What are the material issues the company has identified?            

In its 2019 Sustainable Development Report Smurfit Kappa identified a range of material issues, such as climate change awareness, energy use and emissions, responsible forestry, high-quality and sustainable products. Among these, supporting the communities where it operates stands out as a key material issue for Smurfit Kappa.

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 Smurfit Kappa engages with: 

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Customers	·      Regular business meetings at Smurfit Kappa’s Experience Centres ·      Customer conferences ·      WBCSD membership ·      Awards and competitions run by customers
Investors	·      Investor days and conferences ·      One-to-one meetings ·      ESG ratings by rating agencies ·      Feedback from sustainability analysts ·      Queries directly from investors
Employees	·      MyVoice engagement surveys ·      Day-to-day interactions ·      Works Councils ·      Social committees
Communities	·      Participation in local initiatives ·      Supporting social investment projects
Suppliers	·      Supplier sustainability audits ·      Participating in the development of Forest Certification as members of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) ·      WBCSD membership

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics Smurfit Kappa conducted an online survey for internal stakeholders (employees) and interviews with key external stakeholders, such as customers, investors and suppliers.

What actions were taken by Smurfit Kappa to support the communities where it operates?

In its 2019 Sustainable Development Report Smurfit Kappa reports that it took the following actions for supporting the communities where it operates:

• Promoting community involvement
• Smurfit Kappa always considers the concerns of the wider community at national and international level. Community involvement builds trust and serves as a link to the issues important to Smurfit Kappa. Local general managers are expected to represent the Group as part of the local community and play a positive part in its development. In its philanthropic work, Smurfit Kappa focuses on self-help initiatives, education and health programmes, and contributes through financial donations and volunteering by local employees. The circular economy has an impact on communities as well, and Smurfit Kappa participates widely in local circular operations. Some examples of these are:
  • Delivering district heating from Smurfit Kappa’s paper mill to the residents of Piteå, Sweden
  • Supporting municipality water treatment systems with Smurfit Kappa’s effluent that has nutrients that help treat municipality waste water in Nettingsdorf, Austria and Nervión, Spain
  • Treating municipality waste water in Morava, Czech Republic
  • Maintaining rural road structures at Smurfit Kappa’s Colombian Forestry Operations
  • Collecting city-recovered paper in Malaga, Spain

• Launching the Smurfit Kappa Foundation
• The Smurfit Kappa Foundation was formed in 2011 and supports sustainable projects in the countries where Smurfit Kappa Smurfit Kappa focuses on projects involving disadvantaged children in the areas of health and nutrition, basic care and early education. Smurfit Kappa is particularly interested in projects in which Smurfit Kappa employees or their families are involved and where they would benefit from support from Smurfit Kappa’s Foundation. Any support Smurfit Kappa gives is in addition to and not a substitute for funding such projects might already receive from the local Smurfit Kappa operations. The Foundation’s goal is to end the cycle of poverty and dependence that exists in some of the communities and countries in which Smurfit Kappa operates, using the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as a guide. The projects Smurfit Kappa supports tackle global issues with local relevance, and operate under the ethos: ’Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’ Thus, Smurfit Kappa supports sustainable projects which involve input from the local community and are capable of becoming self-sufficient in the long-term.

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

The GRI Standards addressed in this are:

1) Disclosure 413-1 Operations with local community engagement, impact assessments, and development programs

2) Disclosure 413-2 Operations with significant actual and potential negative impacts on local communities

 

Disclosure 413-1 Operations with local community engagement, impact assessments, and development programs does not correspond to any SDG.

Disclosure 413-2 Operations with significant actual and potential negative impacts on local communities corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1: No Poverty
• Targets: 1.4
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: Zero Hunger
• Targets: 2.3

 

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 Smurfit Kappa, 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 Smurfit Kappa: 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 Sustainability Report PTI identified a range of material issues, such as business performance, workplace safety, ethical management, regulatory compliance, supplier management, labour rights. Among these, optimising water use stands out as a key material issue for PTI.

