What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2019 Sustainability Report Qatar Steel identified a range of material issues, such as operational efficiency, employee and contractor safety, emergency preparedness, energy consumption, product innovation. Among these, promoting responsible materials management stands out as a key material issue for Qatar Steel.

Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards                                     

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:

“The reporting organization shall identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations and interests.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.

Key stakeholder groups Qatar Steel engages with:

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
IQ / QP	·      One to One Meetings, Visits & Workshops ·      AGM ·      Board Meetings ·      Business Visit ·      Joint Programmes &Partnerships
Investment	·      AGM ·      Board Meetings ·      Visits
Suppliers	·      Business Visit ·      Conferences & Seminars ·      Emails / Virtual meeting platform
People	·      Intranet ·      One to One Meetings & Annual Gathering ·      Training Programmes ·      Code of Ethics & Business Conduct
Traders / Customers / End-customer influence bodies	·      One to One Meetings
Regulatory Bodies / Steel Association	·      Joint Programmes & Partnerships ·      One to One Meetings ·      Conferences & Seminars ·      Audit Reports ·      Press Releases ·      Interviews ·      Sponsorships

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics Qatar Steel engaged with its stakeholders through interviews, to obtain stakeholder feedback on material sustainability issues.

What actions were taken by Qatar Steel to promote responsible materials management?

In its 2019 Sustainability Report Qatar Steel reports that it took the following actions for promoting responsible materials management:

• Implementing a Life Cycle Assessment
• In 2019, Qatar Steel completed a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on its products through a third-party evaluator, BRE Global, in accordance with the requirements of EN15804:2012 and A1:2013. By applying Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to its products, Qatar Steel is fully aware of its products’ environmental impacts throughout all stages of their life cycle, from mining to manufacturing, transport, use and recycling or disposal. This “cradle-to-grave” analysis is required to meet the international accreditations in manufacturing for Qatar Steel’s high-grade steel. Qatar Steel seeks to take full advantage of steel’s infinite recyclability by recycling steel scrap generated in Qatar, to further reduce the environmental impacts of its main products. The LCA also provides Qatar Steel with the necessary data to benchmark the environmental performance of the main products and acts as structural support for its environmental decision-making.

• Promoting responsible sourcing
• Qatar Steel has achieved a Responsible Sourcing of Construction Products certificate from UK CARES and holds a BRE BES 6001 Issue 3.1 responsible sourcing certification from UK CARES since 2016.The BRE standard BES 6001 has been published for construction product manufacturers to make sure and then prove that their products have been made with materials that have been responsibly sourced. The standard includes a framework for various aspects such as the organisational governance, supply chain management and environmental and social aspects that have to be addressed in order to ensure the responsible sourcing of construction products. In 2019, Qatar Steel also achieved a performance rating of “VERY GOOD”, becoming the first steel company to achieve a performance rating of “VERY GOOD” for the prestigious BES 6001 Responsible Sourcing Certification from CARES UK after the successful reassessment audit conducted, along with a CARES SCS Scheme Surveillance Audit.

Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 301-1 Materials used by weight or volume

2) Disclosure 301-2 Recycled input materials used

 

Disclosure 301-1 Materials used by weight or volume corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• Targets: 8.4
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Targets: 12.2

Disclosure 301-2 Recycled input materials used corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• Targets: 8.4
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Targets: 12.2, 12.5

 

78% of the world’s 250 largest companies report in accordance with the GRI Standards

SustainCase was primarily created to demonstrate, through case studies, the importance of dealing with a company’s most important impacts in a structured way, with use of the GRI Standards. To show how today’s best-run companies are achieving economic, social and environmental success – and how you can too.

Research by well-recognised institutions is clearly proving that responsible companies can look to the future with optimism.

7 GRI sustainability disclosures get you started

Any size business can start taking sustainability action

GRI, ISEP, CPD Certified Sustainability courses (2-5 days): Live Online or Classroom  (venue: London School of Economics)

• Exclusive FBRH template to begin reporting from day one
• Identify your most important impacts on the Environment, Economy and People
• Formulate in group exercises your plan for action. Begin taking solid, focused, all-round sustainability action ASAP. 
• Benchmarking methodology to set you on a path of continuous improvement

See upcoming training dates.
References:

1) This case study is based on published information by Qatar Steel, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:

http://database.globalreporting.org/

2) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

Note to Qatar Steel: With each case study we send out an email requesting a comment on this case study. If you have not received such an email please contact us.

What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2018 Sustainability Report Telenet identified a range of material issues, such as business ethics and transparency, product sustainability, privacy and data security, digital inclusion and skills development. Among these, reducing and recycling waste stands out as a key material issue for Telenet.

Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards              

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:

“The reporting organization shall identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations and interests.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.

Key stakeholder groups Telenet engages with: 

To identify and prioritise material topics Telenet engaged with its stakeholders through the following channels:

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Customers	·      Net Promoter Score (NPS) to assess customer satisfaction ·      Transparent communication around sensitive issues such as price adjustments ·      Dialogue with customers through Telenet’s social media channels
Investors	·      Open, active, and simultaneous communication with all investors ·      Financial reports in accordance with international standards such as the International Financial Reporting Standards (EU) and the US Sarbanes-Oxley Act ·      Active participation in external reviews, with focus on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and customer-led audits using the EcoVadis CSR Performance Scorecard
Employees	·      Bi-annual survey to actively assess employee satisfaction ·      Young Grads programme for young employees to develop their talent
Suppliers	·      Dedicated Telenet Supplier Code of Conduct, to be signed by all suppliers ·      EcoVadis platform to evaluate and monitor the sustainability risk of each supplier ·      Structural partnerships with suppliers who have a strong social dimension, such as the social profit company Vlotter (IMSIR cvba)
Local community	·      Consultation of local communities and neighborhood committees for major projects, such as the roll-out of ‘De Grote Netwerf’ network optimisation project in Flemish cities and municipalities ·      Active support for social initiatives that boost the digital talents of the future, like CoderDojo Belgium, ToekomstAtelierDelAvenir, YouthStart and BeCode
Policymakers	·      Telenet Stakeholder Engagement Charter, with principles to develop lasting, trusted relationships with Telenet’s corporate stakeholders in an open and transparent way ·      Membership of professional organisations, such as the ISPA (Belgian Internet Service Providers Association), the GSMA, Cable Europe, and the Agoria Federation of Telecom Operators ·      Transparent interactions with policymakers, without supporting political parties

What actions were taken by Telenet to reduce and recycle waste?

In its 2018 Sustainability Report Telenet reports that it took the following actions for reducing and recycling waste:

• Recycling set-top boxes and modems
• Every year, Telenet recycles more than 220,000 set-top boxes and modems returned to Telenet Centres by end customers or replaced by Telenet technicians. In 2018, through a reverse logistics solution developed in collaboration with the Flemish social profit organisation Vlotter (IMSIR cbva), Telenet avoided 375 tons of waste. This reverse logistics cooperation also resulted in the creation of job opportunities for 60 individuals with limited access to the labour market.

