What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2020 Sustainability Report Challenger identified a range of material issues, such as long-term risk management, better customer outcomes, changing operating environment, public policy settings, economic uncertainty. Among these, promoting business integrity stands out as a key material issue for Challenger.

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 Challenger engages with:

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

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Customers	·       Survey ·       Call centre ·       Website and social media ·       Presentations
Shareholders	·       Regular financial reporting ·       Investor Days ·       Management meetings with investors and prospective investors ·       Chair engagement with significant investors
Employees	·       Intranet and Yammer ·       Employee briefings ·       Surveys ·       Senior leadership forums ·       ESG workshops ·       Ongoing team meetings
Government & regulators	·       Policy analysis ·       Government and industry submissions ·       Industry forums and conferences ·       Ongoing meetings
Communities	·       Strategic partnership ·       Volunteering ·       Workplace giving & matching ·       Fundraising initiatives ·       Shared research activities

What actions were taken by Challenger to promote business integrity?

In its 2020 Sustainability Report Challenger reports that it took the following actions for promoting business integrity:

• Implementing a Code of Conduct
• In February 2020 Challenger refreshed and updated its Code of Conduct. The Code sets out expectations for how Challenger acts, solves problems and makes fair and balanced decisions. It brings together Challenger’s corporate values and its group policies and statements, outlining what is expected of leaders, how consequences are managed, and where employees can go to speak up. Challenger’s Code of Conduct sits across all areas of its business and applies to everyone, irrespective of their role, seniority or any other factor, and all Challenger employees have a shared Delivering on the UN SDGs responsibility to apply it consistently.

• Applying a Political Donations policy
• Challenger has taken the approach of not making political donations and understands the importance of following best practice approaches and remaining flexible to changing community expectations. At the same time, Challenger engages actively with politicians and other government representatives to contribute to effective public policy outcomes in a way that meets the expectations of its stakeholders and supports its customers and business.

• Implementing a Privacy policy
• Challenger follows a ‘privacy-by-design’ approach, where privacy drives decision-making processes. This approach applies to every stakeholder and is used throughout Challenger’s Challenger’s Privacy policy sets out its approach for making sure it manages its customers’ information in a way that meets existing privacy regulations and customers’ expectations. Challenger has had no significant privacy complaints or breaches during the 2020 financial year and was not required to make any data breach reports to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner under Australia’s Notifiable Data Breaches scheme during the year.

• Developing a Whistleblower policy
• Challenger is committed to demonstrating transparency and enhancing stakeholder trust. Through its whistleblower provisions, employees, contractors, former employees, suppliers, service providers and relatives are encouraged to speak up. Challenger’s Whistleblower policy outlines the process for raising concerns and the protections and support available to whistleblowers. Challenger provides an independent whistleblower service so users can easily raise concerns through multiple channels and be assured of their anonymity if they desire.

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

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 415-1 Political contributions

2) Disclosure 418-1 Substantiated complaints concerning breaches of customer privacy and losses of customer data

3) Disclosure 419-1 Non-compliance with laws and regulations in the social and economic area

 

Disclosure 415-1 Political contributions corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
• Targets: 16.5

Disclosure 418-1 Substantiated complaints concerning breaches of customer privacy and losses of customer data corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
• Targets: 16.3, 16.10

Disclosure 419-1 Non-compliance with laws and regulations in the social and economic area corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
• Targets: 16.3

 

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 Challenger, 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 Challenger: 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 Sustainability Report Stantec identified a range of material issues, such as energy use, emissions, occupational health and safety, diversity and equal opportunity, procurement practices, customer privacy. Among these, adhering to ethical business practices stands out as a key material issue for Stantec.

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 Stantec engages with:

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Employees	·      Employee engagement surveys ·      Focus groups ·      One-on-one meetings ·      Integrity Hotline (third party) ·      Post-acquisition surveys ·      Diversity and Inclusion councils ·      Career Development Performance Reviews ·      Employee Resource Groups
Clients	·      Regular meetings with account managers ·      Ad-hoc meetings and calls with account and project managers and senior leaders ·      Brown-bag get-togethers to share lessons learned and best practices ·      Client surveys, questionnaires, and requests for proposals ·      Debriefs and bidder conferences for proposed projects ·      Informal discussions at industry and professional association events ·      Joint participation on technical committees
Investors	·      Annual General Meetings ·      Earnings conference calls ·      Investor conference presentations ·      Ad-hoc meetings and calls with Investor Relations and Finance teams ·      Investor disclosure requests ·      Industry research and publications ·      Informal discussions at industry and professional association events
Communities	·      Stantec in the Community Week (across the Company) ·      Locally driven engagement initiatives (varies by region and locale)
Subcontractors and business partners	·      Subcontractor prequalifications ·      Joint project work ·      Ad-hoc meetings with project managers and senior leaders
Vendors	·      Contract negotiations ·      Quarterly business reviews ·      Ad-hoc meetings with Procurement team
Regulators	·      Interactions during project work ·      Informal discussions at industry and professional association events ·      Joint participation on technical committees
Industry	·      Informal discussions at industry and professional association events ·      Joint participation on technical committees

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics Stantec used various tools and processes to ask key stakeholders to focus on their relationship with Stantec, and to identify what sustainability issues mattered most to them.

What actions were taken by Stantec to adhere to ethical business practices?