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 PTI engages with:

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Shareholders/ Investors	·      Shareholder meetings ·      Public financial reports ·      Investor conferences ·      Spokesperson and investor relations department ·      Company website
Employees	·      Employee welfare committee ·      Electronic platforms and company announcements ·      Policy improvement proposals ·      Labour-management meetings ·      Employee mailbox ·      Occupational safety and health committee ·      Employee psychological counselling ·      The World of PTI Quarterly
Customers	·      Business meetings ·      Customer satisfaction survey ·      Customer complaint system ·      Customer audit
Suppliers	·      Supplier meetings ·      Supplier audit ·      Supplier assessment ·      Supplier Social Responsibility Communication Workshop
Government Agencies	·      Official letters and emails ·      Advocacy meetings and hearings by the authorities ·      Issuing official letters
Communities	·      Company website ·      Public contact of the factory management department ·      Courses and visits

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics PTI engaged with its stakeholders through an online and paper-based survey, recovering a total of 541 valid copies of the survey’s questionnaire.

What actions were taken by PTI to optimise water use?

In its 2018 Corporate Sustainability Report PTI reports that it took the following actions for optimising water use:

• Promoting process water conservation
• PTI is keen on the utilisation and protection of water resources and has actively implemented, since 2009, a Process Wastewater Recycling System in all its plants, solving the problem of large amounts of silicon dioxide particulate matter from the process of wafer dicing and grinding. With the use of ultra-filtration, PTI filters out insoluble solids through the hollow fiber membrane, and steadily recycles and reuses the wastewater from the dicing and grinding process. The PTI Taiwan Plants capable of packaging process water recycling are the Hsinpu Plant (Plant 1), Hukou Plant (Plant 2), Datong Plant (3A Plant), Datong Plant (3C Plant), and Hsinchu Science Park Plant (P8). These Plants are installed with dicing/grinding wastewater recycling systems and the manageable hourly volume is designed based on the estimation of production needs. In response to PTI’s production plans the recycling systems are constantly expanding, with the recycling equipment efficiency rate reaching more than 85% from 2014 to 2018. The packaging process water consumption in 2018 was 2,388,357 tons, increased by 53,919 tons from 2017 – approximately a 2.3% increase – and the recycled water from the packaging process in 2018 was 1,227,588 tons, increased by 175,394 tons from 2017 (approximately a 16.7% increase). PTI continues to optimise the system, to increase water recycling volume and recycling effectiveness. In 2018, PTI Taiwan’s recycled water from the production process had a ratio of 90%, while recycled water from the packaging process had a ratio of 34%.

• Following the ISO 14046 Water Footprint Standard
• PTI cares about the issue of water resources and spontaneously and proactively takes part in the projects of the Industrial Development Bureau, Ministry of Economic Affairs. PTI follows the ISO 14046 Water Footprint Standard and has established the procedure for the inventory check of the water footprint of products, tools, forms, and fundamental inventory check ability, among others. The complete water management system is set up in order to meet the international requirement for disclosing water information. PTI’s Hukou Plant (Plant 2), Datong Plant (Plant 3A), and Datong Plant (Plant 3C) passed the verification procedure of SGS Taiwan Ltd. in 2017 and acquired the organisational and product (Flash) water footprint verification declaration, continuing to promote consistent water resource management within the factory and reducing the consumption of water resources, ensuring co-existence and co-prosperity between business operation and the environment.

• Managing wastewater responsibly
• PTI’s factories follow the applicable wastewater treatment requirements of the competent authority, with wastewater going through the factory sewage treatment system and processed till it reaches the effluent or control criteria before it is released. Wastewater management is also done through the real-time monitoring equipment and the flow meter and detector are calibrated periodically in order to ensure the accuracy of data and the stability of the processing system. Meanwhile, the plants go through impromptu water quality inspections from the competent authority and have been meeting the requirements. For rainwater gutters, periodic monitoring is carried out as well, in order to prevent against impacts from overflowing of wastewater to an external environment as a result of a storm. The total amount of wastewater discharged by PTI TW in 2018 was 1,784,241 tons, a decrease of 18,867 tons from 2017, mainly because of the increased re-utilisation rate of recycled water and the reduced emissions of wastewater (sewage).