• Reusing and recycling computers, mobile phones and IT equipment
• Telenet’s old PCs and IT equipment are given a second life thanks to a cooperation with the non-for-profit organisation Pro Used Computers (PUC). In 2018, 2.0 percent of Telenet customers and 3.5 percent of BASE customers who bought a new mobile handset at a Telenet or BASE point of sales traded in their old device. Some of these mobile devices are reprocessed and sold as second-hand devices.

• Supporting rational paper use
• Telenet promotes rational paper use and has adopted smart and environmentally friendly packaging solutions. Telenet also embraces digital administration solutions and, in 2018, 71.6 percent of Telenet customers and 52.3 percent of BASE customers opted for electronic invoices.

• Promoting proper waste disposal
• When waste is inevitable, Telenet puts in every effort to make sure it is properly disposed of. Normally, the waste that Telenet produces is recycled or permanently disposed of through energy recuperation (e.g. incineration). In 2018, no incidents involving significant spills occurred.

• Recycling and refurbishing customer premise equipment
• Telenet actively invests in e-waste recycling and recuperation and, in 2018, Telenet’s consolidated recycling and recuperation result was 55 percent refurbishment of collected customer premise equipment and 100 percent recycling of hazardous waste, a slight increase compared to the 2017 restated baseline. Telenet also works with several government-certified organisations to ensure proper disposal of waste created by customers. For every purchase of a Telenet or BASE product, a contribution is made to Recupel and Bebat, and for waste streams like packaging and print ads, Telenet pays an annual contribution to Fost Plus, Val-i-Pac and the non-profit Interventiefonds Oud Papier.

Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?

The GRI Standard addressed in this case is: Disclosure 301-3 Reclaimed products and their packaging materials

Disclosure 301-3 Reclaimed products and their packaging materials corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Resource efficiency of products and services
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Business theme: Resource efficiency of products and services

 

78% of the world’s 250 largest companies report in accordance with the GRI Standards

SustainCase was primarily created to demonstrate, through case studies, the importance of dealing with a company’s most important impacts in a structured way, with use of the GRI Standards. To show how today’s best-run companies are achieving economic, social and environmental success – and how you can too.

Research by well-recognised institutions is clearly proving that responsible companies can look to the future with optimism.

7 GRI sustainability disclosures get you started

Any size business can start taking sustainability action

GRI, ISEP, CPD Certified Sustainability courses (2-5 days): Live Online or Classroom  (venue: London School of Economics)

• Exclusive FBRH template to begin reporting from day one
• Identify your most important impacts on the Environment, Economy and People
• Formulate in group exercises your plan for action. Begin taking solid, focused, all-round sustainability action ASAP. 
• Benchmarking methodology to set you on a path of continuous improvement

See upcoming training dates.
References:

1) This case study is based on published information by Telenet, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:

http://database.globalreporting.org/

2) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

Note to Telenet: With each case study we send out an email requesting a comment on this case study. If you have not received such an email please contact us.

What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2018 Corporate Social Responsibility Report Walgreens Boots Alliance identified a range of material issues, such as access to affordable and quality healthcare, product safety, consumer health education and marketing, employee health, safety and wellbeing, data privacy and security. Among these, treating waste responsibly stands out as a key material issue for Walgreens Boots Alliance.

Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards              

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:

“The reporting organization shall identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations and interests.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.

Key stakeholder groups Walgreens Boots Alliance engages with:

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)	·      At a minimum, quarterly meetings with key charity partners ·      Formal yearly feedback with key charity partners ·      Regular and ad hoc meetings, as well as conference participation with NGOs; frequency varies from business to business and from group to group
Stockholders, investors, lenders	·      Annual stockholders meeting ·      Frequent dialogue through the investor relations team ·      May 2018 sell-side analyst event, participation in investor conferences at least twice yearly ·      Annual submission of CDP Climate Change questionnaire
Government bodies and agencies	·      Weekly or more frequent meetings with government agencies ·      Weekly or more frequent dialogue with membership associations ·      Consultation responses at national and international levels ·      Quarterly industry panels
Internal stakeholders	·      Annual employee performance reviews/appraisals ·      Quarterly and/or annual employee feedback surveys, varies from business to business ·      Ethics, safety, compliance, development and other training—frequency varies from business to business and from role to role ·      Daily Company and business communications through email, intranet and bulletin boards ·      Quarterly town hall meetings with senior leadership
Suppliers	·      Annual supplier conferences ·      Quarterly joint business plans meetings with selected suppliers
Communities	·      Daily, through Walgreens Boots Alliance’s retail pharmacies and CSR initiatives ·      Annual campaigns with charity partners ·      Daily response to issues raised on social media
Customers (pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), pharmacists, consumers, patients)	·      Always-on Walgreens and Boots UK customer satisfaction surveys ·      Corporate website, business websites ·      Social media ·      Daily, through Walgreens Boots Alliance’s retail pharmacies and CSR initiatives
Academics	·      Face-to-face bi-annual meetings ·      Regular guest-speaker slots ·      Presentations at scientific meetings several times a year
Media	·      Media releases and social media most weekdays ·      Quarterly streaming of earnings call with analysts, twice yearly streaming of executive participation in investor conferences ·      Media interviews
Peers	·      Ad-hoc meetings and regular dialogue through membership organisations

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics Walgreens Boots Alliance carried out 60 in-depth stakeholder interviews and, through a third party, conducted surveys with thousands of customers in its two largest markets, the U.S. and the UK.

What actions were taken by Walgreens Boots Alliance to treat waste responsibly?

In its 2018 Corporate Social Responsibility Report Walgreens Boots Alliance reports that it took the following actions for treating waste responsibly:

• Implementing a zero waste to landfill project across U.S. distribution centres
• The Walgreens zero waste to landfill project was implemented across 15 Walgreens distribution facilities in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, after a pilot test in select locations. In fiscal 2018, the facilities involved in the project diverted 93 percent of waste from landfill, compared with 88 percent in fiscal 2017. Walgreens also carried out an audit of the current recycling processes at its corporate campus in Deerfield, Illinois, in partnership with the Astor Company, a recycling and consulting firm. The audit analysed current programmes, gathered information for a potential composting programme and generated baseline data for measuring effectiveness of future strategies. Among the resulting key learnings were increasing standardised recycling containers, implementing the composting programme and consolidating an improved cardboard recycling programme. Additionally, in fiscal 2018, during the renovation of 17 stores in Gainesville, Florida, Walgreens diverted 107.3 metric tonnes of construction material from landfill to recycling and also diverted more than 3.4 million pounds (1.5 million kilograms) of products from landfills across the U.S. by donating them to Feeding America, the largest domestic hunger-relief and food rescue organisation.

