne reduction in greenhouse gases from 2006. The organisation has also assisted contractors to improve their environmental performance. www.landcom.com
ICMM
The International Council on Mining & Metals outlines the key issues that affect the mining and metals sector in its 2007 Annual Review: Essential Materials, produced responsibly. Highlights of the year include a workshop in Accra, Ghana, bringing together researchers, consultants, engineers, scientists, NGOs and policy makers, in order to discuss global environmental issues relating to resource exploitation and consumption. In health and safety, the ICMM reports that it is reviewing current national and regional methodologies for setting occupational exposure limits for workers. www.icmm.com
Adidas Group
The Adidas Group has taken a dual approach this year to its corporate responsibility reporting. In order to engage with its readers, a magazine-style review has been published alongside a more detailed online report. The review aims to place Adidas’ activity in a wider perspective by discussing the social and political context of the group’s work. Four broad themes are covered – big business and sustainability, preparing for major sporting events, manufacturing in China and climate change. The online report outlines successes, goals and strategies to improve working conditions, reduce environmental impacts and manage larger social responsibilities. www.adidas-group.com
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