In its 2017 Sustainability Report Stantec reports that it took the following actions for adhering to ethical business practices:

• Implementing a Code of Business Conduct
• Stantec’s Code of Business Conduct Policy explains its expectations for employee behaviour and sets global standards to follow in day-to-day work. All employees, officers, directors and contractors must take Ethics and Code of Business Conduct training once a year. Training topics include ethical behaviour, code of conduct, conflicts of interest, global anti-bribery and anti-corruption, government contracting, harassment and discrimination, privacy, political activities, political and charitable contributions, sponsorships, and social responsibility.

• Providing employees with an integrity hotline
• Stantec encourages employees to speak up if they notice unethical or unlawful behaviours. Employees can report concerns confidentially and anonymously through the Company’s toll-free Integrity Hotline (managed by a third party). Stantec does not tolerate retaliation against employees voicing concerns.

• Dealing with conflicts of interest and corruption risks
• Stantec employees must avoid conflicts of interest at all times when dealing with current or potential clients, subconsultants, vendors, contractors and competitors. To reduce the risk of corruption, Stantec implements appropriate mitigation strategies: all operations are assessed regularly for conflicts of interest and corruption risk, and the economic and political conditions of the markets Stantec serves are closely monitored.

• Implementing a formal approval process for contributions and sponsorships
• Stantec’s policies on charitable contributions and sponsorships are covered in employee training. Requests for contributions and sponsorships go through a formal approval process, with legal counsel oversight if needed. Stantec does not make political contributions to individual politicians, nor does it reimburse employees who choose to make them.

• Applying a Partner Code of Business Conduct
• In 2017, Stantec implemented a new Partner Code of Business Conduct programme to minimise the potential for problems within its supply chain. Accordingly, vendors, subcontractors, and partners are asked to apply business practices consistent with Stantec’s standards. Before being awarded work, they have to agree to comply with Stantec’s Partner Code of Business Conduct, which covers, among others, employment practices, health and safety, environment, human rights, discrimination, anti-bribery, intellectual property and privacy.

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

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 205-1 Operations assessed for risks related to corruption

2) Disclosure 205-2 Communication and training about anti-corruption policies and procedures

3) Disclosure 415-1 Political contributions

 

Disclosure 205-1 Operations assessed for risks related to corruption corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
• Business theme: Anti-corruption

Disclosure 205-2 Communication and training about anti-corruption policies and procedures corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
• Business theme: Anti-corruption

Disclosure 415-1 Political contributions corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
• Business theme: Anti-corruption

 

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 Stantec, 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 Stantec: 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 Global Responsibility Report Nielsen identified a range of material issues, such as product and service responsibility, data privacy, security and integrity, market responsiveness and proactivity, employee relations, business ethics and integrity. Among these, as a leading global information, data and measurement company, operating in more than 100 countries, creating value for society as a whole stands out as a key material issue for Nielsen.

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 Nielsen engages with:  

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Employees	·         Nielsen Voice employee satisfaction survey ·         Regular employee interactions with managers and senior leaders ·         Check-Ins between managers and associates ·         Social media platforms such as Yammer, Nielsen’s internal social network
Clients	·         Client and industry committees ·         Data Science Board
Research panelists	·         Panelist privacy FAQs
Communities	·         Nielsen Cares ·         U.S. Strategic Community Alliances and Consumer Engagement team
Public and policymakers	·         Digital IQ website
Shareholders	·         Investor Relations and SEC Reporting teams

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

Nielsen used its expertise in data collection and analysis to collect stakeholder feedback through surveys, focus groups, social media platforms, interviews and meetings. In total, more than 30 interviews were conducted and over 200 internal and external stakeholders were engaged.

What actions were taken by Nielsen to create value for society as a whole through its research expertise?

In its 2015 Global Responsibility Report Nielsen reports that it took the following actions for creating value for society as a whole through its research expertise:

• Collaborating with universities
• Nielsen works together with academic institutions in a number of ways, including:
  • assisting with curriculum design
  • offering dissertation and research grants
  • providing research findings and online education regarding market analytics
  • engaging with universities through guest lectures, research collaborations, office visits, academic internships and professional development workshops

• Advancing UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through Project 8
• Nielsen played a key role in the creation of Project 8, an online data collaboration platform intended to help researchers across different sectors share, compare, analyze and discuss data related to sustainable development.

• Helping Good World Solutions with survey design
• Nielsen data scientists assist Good World Solutions – a nonprofit organization aimed at improving the lives of factory workers worldwide by polling them on their working conditions, through their mobile phones – in designing survey questions and a range of related matters, using Nielsen’s expertise in survey design to help factory workers across the globe report about their working conditions – also delivering valuable data, regarding their sourcing practices, to multinational corporations.

• Entering into a strategic alliance with Special Olympics
• In October 2014 Nielsen entered into a strategic alliance with Special Olympics, to help the organization gain a deeper understanding of people with intellectual disabilities and their influence in communities (e.g. as consumers), through research, data and insights provided, assisting Special Olympics in creating more successful programs.

Which GRI indicators/Standards have been addressed?

The GRI indicators/Standards addressed in this case are:

1) G4-EC8: Significant indirect economic impacts, including the extent of impacts – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 203-2 Significant indirect economic impacts

2) G4-15: List externally developed economic, environmental and social charters, principles, or other initiatives to which the organization subscribes or which it endorses. – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 102-12 External initiatives

3) G4-16: List memberships of associations (such as industry associations) and national or international advocacy organizations in which the organization:

• • Holds a position on the governance body
  • Participates in projects or committees
  • Provides substantive funding beyond routine membership dues
  • Views membership as strategic – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 102-13 Membership of associations

4) G4-SO6: Total value of political contributions by country and recipient/beneficiary – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 415-1 Political contributions

 

References:

1) This case study is based on published information by Nielsen, 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 Nielsen: 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.