• Reducing single-use plastics
• In a commitment to reduce single-use plastics, in July 2018 Boots UK joined the UK Plastics Pact, led by WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme). The Pact initiative brings together businesses from across the entire plastics value chain with UK governments and non-governmental organisations to tackle the issue of plastic waste. Through its pledge to the Pact, Boots UK aims to help make a fundamental change in the way businesses design, produce, use, re-use, dispose and reprocess plastics. Boots UK is working collectively with members of the Pact, including other major retailers, to transform the UK plastic packaging sector through a multi-step approach, including making 100 percent of plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by the year 2025.

• Running the Spring Cleanup Campaign
• In April 2018, the Walgreens support office in Deerfield, Illinois held its annual Spring Cleanup Campaign. Over the course of the week-long campaign, more than 37,000 pounds (16,000 kilograms) of paper were collected for shredding and recycling. In addition, over 3,400 pounds (1,500 kilograms) of electronic waste were collected for environmentally responsible disposal. The Spring Cleanup Campaign at Walgreens Boots Alliance UK office locations resulted in the removal of redundant IT equipment, documents for archiving, used batteries and general waste. Employees also donated gently used clothing items to Cancer Research UK, replaced plastic bottled water with canned water and replaced plastic cutlery and dishware with compostable alternatives.

• Promoting pharmacy recycling
• In fiscal 2018 Walgreens retail pharmacies completed the implementation of a new process for returning disposable patient information to distribution centres for recycling. As of August 2018, Shredit, a document destruction firm, was removing documents from more than 8,000 pharmacies. Between December 2016 and August 2018, this recycling process translated to more than 317,000 saved trees and more than 129 million saved gallons of water.

• Diverting feminine hygiene products and diaper waste from landfill
• Boots UK works with an external waste service provider to divert feminine hygiene products and diaper waste from landfill, converting them to fuel pellets for incinerators. After a pilot programme in the Boots UK support office in fiscal 2017, the process was extended in 2018 to most Boots stores and, during the fiscal year, 97 metric tonnes were diverted for incineration, out of a total of 136 metric tonnes.

Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 301-3 Reclaimed products and their packaging materials

2) Disclosure 306-2 Waste by type and disposal method

 

Disclosure 301-3 Reclaimed products and their packaging materials corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Resource efficiency of products and services
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Business theme: Resource efficiency of products and services 

Disclosure 306-2 Waste by type and disposal method corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages
• Business theme: Spills
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
• Business theme: Waste, Water-related ecosystems and biodiversity
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Business theme: Waste

 

78% of the world’s 250 largest companies report in accordance with the GRI Standards

SustainCase was primarily created to demonstrate, through case studies, the importance of dealing with a company’s most important impacts in a structured way, with use of the GRI Standards. To show how today’s best-run companies are achieving economic, social and environmental success – and how you can too.

Research by well-recognised institutions is clearly proving that responsible companies can look to the future with optimism.

7 GRI sustainability disclosures get you started

Any size business can start taking sustainability action

GRI, ISEP, CPD Certified Sustainability courses (2-5 days): Live Online or Classroom  (venue: London School of Economics)

• Exclusive FBRH template to begin reporting from day one
• Identify your most important impacts on the Environment, Economy and People
• Formulate in group exercises your plan for action. Begin taking solid, focused, all-round sustainability action ASAP. 
• Benchmarking methodology to set you on a path of continuous improvement

See upcoming training dates.

 

References:

1) This case study is based on published information by Walgreens Boots Alliance, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:

http://database.globalreporting.org/

2) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

Note to Walgreens Boots Alliance: With each case study we send out an email requesting a comment on this case study. If you have not received such an email please contact us.

What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2017/18 Sustainability Report Ford identified a range of material issues, such as product carbon footprint and fuel economy, supply chain management, assessment, capacity building and performance, ethical business practices, human rights, customer satisfaction, product quality and safety. Among these, reducing vehicles’ end-of-life environmental impacts stands out as a key material issue for Ford.

Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:

“The organization should identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.

Key stakeholder groups Ford engages with:   

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Communities	·      Community Relations Committees ·      Interactions with governments ·      Membership of associations ·      Dialogue with nongovernmental organisations ·      Ford Fund ·      Driving Skills for Life programme
Customers	·      Consumer Insight process ·      Market research ·      Customer care programmes ·      Dealer interactions ·      Ford.com website ·      Ford Owners magazine
Dealers	·      Intranet communications ·      Brand sales and service representatives ·      Brand Dealer Councils ·      Dealer roundtables ·      President’s Circle ·      Salute to Dealers ·      Advertising and public service announcements ·      U.S. NADA Dealer Attitude Survey
Employees	·      Intranet site ·      Sustainability Report and executive summary ·      Social media applications ·      Union representatives ·      Joint labour–management committees ·      Webcasts, videos, blogs and executive Q&A sessions with senior management ·      “Town Hall” meetings ·      Employee surveys ·      Employee Resource Group initiatives ·      Test drive and product reveal events
Investors	·      Investment community forums ·      Quarterly earnings communications ·      Annual shareholders’ meeting ·      Annual report ·      Proxy statement ·      SEC filings (e.g., 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K) ·      Ratings and rankings
Suppliers	·      Top Supplier meetings ·      Ford Partnership for a Cleaner Environment (PACE) ·      Aligned Business Framework supplier dialogue sessions ·      Supplier quality roundtables ·      Supplier Diversity Development Networking ·      External supplier organisations ·      Coalitions including EICC

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics Ford engaged with both internal and external stakeholders through interviews, inviting stakeholders to comment on material topics and rate them according to importance.

What actions were taken by Ford to reduce vehicles’ end-of-life environmental impacts?

In its 2017/18 Sustainability Report Ford reports that it took the following actions for reducing vehicles’ end-of-life environmental impacts:

• Implementing take-back schemes
• Across Europe, Ford offers car owners a cost-free take-back network, with take-back points that meet Ford’s waste-quality standards. The recycling network is set by each European market and licensed by the appropriate national environment agency. As part of this procedure, Ford’s Environmental Quality Office and End-of-Life teams perform a structured duty-of-care audit process, visiting take-back points to make sure Ford’s vehicles are treated responsibly at the end of their useful life, and keeping the latest end-of-life network information available on Ford National EU web portals.

• Applying alternative end-of-life treatments
• None of Ford’s current components contain mercury, but to address end-of-life issues associated with mercury in older vehicles, Ford was instrumental in getting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to work with state authorities, dismantlers, steelmakers and environmental groups to recycle mercury switches. With over 10,000 participants in the scheme, 7 metric tons of mercury were recovered by the end of 2017. Ford also supports treatment technologies that make the recycling of end-of-life vehicles more economically and ecologically viable, and co-sponsored a life cycle assessment that showed the environmental benefits of diverting plastic, foam and other nonmetallic materials from landfill and using them for energy recovery.