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

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 303-1 Water withdrawal by source

2) Disclosure 303-3 Water recycled and reused

3) Disclosure 306-1 Water discharge by quality and destination

4) Disclosure 413-2 Operations with significant actual and potential negative impacts on local communities

 

Disclosure 303-1 Water withdrawal by source corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
• Business theme: Sustainable water withdrawals

Disclosure 303-3 Water recycled and reused corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
• Business theme: Water efficiency, Water recycling and reuse
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Water efficiency
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Business theme: Water efficiency

Disclosure 306-1 Water discharge by quality and destination corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages
• Business theme: Water quality
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
• Business theme: Water quality, Water-related ecosystems and biodiversity
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Business theme: Water quality
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
• Business theme: Water discharge to oceans

Disclosure 413-2 Operations with significant actual and potential negative impacts on local communities corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
• Business theme: Access to land
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
• Business theme: Access to land

 

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 & ISEP recognised Sustainability Course | Venue: London LSE

By registering for the next 2-day FBRH GRI Standards Certified & ISEP recognised 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 PTI, 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 PTI: 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 First Resources identified a range of material issues, such as labour conditions and human rights, business conduct and corruption, supply chain traceability and transparency, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, employee management and retention. Among these, supporting the communities where it operates stands out as a key material issue for First Resources.

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 First Resources engages with:

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

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Communities	·      Meetings with Community Development Officers
Customers	·      One-on-one communication ·      Website ·      Annual Report ·      Sustainability Report
Employees	·      Internal company portal ·      Internal company meetings ·      Performance review
Shareholders	·      Annual General Meeting ·      Website ·      SGXNET ·      Annual Report ·      Sustainability Report ·      One-on-one communication ·      Conferences/Non-Deal Roadshows
Banks and financial institutions	·      Website ·      SGXNET ·      Annual Report ·      Sustainability Report ·      One-on-one communication
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)	·      One-on-one communication ·      Website ·      Annual Report ·      Sustainability Report
Suppliers	·      One-on-one communication ·      Group sessions
Regulatory bodies (including government)	·      One-on-one communication ·      Reporting mechanisms ·      Multi-stakeholder forums

What actions were taken by First Resources to support the communities where it operates?

In its 2018 Sustainability Report First Resources reports that it took the following actions for supporting the communities where it operates:

• Increasing access to quality formal education
• First Resources recognises that education is fundamental for community growth and well-being and works to increase access to quality formal education for both the current and future generations of school-age children in its communities. First Resources currently manages 38 schools located within its plantation estates, which include 13 kindergartens, 19 elementary schools, four junior high schools and two preschools. These institutions employ more than 250 teachers and educate over 2,500 students. The educational practices adopted are similar to those at schools managed by the local government. First Resources contributes to the schools’ facilities and teaching aids, such as furniture, computers, electricity generators and books. All children of employees working on First Resources’ estates are provided with free education at the schools. Scholarships were also awarded to high-scoring children from less privileged families, having been selected by local education authorities. To motivate teachers that work with First Resources’ communities, and encourage a higher standard of teaching, First Resources offers them additional incentives, such as supplementary income. In 2018, First Resources allocated and invested almost IDR3 billion to support the education of children. In addition to awarding scholarships, First Resources also established an internship programme that is run in collaboration with more than 30 Indonesian universities. The programme offers students an opportunity to apply what they have learned, expand their knowledge and benefit from valuable on-the-job experience. In 2018, First Resources took in 296 interns, consisting of students from various universities and high schools.

• Supporting infrastructure development
• As well as enabling First Resources to run its own operational activities more efficiently, better infrastructure enables local communities, including farmers, cooperatives, associations, businesses and local government, to have better access to healthcare facilities, educational facilities and markets. First Resources consults local village leaders on which infrastructure projects to support. Accessibility to roads, better road conditions and connecting bridges will improve the mobility of rural communities and support local economies. The roads servicing First Resources’ operating areas – which First Resources shares with local communities – are maintained to minimise disruption to First Resources’ operations and to maintain strong links to the main transport network. In 2018, most of First Resources’ infrastructure projects were carried out in its development areas at East Kalimantan and West Kalimantan, where First Resources repaired 85 kilometres of roads and bridges.