• Promoting recycling
• At its U.S. dealership service centres Ford recycles, reuses and reprocesses the parts removed during servicing, such as headlights, bumpers and windshield-wiper motors. Dealers are charged for new parts, but are reimbursed if they are recycled through Ford’s Core Recovery Programme. Parts that can be remanufactured are cleaned, machined and tested before being used in new vehicles; otherwise, they are used to make new parts. The scheme forms part of Ford’s voluntary Go Green Dealer Sustainability Programme, to which approximately half of Ford’s U.S. Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers belong.

Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?

The GRI Standard addressed in this case is: Disclosure 301-3 Reclaimed products and their packaging materials

 

Disclosure 301-3 Reclaimed products and their packaging materials corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Resource efficiency of products and services
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Business theme: Resource efficiency of products and services

 

78% of the world’s 250 largest companies report in accordance with the GRI Standards

SustainCase was primarily created to demonstrate, through case studies, the importance of dealing with a company’s most important impacts in a structured way, with use of the GRI Standards. To show how today’s best-run companies are achieving economic, social and environmental success – and how you can too.

Research by well-recognised institutions is clearly proving that responsible companies can look to the future with optimism.

7 GRI sustainability disclosures get you started

Any size business can start taking sustainability action

GRI, ISEP, CPD Certified Sustainability courses (2-5 days): Live Online or Classroom  (venue: London School of Economics)

• Exclusive FBRH template to begin reporting from day one
• Identify your most important impacts on the Environment, Economy and People
• Formulate in group exercises your plan for action. Begin taking solid, focused, all-round sustainability action ASAP. 
• Benchmarking methodology to set you on a path of continuous improvement

See upcoming training dates.

 

References:

1) This case study is based on published information by Ford, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:

http://database.globalreporting.org/

2) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

Note to Ford: With each case study we send out an email requesting a comment on this case study. If you have not received such an email please contact us.

What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2016 Sustainability Report Polymetal identified a range of material issues, such as

economic performance, occupational health and safety, procurement practices, anti-corruption, diversity and equal opportunity. Among these, managing waste responsibly stands out as a key material issue for Polymetal.

Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:

“The organization should identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process s of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.

Key stakeholder groups Polymetal engages with:   

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Investors and shareholders	·      AGM/GM ·      Annual and Sustainability Reports ·      Investor conferences and one-to-one meetings ·      Presentations/conference calls ·      Site visits ·      Direct correspondence
Employees	·      Employee opinion polls and questionnaires ·      Workers’ councils ·      Internal hotline, website, suggestion boxes and grievance mechanisms ·      Meetings and face-to-face communication with management ·      Performance reviews ·      Annual direct line with the Group CEO
Suppliers and contractors	·      Direct correspondence ·      Contractual relationships ·      Meetings and trainings ·      Compliance audits with Polymetal’s requirements with focus on safety
Government and industry authorities	·      Working groups ·      Meetings ·      Direct correspondence ·      Industry conferences
Communities and NGOs	·      Opinion polls and questionnaires ·      Public and face-to-face meetings ·      Communication with Company managers ·      Press conferences ·      Working groups (for NGOs) ·      Grievance mechanisms ·      Email and telephone helplines

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics, Polymetal engaged with its stakeholders through a questionnaire and personal meetings.

What actions were taken by Polymetal to manage waste responsibly?

In its 2016 Sustainability Report Polymetal reports that it took the following actions for managing waste responsibly:

• Reducing harmful materials and waste
• In order to minimise its impact, Polymetal drives efficiency in material use. For example, Polymetal identifies the most harmful materials in its operational processes – such as explosives, drilling parts and mill balls for grinding – and tries to reduce the volumes of these materials, without impacting quality. Polymetal’s audit teams conduct regular internal checks and assess Polymetal’s compliance with national and regional standards, and government agencies carry out regular environmental performance spot-checks at Polymetal’s facilities.

• Recycling waste
• Wherever possible, Polymetal re-uses the waste generated within its operations and has developed systems and procedures that enable it to maximise the amounts recycled, and minimise waste to landfill. Polymetal also finds uses for its waste outside of the company. For example, at Amursk POX Polymetal signed a contract in 2016 with a waste recycling company to provide them with 300 kg of packaging (PE, PP, wood) for incineration and energy production. Where Polymetal can’t recycle or re-use materials, it disposes of them at its own waste facilities or outsources waste disposal to external companies.

• Responsibly handling cyanide
• Polymetal’s production methods involve several harmful consumables among which the largest is cyanide, which generates hazardous waste during the recovery of gold from the ore Polymetal processes. Polymetal is rigorous in its handling, management and monitoring of cyanide, due to its hazardous potential. Polymetal’s approach involves identifying all related hazards, strictly controlling all cyanide levels in its tailings, and monitoring air, soil, surface and ground waters. Polymetal also provides environmental monitoring results to public authorities, and implements environmental protection measures which include the design, construction and monitoring of tailings dams, and the monitoring of water sources and quality, riverbed changes and associated drainage. Additionally, in 2016 Polymetal became signatory to the International Cyanide Management Code, followed by the certification of Amursk POX. To make sure there is no waste, Polymetal always uses 100% of the volumes of cyanide it purchases, and also takes a cautious approach to the transportation of hazardous materials. In 2016, Polymetal did not transport, import or export any waste deemed hazardous under the terms of the Basel Convention 2, Annex I, II, III and VIII.

Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 301-2 Recycled input materials used

2) Disclosure 306-2 Waste by type and disposal method

3) Disclosure 306-4 Transport of hazardous waste

 

Disclosure 301-2 Recycled input materials used corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Materials efficiency
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Business theme: Materials efficiency/recycling

Disclosure 306-2 Waste by type and disposal method corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages
• Business theme: Spills
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
• Business theme: Waste, Water-related ecosystems and biodiversity
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Business theme: Waste

Disclosure 306-4 Transport of hazardous waste corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages
• Business theme: Spills
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Business theme: Waste

 

78% of the world’s 250 largest companies report in accordance with the GRI Standards

SustainCase was primarily created to demonstrate, through case studies, the importance of dealing with a company’s most important impacts in a structured way, with use of the GRI Standards. To show how today’s best-run companies are achieving economic, social and environmental success – and how you can too.

Research by well-recognised institutions is clearly proving that responsible companies can look to the future with optimism.

7 GRI sustainability disclosures get you started

Any size business can start taking sustainability action

GRI, ISEP, CPD Certified Sustainability courses (2-5 days): Live Online or Classroom  (venue: London School of Economics)

• Exclusive FBRH template to begin reporting from day one
• Identify your most important impacts on the Environment, Economy and People
• Formulate in group exercises your plan for action. Begin taking solid, focused, all-round sustainability action ASAP. 
• Benchmarking methodology to set you on a path of continuous improvement

See upcoming training dates.

 

References:

1) This case study is based on published information by Polymetal, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning.  If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:

http://database.globalreporting.org/

2) http://www.fbrh.co.uk/en/global-reporting-initiative-gri-g4-guidelines-download-page

3) https://g4.globalreporting.org/Pages/default.aspx

4) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

Note to Polymetal: With each case study we send out an email requesting a comment on this case study. If you have not received such an email please contact us.

What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2016 Sustainability Report Ambev identified a range of material issues, such as

product safety and quality, energy efficiency, atmospheric emissions, economic performance, development of human capital. Among these, reducing and recycling waste stands out as a key material issue for Ambev.

Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:

“The organization should identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process s of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.

Key stakeholder groups Ambev engages with:   

Stakeholder Group

Government

Academia

Investors

Suppliers

Customers

Press

Civil society

Health sector

Companies

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics Ambev engaged with its stakeholders through in-depth individual interviews with representatives of all stakeholder groups, i.e. government, academia, investors, suppliers, customers, the press, civil society, the health sector and companies.

What actions were taken by Ambev to reduce and recycle waste?

In its 2016 Sustainability Report Ambev reports that it took the following actions for reducing and recycling waste:

• Implementing the Ambev Recycles programme
• In 2016, through the Ambev Recycles programme, Ambev provided direct support for 54 cooperatives in 19 cities across Brazil. This includes over 1,600 cooperative members who recycled and commercialised more than 38,000 metric tons of recyclable material, a substantial increase compared with 2015. Additionally, Ambev invested in the installation of 15 voluntary drop off points that collected more than 1,500 metric tons of material. In 2016 alone, Ambev organised over 100 environmental education activities directly impacting more than 11,000 people, promoting the question of recycling in a number of communities. In 2016 Ambev also consolidated the use of returnable beer packs and implemented a communication plan to explain to consumers that returnable bottles are better for the environment, because they may be used up to 20 times. Overall, the Ambev Recycles programme benefits consumers, cooperatives, society and the environment, and encompasses five activity fronts:
  • Environmental education;
  • Support for cooperatives;
  • Voluntary waste drop-off points;
  • Foment for the recycling movement;
  • Sustainable packaging.

• Reducing the volume of raw materials in packaging
• Ambev is engaged in reducing the volume of raw materials in its packaging. In recent years, the weight and the size of labels have decreased, and Ambev bottle caps are smaller. In 2016, Ambev also stepped up investments in returnable bottles that have a lower environmental impact and, since 2013, has avoided the generation of more than 25,000 metric tons of waste, by reducing the weight of its packaging in Brazil. In addition, Ambev avoided the circulation of 2.5 million metric tons of glass in 2016, a volume equivalent to the waste generated by 6.5 million Brazilians in the course of a year. Ambev’s efforts to expand the use of returnable packs have also been extremely successful, and the volume of returnable packs commercialised in supermarkets grew by 23% in 2016.

Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 301-3 Reclaimed products and their packaging materials

2) Disclosure 306-2 Waste by type and disposal method

 

Disclosure 301-3 Reclaimed products and their packaging materials corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Resource efficiency of products and services
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Business theme: Resource efficiency of products and services

Disclosure 306-2 Waste by type and disposal method corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages
• Business theme: Spills
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
• Business theme: Waste, Water-related ecosystems and biodiversity
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Business theme: Waste

 

78% of the world’s 250 largest companies report in accordance with the GRI Standards

SustainCase was primarily created to demonstrate, through case studies, the importance of dealing with a company’s most important impacts in a structured way, with use of the GRI Standards. To show how today’s best-run companies are achieving economic, social and environmental success – and how you can too.

Research by well-recognised institutions is clearly proving that responsible companies can look to the future with optimism.

7 GRI sustainability disclosures get you started

Any size business can start taking sustainability action

GRI, ISEP, CPD Certified Sustainability courses (2-5 days): Live Online or Classroom  (venue: London School of Economics)

• Exclusive FBRH template to begin reporting from day one
• Identify your most important impacts on the Environment, Economy and People
• Formulate in group exercises your plan for action. Begin taking solid, focused, all-round sustainability action ASAP. 
• Benchmarking methodology to set you on a path of continuous improvement

See upcoming training dates.

 

References:

1) This case study is based on published information by Ambev, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning.  If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:

http://database.globalreporting.org/

2) http://www.fbrh.co.uk/en/global-reporting-initiative-gri-g4-guidelines-download-page

3) https://g4.globalreporting.org/Pages/default.aspx

4) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

Note to Ambev: With each case study we send out an email requesting a comment on this case study. If you have not received such an email please contact us.

What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2018 Global Citizenship Report FedEx identified a range of material issues, such as driver and workplace safety, ethics, bribery and corruption, data security and privacy, business preparedness, resiliency and disaster response. Among these, promoting more efficient packaging stands out as a key material issue for FedEx.

Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:

“The reporting organization shall identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations and interests.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.

Key stakeholder groups FedEx engages with:  

Stakeholder Group

Customers

Industry groups

Investors

Sustainability experts

Nonprofits

Government agencies

Team members

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics, FedEx engaged with external stakeholders through a survey and roundtable engagement session.

What actions were taken by FedEx to promote more efficient packaging?

In its 2018 Global Citizenship Report FedEx reports that it took the following actions for promoting more efficient packaging:

• Increasing recycled packaging
• FedEx branded packaging – envelopes and corrugated boxes provided to customers and used to secure shipments in transit – makes up FedEx’s largest volume of material used. To minimise the potential for wasted packaging, FedEx works thoroughly to make sure packages are delivered free of any damage that could lead to a return and replacement. Most importantly, as the number of global shipments continues to grow, so does the volume of recycled packaging FedEx uses. In FY17, by working closely with suppliers, FedEx sourced approximately 3,300 more metric tons of recycled packaging than in FY16, focusing on increasing recycled content.

• Implementing dimensional weight pricing
• Engaging and supporting its customers in shipping packages more efficiently, is a key sustainability priority for FedEx. To achieve this goal, FedEx Express and FedEx Ground apply what is known as dimensional, or dim, weight pricing. This is a practice that sets the transportation price based on package volume – the amount of space a package occupies in relation to its actual weight – with dim weight calculated by using a package’s length, width and height. This approach enables FedEx to make the best use of space in its aircraft, vehicles and distribution centres, improves loading efficiency for planes, trucks
and vans, and reduces associated emissions. Additionally, dim weight pricing encourages customers to make packaging adjustments that maximise product density and reduce paper, corrugated board and filler materials, to support the sustainability of their operations.