• Extending access to healthcare
• First Resources has built more than 32 health clinics on its estates. These are staffed with qualified medical professionals, including at least one doctor and two nurses in each facility. The primary purpose of the clinics is to service First Resources’ employees and their families, but they are also open to local community members. The operating hours of the clinics are longer than those of the health posts managed by local government. Medical services such as immunisations for polio, measles and tuberculosis are available to communities upon request. First Resources has also established health-related community programmes, to improve the well-being of local residents and increase their awareness about the benefits of healthy living. Carried out in cooperation with local health authorities, the “Be Healthy with First Resources” programme includes treatments and advice for children, pregnant women and the elderly, as well as the coordination of blood donation drives.

• Improving access to clean water
• Infrastructure for delivering clean and potable water is severely lacking in some of the communities located near First Resources’ operations. First Resources has therefore made assisting villages with this basic need a priority within the scope of its community investment programme. First Resources’ efforts include the provision of clean water, new piping and water tanks, as well as the construction of new water wells for villages to ensure constant water flow. In 2018, this initiative reached three villages and benefitted over 246 families.

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

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 203-1 Infrastructure investments and services supported

2) Disclosure 203-2 Significant indirect economic impacts

 

Disclosure 203-1 Infrastructure investments and services supported corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
• Business theme: Infrastructure investments
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
• Business theme: Infrastructure investments
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
• Business theme: Infrastructure investments
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
• Business theme: Infrastructure investments
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
• Business theme: Infrastructure investments

 Disclosure 203-2 Significant indirect economic impacts corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
• Business theme: Availability of products and services for those on low incomes, Economic development in areas of high poverty
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
• Business theme: Changing the productivity of organizations, sectors, or the whole economy
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages
• Business theme: Access to medicines
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Changing the productivity of organizations, sectors, or the whole economy, Indirect impact on job creation, Jobs supported in the supply chain
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
• Business theme: Economic development in areas of high poverty, Foreign direct investment
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
• Business theme: Foreign direct investment

 

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 First Resources, 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 First Resources: 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 Chemplast Sanmar identified a range of material issues, such as economic performance, energy, occupational health and safety, material usage, labour-management relations. Among these, enhancing the living standards of local communities stands out as a key material issue for Chemplast Sanmar.

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 Chemplast Sanmar engages with:

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Nearby communities	·      Need-based regular interaction by public relations function and discussion/meeting with community representatives ·      Open dialogue with local communities ·      Survey to derive the priorities on community development initiatives/programmes ·      Celebration of cultural festivals/ occasions
Government and regulating authorities	·      Monthly inspections ·      Periodical reports ·      Regular interactions/review
Employees	·      Intranet facilities ·      Monthly reports ·      Internal magazines ·      Communication meetings ·      Training programmes ·      Drills
Customers	·      Discussions ·      Personal interactions on an ongoing basis ·      Plant visit
Suppliers/ transporters	·      Discussions ·      Personal interactions on a regular basis ·      Plant visit ·      Quarterly transporters meet ·      Daily vehicle GPS monitoring report
Media	·      Advertisements ·      Press conference ·      Interviews of senior management
Contract labours	·      Induction training ·      Training programme on various safety topics ·      ‘Tool Box’ in the morning ·      Fire drills ·      Emergency response training

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics Chemplast Sanmar carried out workshops with key stakeholder groups, including regular employees, contract employees, suppliers, customers, and regulators. In these workshops, Chemplast Sanmar distributed carefully designed questionnaires to obtain a quantitative rating of sustainability topics, based on stakeholder views.

What actions were taken by Chemplast Sanmar to enhance the living standards of local communities?

In its 2017-18 Sustainability Report Chemplast Sanmar reports that it took the following actions for enhancing the living standards of local communities:

• Supporting rural health
• Chemplast Sanmar regularly organises mega medical camps near its plant facilities. The number of beneficiaries have been 542 and 210 at Mettur and Karaikal, respectively. Chemplast Sanmar also ran three rural health centres at Chitrapettai, Nochikadu and Semmankuppam villages in the Cuddalore region and four rural health centres at Veeranur, Thangamapuripattinam, Panangadu and Mottur in Mettur region, for which it provided regular aid for their smooth functioning. The total number of beneficiaries were 8518 and 17084 at Mettur and Cuddalore, respectively. Additionally, Chemplast Sanmar arranged various awareness campaigns such as a puppet show on Dengue awareness at the Mettur facility. Chemplast Sanmar’s support for inculcating best hygiene practices also included supplying dustbins to the ESI hospital, to help prevent disease-spread. The total expenditure incurred by Chemplast Sanmar in this focus area for 2017-18, was INR 1,683,017 for all plant facilities combined.

• Advancing rural education
• Chemplast Sanmar’s initiatives towards building an educated and well-aware society involve book donation drives, awareness campaigns, donations to village schools for carrying out development activities and running evening tuition centres at various locations. In 2017-18, there were 72 and 84 school children benefitting at the Karaikal and Mettur evening tuition centres respectively. The consolidated budget for the reporting year’s initiatives undertaken in the rural education sector amounted to INR 646,890.

• Increasing access to water
• Approximately 55% of Chemplast Sanmar’s CSR expenditure is utilised to provide access to water to local communities. Various developmental activities, like installation of water facilities at primary schools, water supplies to rural areas, desilting operation at Stanley reservoir were carried out as part of Chemplast Sanmar’s CSR programme and, in 2017-18, the quantity of drinking water supplied to nearby communities of Mettur covering 25 villages in 3 panchayats was 488372 KL. Overall, a total expenditure of approximately INR 6,053,664 was made by Chemplast Sanmar in the financial year 2017-18, towards access to water. Other CSR initiatives undertaken by Chemplast Sanmar included donations towards necessary infrastructural development, carrying out celebrations of events at temples and community areas, and livelihood generation initiatives.

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

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 203-1 Infrastructure investments and services supported

2) Disclosure 413-1 Operations with local community engagement, impact assessments, and development programs

 

Disclosure 203-1 Infrastructure investments and services supported corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
• Business theme: Infrastructure investments
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
• Business theme: Infrastructure investments
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
• Business theme: Infrastructure investments
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
• Business theme: Infrastructure investments
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
• Business theme: Infrastructure investments

Disclosure 413-1 Operations with local community engagement, impact assessments, and development programs does not correspond to any SDG.

 

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 & ISEP recognised Sustainability Course | Venue: London LSE

By registering for the next 2-day FBRH GRI Standards Certified & ISEP recognised 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 Chemplast Sanmar, 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 Chemplast Sanmar: 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 Grundfos identified a range of material issues, such as energy efficiency, product life-cycle, anti-corruption, employee satisfaction, human rights, occupational health & safety. Among these, promoting sustainable water use stands out as a key material issue for Grundfos.

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 Grundfos engages with:

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Customers	·      Consumer survey ·      Websites ·      Product websites ·      E-learning (Grundfos for installers) ·      Online tool for wholesalers (MyGrundfos) ·      Social media ·      Direct contact through sales ·      Customer meetings ·      Industry trade group meetings ·      Awards (Customer Satisfaction Survey)
Employees	·      EMS (Employee Motivation Survey) ·      Intranet ·      Town hall meetings ·      Training & learning warehouse, ·      Whistleblower system ·      Safety week ·      Water2Life
Suppliers	·      Direct purchase ·      Supplier awards ·      Supplier Code of Conduct awareness ·      Meetings ·      Audits ·      Trainings ·      Conferences
Global and local partners	·      For Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) partners, Grundfos has key account managers who hold regular meetings with them every year
Local communities	·      Direct local engagement ·      Employee volunteers ·      Collaborative partnerships ·      Sponsorships
NGOs	·      Governmental affairs liaisons ·      Direct engagement ·      Meetings ·      Advocacy ·      Dialogue
Development banks and advocacy organisations	·      Direct engagement ·      Meetings ·      Advocacy ·      Dialogue
Government & policy makers	·      Governmental affairs liaisons ·      Direct engagement ·      Meetings ·      Advocacy ·      Dialogue

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics Grundfos engaged a wide range of stakeholders through a materiality survey, asking stakeholders to rank different topics, adding interviews as verification.

What actions were taken by Grundfos to promote sustainable water use?