• Helping customers right-size their packaging
• Optimising package size and design can reduce costs for FedEx’s customers, and minimise environmental impacts. Hence, FedEx Packaging Services offers custom engineering guidance and on-site support to commercial customers who seek to right-size their packaging. FedEx’s specialty engineers assess existing packaging and recommend more efficient designs, followed by laboratory performance testing to make sure the redesigned packaging meets customers’ needs with just the right amount of material. Customers submit a sample package including all the packaging materials and contents in the exact configuration they want to use, FedEx tests the package for strength, integrity and durability, and provides results in 4 to 5 business days. During FY17, the FedEx Packaging Lab carried out over 5,000 small parcel tests and 324 freight tests, and FedEx’s engineers completed almost 2,000 on-site customer consultations, providing 63 new designs to improve customer packaging, protect against product damage and offer dim weight savings.

Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 301-1 Materials used by weight or volume

2) Disclosure 301-2 Recycled input materials used

 

Disclosure 301-1 Materials used by weight or volume corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Materials efficiency
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Business theme: Materials efficiency/recycling

Disclosure 301-2 Recycled input materials used corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Materials efficiency
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Business theme: Materials efficiency/recycling

 

78% of the world’s 250 largest companies report in accordance with the GRI Standards

SustainCase was primarily created to demonstrate, through case studies, the importance of dealing with a company’s most important impacts in a structured way, with use of the GRI Standards. To show how today’s best-run companies are achieving economic, social and environmental success – and how you can too.

Research by well-recognised institutions is clearly proving that responsible companies can look to the future with optimism.

7 GRI sustainability disclosures get you started

Any size business can start taking sustainability action

GRI, ISEP, CPD Certified Sustainability courses (2-5 days): Live Online or Classroom  (venue: London School of Economics)

• Exclusive FBRH template to begin reporting from day one
• Identify your most important impacts on the Environment, Economy and People
• Formulate in group exercises your plan for action. Begin taking solid, focused, all-round sustainability action ASAP. 
• Benchmarking methodology to set you on a path of continuous improvement

See upcoming training dates.

 

References:

1) This case study is based on published information by FedEx, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:

http://database.globalreporting.org/

2) http://www.fbrh.co.uk/en/global-reporting-initiative-gri-g4-guidelines-download-page

3) https://g4.globalreporting.org/Pages/default.aspx

4) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

Note to FedEx: With each case study we send out an email requesting a comment on this case study. If you have not received such an email please contact us.

What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2017 Corporate Social Responsibility Report Compal identified a range of material issues, such as economic performance, market presence, labour-management relations, customer health and safety. Among these, reducing the environmental impact of its products stands out as a key material issue for Compal.

Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:

“The reporting organization shall identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations and interests.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.

Key stakeholder groups Compal engages with:

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Employees	·      Labour-management communication ·      Internal publications ·      Welfare Committee ·      Internet and employee comment box, sexual harassment complaint hotline, fraud or violation of ethical conduct report mailbox ·      Compal_CSR FB fan page push notification and opinions response ·      Education and training
Customers	·      Regular communication and discussion conference ·      Email discussion ·      Customer audits ·      Customers’ supplier conferences
Investors/ Shareholders	·      Shareholders’ meeting ·      Shareholder hotline/mailbox ·      Investor seminar ·      Market Observation Post
Suppliers	·      Supplier conferences ·      Email discussion ·      Supplier online assessment and on-site audit ·      Supplier complaints mailbox ·      Internal supplier system
Government	·      Correspondence ·      Participation in Government Projects ·      Participation in regulatory seminars/conferences ·      Actual Visits
Non-profit Organisations	·      Participation in charity events ·      On-site Visits ·      Email ·      Telephone Contact
Media	·      Press releases ·      Press conferences
Community	·      Participation in community activities ·      Email Discussion ·      Telephone Discussion

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics, Compal engaged with its stakeholders through questionnaires, which were complemented by a new round of stakeholder surveys in 2018.

What actions were taken by Compal to reduce the environmental impact of its products?

In its 2017 Corporate Social Responsibility Report Compal reports that it took the following actions for reducing the environmental impact of its products:

• Making products easier to recycle and environmentally friendly
• When designing its products Compal uses, as much as possible, environmentally friendly materials, also introducing numerous design improvements to make products easier to recycle. The environmental, sustainable and renewable designs that Compal implements include the following:
  • prohibiting or reducing the use of hazardous substances
  • using only one type of plastic materials, where appropriate
  • introducing renewable and bio-degradable plastics into electronic products
  • using plastic materials compatible with surface treatment materials, so that products can be recycled and reused
  • designing products in ways that make them easy to disassemble and recycle
  • using modularised designs so that main parts can be replaced and upgraded, extending the product life cycle
  • printing recycling labels on packaging materials, as a reminder to consumers
  • making sure all plastic objects weighing 25 grams or more have contents labelled in detail, to facilitate recycling

• In addition, Compal designs all its products in accordance with WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) standards, which require that at least 65% of the materials used are recyclable. For main notebook brand clients, Compal designs products to enable an even higher recycling rate (96%-100%).

• Optimising packaging
• Compal is constantly improving packaging design to reduce, simplify and make the optimum use of packaging materials, minimising their environmental impacts. Compal’s achievements in recent years include:
  • In 2011, Compal launched its patented square package design, which not only requires fewer resources but also enables consumers to keep the package and use it as a storage box.
  • In 2012, Compal replaced EPE (Expanded Polyethylene) materials with 100% recyclable cardboard.
  • In 2014, Compal increased the number of products per pallet from 78-84 to 102-120.
  • In 2015, Compal optimised EPE cushions for notebook PCs by consolidating the old 3-piece design into a single piece. By doing so, Compal reduced the use of packaging materials by 50% and materials surface by 48%.
  • In 2017, Compal greatly increased the use of automated equipment for picking, sealing, labelling and exterior examining before shipping, to reduce the human error rate.

Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 301-1 Materials used by weight or volume

2) Disclosure 301-3 Reclaimed products and their packaging materials

 

Disclosure 301-1 Materials used by weight or volume corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Materials efficiency
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Business theme: Materials efficiency/recycling

Disclosure 301-3 Reclaimed products and their packaging materials corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Resource efficiency of products and services
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Business theme: Resource efficiency of products and services

 

78% of the world’s 250 largest companies report in accordance with the GRI Standards

SustainCase was primarily created to demonstrate, through case studies, the importance of dealing with a company’s most important impacts in a structured way, with use of the GRI Standards. To show how today’s best-run companies are achieving economic, social and environmental success – and how you can too.

Research by well-recognised institutions is clearly proving that responsible companies can look to the future with optimism.

7 GRI sustainability disclosures get you started

Any size business can start taking sustainability action

GRI, ISEP, CPD Certified Sustainability courses (2-5 days): Live Online or Classroom  (venue: London School of Economics)

• Exclusive FBRH template to begin reporting from day one
• Identify your most important impacts on the Environment, Economy and People
• Formulate in group exercises your plan for action. Begin taking solid, focused, all-round sustainability action ASAP. 
• Benchmarking methodology to set you on a path of continuous improvement

See upcoming training dates.