In its 2017 Sustainability Report Grundfos reports that it took the following actions for promoting sustainable water use:

• Implementing the Water2Life programme
• Water2Life is a programme initiated by Grundfos’ employees that seeks to provide clean water to some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. Grundfos’ involvement in projects is framed by a sustainable solution as decided by the company, and is communicated to employees across the world. The approach is evaluated on a yearly basis, by looking at results in terms of engagement and fundraising. The programme works in partnership with a local NGO that suggests where the greatest impact can be had within a region or country. Grundfos determines which project to focus on and proceeds to fundraise the first half of the project, while the local NGO fundraises the second half and manages the daily responsibilities. In 2017, Grundfos wrapped up its Water2Life project in Vietnam. More than 100 km of pipeline connected the homes of 28,000 people to local waterworks, and the project provided sanitation and hygiene education for more than 3,600 school students. Through Water2Life donations, local waterworks in Vietnam provide clean and affordable water to local communities, which creates both a sustainable business model and jobs for local people. In September 2017, Grundfos partnered with Water Mission and launched a new three-year project in Honduras, bringing clean water to schools and hospitals.

• Delivering Lifelink solutions
• Grundfos Lifelink represents Grundfos’ commitment to providing customised sustainable water solutions serving low-income communities in the developing world. By supporting revenue collection, transparency and smarter water management, Lifelink solutions enable water service providers to deliver a sustainable long-term community supply. Grundfos delivers Lifelink solutions to treat surface water in communities that do not have access to potable water or water of sufficient quality for domestic purposes, and combines solar-powered pumps, water treatment (AQpure) and intelligent water ATMs (AQtaps) with online water management and professional service to provide water kiosks connected to groundwater or surface water supplies. Lifelink solutions also build on partnerships across sectors. In 2017, the Grundfos Lifelink team continued building partnerships to bring sustainable access to safe water for low-income communities. Together with World Vision Kenya and funded by the Stone Family Foundation, Grundfos finalised the implementation of 46 automated solar powered water kiosks for 11 water projects in Kenya. Grundfos also engaged with Kenyan mobile operator Safaricom, which made available a special data package at an affordable price so that local communities could access the mobile payment platform for tapping water 24/7 at the AQtaps, and delivered Lifelink solutions to treat surface water in communities that had no access to clean and drinkable water. In West Bengal, India, Grundfos’ ultra-filtration (UF) membrane-based Grundfos AQpure solution is up and running, to treat water for a large village that is surrounded by saline and contaminated surface water. 

• Joining partnerships
• For Grundfos, the main value of partnerships is in making a greater difference in the world, particularly when working in unchartered areas. Through SDG #17 on partnerships, Grundfos can achieve its aim to take water of the required quality to where it is needed. Some of Grundfos’ significant partnerships in 2017 are:
  • ADRA International: Grundfos collaborated with the humanitarian organisation ADRA International, to provide access to clean water for 1.5 million people in Asia, Africa, Central and South America, and the South Pacific over a period of five years. Grundfos’ innovative technology will improve access to water and hygiene resources in under-served peri-urban communities.
  • Ghana Ministry of Water: Grundfos and the Ghanaian Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources signed a Memorandum of Understanding on improving clean water supply for the people of Ghana. Grundfos solutions deployed in both urban and rural areas of the West African country include solar-driven pumps, which are particularly suited for areas with unreliable or non-existent power supplies. Furthermore, the focus is on capacity building and training.
  • Danish Refugee Council: Grundfos partnered with the Danish Refugee Council’s Business-Humanitarian Partnership Lab, bringing the first water solutions to the Bidi Bidi refugee camp.
  • 2030 Water Resources Group: In 2016, Grundfos joined the prestigious 2030 Water Resources Group, named for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs that guide its goals. The group brings together public, private and civil society at country level to have an open discussion about water management and to develop concrete proposals that can help drive action on the management of water resources.
  • World Vision: During 2016 and 2017, Grundfos’ partnership with World Vision benefited more than 700,000 people. In 2016, Grundfos recorded over 322,000 people from nine countries who had access to clean water and in 2017 reached a further 384,500 people from eight countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Zambia.