 

References:

1) This case study is based on published information by Compal, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:

http://database.globalreporting.org/

2)  https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

Note to Compal: With each case study we send out an email requesting a comment on this case study. If you have not received such an email please contact us.

What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2015 Sustainability Report Desso identified a range of material issues, such as customer health & safety, product environmental impact, material health, environmental impact of supply-chain, natural & social capital accounting. Among these, designing and producing recyclable products containing recycled content stands out as a key material issue for Desso.

Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:

“The organization should identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.

Key stakeholder groups Desso engages with:   

Stakeholder Group

Academia

Consultants

Customers

Employees

Governments

Industry and trade associations

NGO’s

Reporting agencies

Shareholders

Suppliers

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify material topics, Desso carried out a stakeholder survey, sending out a total of 198 surveys, of which 62 were completed by stakeholders (a 31% response rate).

What actions were taken by Desso to design and produce recyclable products containing recycled content?

In its 2015 Sustainability Report Desso reports that it took the following actions for designing and producing recyclable products containing recycled content:

• Making sure products meet the requirements of the Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard
• Desso makes sure its products are certified according to the Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard which, among others, requires designers and manufacturers to:
  • maximize the percentage of renewable materials or recycled content in a product
  • maximize the percentage of materials that may be safely reused, recycled or composted
  • designate products as biological (may safely return to nature)

• Increasing recycled content contained in carpets, carpet tiles and sports pitches
• In 2014, the amount of defined recycled content for carpets, carpet tiles and sports pitches more than doubled from 5% in 2013 to 10.5%, and doubled once more in 2015, to 20 per cent.

• Using eco-effective design for products
• Desso, in accordance with the Cradle to Cradle philosophy, puts a lot of emphasis on the early phases of product design, striving to achieve a better design in the first place, to make sure materials used will be healthy for use and recycling.

• Offering customers the option to lease rather than own carpets
• [tweetthis]By leasing carpets, Desso controls recycling and helps customers minimize their own impacts.[/tweetthis] In 2014, Desso and DLL, a global financial solutions partner, offered Desso’s customers the option to lease rather than own the carpets they require, which makes Desso better able to ensure products are returned for recycling.

Which GRI indicators/Standards have been addressed?

The GRI indicator addressed in this case is: G4-EN2: Percentage of materials used that are recycled input materials and the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 301-2 Recycled input materials used

 

78% of the world’s 250 largest companies report in accordance with the GRI Standards

SustainCase was primarily created to demonstrate, through case studies, the importance of dealing with a company’s most important impacts in a structured way, with use of the GRI Standards. To show how today’s best-run companies are achieving economic, social and environmental success – and how you can too.

Research by well-recognised institutions is clearly proving that responsible companies can look to the future with optimism.

FBRH GRI Standards Certified and ISEP approved Sustainability Course | Venue: London LSE

By registering for the next 2-day FBRH GRI-Standards Certified and ISEP approved Course you will be taking the first step in gaining the many benefits of sustainability reporting.

 

References:

1) This case study is based on published information by Desso, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:

http://database.globalreporting.org/

2) http://www.fbrh.co.uk/en/global-reporting-initiative-gri-g4-guidelines-download-page

3) https://g4.globalreporting.org/Pages/default.aspx

4) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

Note to Desso: With each case study we send out an email to your listed address in request for a comment on this case study. If you have not received such an email please contact us.

What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2014 GRI Report PepsiCo identified a range of material issues, such as public policy engagement, innovating healthier options, responsibly marketing PepsiCo products, climate change, talent attraction, engagement & growth, human rights, workplace safety. Among these, innovating its packaging to make it increasingly sustainable stands out as a key material issue for PepsiCo, given the company’s commitment to strive for the smallest possible environmental footprint while still meeting the value, cost and performance criteria expected by consumers and customers.

Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:

“The organization should identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.

Key stakeholder groups PepsiCo engages with:

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Consumers	·         Consumer insights ·         Dedicated, 24-hour, toll-free phone line ·         Contact pages on branded websites ·         Social media
Retail and Food Service Customers	·         Annual retail customer survey ·         Dedicated customer teams
Communities	·         Volunteer programs ·         Community service ·         Outreach by local offices/ manufacturing sites, etc. ·         Availability of Speak Up
Employees	·         Human Resources tools and representatives ·         Individual action plans and performance goals ·         Organizational health surveys and pulse surveys ·         Speak Up ·         Employee forums ·         Social media
Suppliers	·         In-person meetings ·         Environmental Supplier Outreach Program ·         Supplier Social Capability Management Program ·         Live and pre-recorded webinars
Investors	·         Ongoing dialogue through in-person meetings and conference calls ·         Annual shareholder meetings ·         Earnings calls and investor forums ·         Participation in organizations such as the Harvard Law School Program on Corporate Governance, the Stanford University Rock Center for Corporate Governance, the Council of Institutional Investors and the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance
Partnerships	·         Ongoing dialogue through in-person meetings and conference calls ·         Individual engagement plans for each partnership
NGOs	·         Individual discussions on specific issues

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

Throughout the year, PepsiCo regularly engages with its stakeholders on a wide variety of issues. PepsiCo listens carefully and gathers information and opinions from its employees, shareholders, the communities in which it operates, its customers, consumers of its products, regulatory agencies, nongovernmental organizations and other interested stakeholders.

PepsiCo’s stakeholder engagement efforts throughout the year continue to inform its GRI reporting and overarching sustainability strategy. PepsiCo prioritizes the topics it reports on publicly and focuses on those topics most important to PepsiCo and its key stakeholders.

In 2013, PepsiCo completed a formal assessment to identify Material Aspects or what the GRI Sustainability Reporting Guidelines define as those matters that are most important socially, environmentally and economically to both internal and external stakeholders. PepsiCo’s initial assessment of Material Aspects resulted in 16 topics across its three PwP pillars (Human Sustainability, Environmental Sustainability and Talent Sustainability) and financial and corporate governance performance areas. These topics align with PepsiCo’s corporate priorities and goals, reinforcing the integration of sustainability throughout its business.

In 2014, PepsiCo presented its analysis and process for determining its Material Aspects as well as the final list of Material Aspects with stakeholders at its biannual Ceres Stakeholder Forum. No new topics emerged during this forum. However, based on stakeholder feedback, PepsiCo consolidated several topics, made Human Rights a stand-alone Material Aspect and included Land Use as part of its Agriculture Material Aspect.

What actions were taken by PepsiCo to innovate its packaging to make it increasingly sustainable, minimizing PepsiCo’s impact on the environment?

In its 2014 GRI Report PepsiCo set the following targets for innovating its packaging to make it increasingly sustainable, minimizing PepsiCo’s impact on the environment, based on the company’s approach to materiality – on taking action on what matters, where it matters:

• Reducing PepsiCo’s packaging

Initiatives to reduce packaging include lightweighting, film down-gauging, bag optimization, carton size reduction and much more. In 2014, PepsiCo eliminated over 11 million pounds of film packaging and over 29 million pounds of corrugated packaging from its global food and snacks packaging by down-gauging, reducing seal widths and right-sizing both primary and secondary packaging, delivering a combined cost savings of nearly $20 million. On the beverage side of the business, PepsiCo eliminated 46 million pounds of packaging (20 million fewer pounds of plastic, 23 million fewer pounds of paper-based packaging and 3 million fewer pounds of aluminum) versus 2013, through container lightweighting, packaging optimization and improved design for beverages globally. Some specific initiatives that have driven these results include the following:

• PepsiCo’s East Europe region replaced traditional stretch wrap, applied by wrapping all four sides of a package from top to bottom in film, with an innovative shrink hood, eliminating 1 million pounds of plastic.
• Frito-Lay North America reuses its shipping cartons more than five times on average, avoiding the purchase of 295,000 new cartons and reducing 240,000 pounds of CO₂e, which is equivalent to 44,750 gallons of gasoline. Spent cartons are recycled.
• Frito-Lay Canada ships many of its products to customers in reusable corrugate cartons that are used more than five times on average, eliminating the need to purchase over 30 million new cartons.

• Increasing the recycled content and recyclability of PepsiCo’s packaging

PepsiCo is committed to increasing the content of post-consumer or post-industrial material in its packaging. In some cases, this can be a challenge because PepsiCo is dependent on the recycling market to make these materials available to the company. Additionally, all packaging must meet PepsiCo’s high safety standards. PepsiCo’s team continues to work to secure a greater share of the post-consumer material currently available, while also working to increase supplier capacity, advance new technologies to make recycling easier and more efficient and increase consumer recycling rates, thereby increasing the amount of material available. Recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) comes from plastic that has already been used for packaging, such as plastic bottles. Prior to being transformed into a new plastic bottle, the plastic is sorted and cleaned in accordance with food safety standards. PepsiCo is the only major beverage company consistently using rPET in its containers in the U.S. In 2014, PepsiCo used 134 million pounds of food-grade rPET, an increase of 23 percent or 25 million pounds versus 2013. In North America, PepsiCo’s beverage packaging included 111 million pounds of rPET in the U.S., which is 30 percent of the food-grade rPET that was available in 2013. In Germany, PepsiCo incorporated 18.7 million pounds of rPET into its bottles, an increase of approximately 85 percent versus 2013, nearly 42 percent of their total resin usage. PepsiCo’s France market sector used 4.4 million pounds of rPET, about 21 percent of their total PET packaging in 2014, with up to 50 percent content in individual product lines. PepsiCo and the MyShelter Foundation partnered to build the Liter of Light program, which brings eco-friendly light to communities in the Philippines living without electricity by recycling packaging materials. The bottle lights make use of everyday materials: PET, water, corrugated sheet metal and chlorine. Each light, lasting up to 10 years, costs about $2 and takes 30 minutes to install. As of April 2014, Liter of Light had installed 190,000 bottle lights in 95,000 homes and donated 800 solar-powered night lamps and 33 street lamps, partly through Pepsi donations and awareness initiatives.

• Helping consumers to recycle

Based on average recycling rates published by the American Beverage Association, the National Association of PET Container Resources, aluminum.org, corrugated.org, American Forest and Paper Association and the U.S. EPA department of Municipal Solid Waste, PepsiCo estimates that, in 2014, approximately 4.3 billion pounds of the 9.3 billion pounds of packaging material used by PepsiCo was recycled by the consumer. PepsiCo set a target to help increase the U.S. beverage container recycling rate to 50 percent by 2018. To contribute to this target, PepsiCo launched the PepsiCo Recycling program (formerly referred to as Dream Machine) in 2010. Since its inception, over 1,150 smart kiosks and 5,200 bins have been installed and more than 434 million post-consumer beverage containers have been recycled. In 2014, 119.9 million containers were collected from a range of locations including kiosks, schools and industrial locations. As of 2013, the U.S. beverage container recycling rate had reached 42 percent, according to an American Beverage Association report. According to a PepsiCo national survey, 81 percent of Americans say they would recycle beverage containers at a retail location if proper bins were available. PepsiCo Recycling expanded its recycling on-the-go partnership with three new retailers in 2014, placing over 700 additional recycling bins and collecting 27,000 pounds of recyclable materials –approximately 540,000 plastic bottles and aluminum cans – from the program. This “recycle-at-the-pump” program is helping retailers divert recyclables from landfill and provide recycling opportunities in places where they did not exist. PepsiCo has also engaged over 500,000 K–12 students on environmental leadership. In 2014, PepsiCo teamed up with K–12 schools in 33 states, collected 5.9 million recycled beverage containers and awarded more than $188,000 in grants and rewards for recycling and other eco-initiatives. Since 2010, PepsiCo has donated $1.67 million to the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities and will allocate additional funds over the next two years. Formed in 2014, PepsiCo’s “Recycle for Nature” partnership with The Nature Conservancy, the world’s largest conservation organization, is encouraging consumers to recycle more often to help protect drinking water sources throughout the U.S. This project is part of PepsiCo’s collaboration with Walmart to increase recycling and PepsiCo’s investment in the Closed Loop Fund, a program that provides financing to municipalities and other organizations to improve access to recycling when and where people need it. PepsiCo is now tackling both on-the-go and curbside recycling. For example, working with the NFL, the City of Phoenix and Keep Phoenix Beautiful during the 2015 Super Bowl, PepsiCo placed 500 specially designed recycling bins in the stadium and surrounding area. Additionally, hundreds of PepsiCo volunteers hit the streets to help make the Super Bowl clean and green.

Which GRI indicators/Standards have been addressed?

The GRI indicators/Standards addressed in this case are:

1) G4-EN1: Materials used by weight or volume – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 301-1 Materials used by weight or volume

2) G4-EN2: Percentage of materials used that are recycled input materials – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 301-2 Recycled input materials used

3) G4-EN28: Percentage of products sold and their packaging materials that are reclaimed by category – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 301-3 Reclaimed products and their packaging materials

 

References:

1) This case study was compiled using published information by PepsiCo which is located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses but made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original please revert to the following link:

http://www.pepsico.com/docs/album/sustainability-reporting/pep_rpt14_gri_v10.pdf?sfvrsn=2 (June 2015)

2) http://www.fbrh.co.uk/en/global-reporting-initiative-gri-g4-guidelines-download-page

3) https://g4.globalreporting.org/Pages/default.aspx

4) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

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