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

The GRI Standard addressed in this case is: Disclosure 203-1 Infrastructure investments and services supported

 

Disclosure 203-1 Infrastructure investments and services supported corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
• Business theme: Infrastructure investments
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
• Business theme: Infrastructure investments
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
• Business theme: Infrastructure investments
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
• Business theme: Infrastructure investments
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
• Business theme: Infrastructure investments

 

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 Grundfos, 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 Grundfos: 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 BP identified a range of material issues, such as people and ethics, climate change and the energy transition, safety, society (e.g. community engagement), governance and risk. Among these, protecting human rights across its operations stands out as a key material issue for BP.

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 BP engages with:

Stakeholder Group

Communities

Employees

Governments

Industry associations

Non-governmental organisations

Shareholders and analysts

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics BP met with approximately 100 different organisations, from investors to NGOs and business partners, to identify the issues that mattered most to them, and also held sessions with its employees.

What actions were taken by BP to protect human rights across its operations?

In its 2017 Sustainability Report BP reports that it took the following actions for protecting human rights across its operations:

• Protecting labour rights
• BP’s code of conduct requires employees to report any human rights abuses in its operations or those of its business partners. BP expects contractors and their employees to act in accordance with its code of conduct, human rights policy and its expectations of suppliers. BP’s standard procurement contracts include requirements for suppliers to respect internationally recognised human rights, including a specific ban on the use of forced, trafficked or child labour. In 2017, in a number of locations, including Brazil, Indonesia, Iraq and the UK, BP held supplier events to communicate its expectations on labour rights and discussed the action it is taking, the need to raise concerns and the importance of its suppliers communicating this to their own employees, suppliers and business partners. In addition, drawing on its work with industry peers, BP developed a human rights due diligence process that can be used to screen suppliers in a consistent manner anywhere in the world, and is using it with suppliers on a risk-prioritised basis, to understand how they manage these risks in their business and supply chain. BP also carries out labour rights audits or assessments when appropriate, focusing on working hours, recruitment processes, freedom of movement, employment contracts, and channels for workers to raise complaints without retaliation.

• Conducting modern slavery risk reviews
• As some parts of its supply chain may pose a higher risk of labour rights and modern slavery issues than others, BP takes a risk-based approach to monitoring its contractors and suppliers by considering countries that pose a high degree of risk, activities that rely on manual labour, and factors related to the vulnerability of the workforce, such as poverty levels. Using this approach, in 2017 BP prioritised 17 businesses for modern slavery risk reviews and mapped its supply chain in these cases to identify high risk contractors. In some instances, this initial screening led to further assessment through questionnaires or on-site labour rights assessments, including worker interviews. These assessments focus on key warning signs such as passport retention, recruitment or other fees, wage deductions, employment contracts, working hours, shift patterns and living conditions.

• Preventing negative impacts on communities
• BP works hard to prevent and reduce any negative impacts on the livelihoods, land, environment, culture, health and wellbeing of people in communities near its activities, including indigenous peoples. Accordingly, BP screens its major projects to identify and manage any potential impacts, including human rights. If BP does cause or contribute to adverse impacts on the human rights of communities near its operations, it is firmly committed to providing for, or co-operating in, making it right.

• Training security forces on human rights
• BP works with security forces who protect its facilities around the world to reinforce the importance of respecting human rights. BP supports the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, and these principles guide how BP works with the security forces that protect its facilities. The principles emphasise the need to understand and respect the human rights of BP’s workforce, and people living in communities near its operations. BP provides training on the principles for its employees accountable for managing security, and carries out assessments to identify areas for improvement.

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

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 407-1 Operations and suppliers in which the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining may be at risk

2) Disclosure 408-1 Operations and suppliers at significant risk for incidents of child labor

3) Disclosure 409-1 Operations and suppliers at significant risk for incidents of forced or compulsory labor

4) Disclosure 410-1 Security personnel trained in human rights policies or procedures

5) Disclosure 411-1 Incidents of violations involving rights of indigenous peoples

6) Disclosure 412-3 Significant investment agreements and contracts that include human rights clauses or that underwent human rights screening

7) Disclosure 414-2 Negative social impacts in the supply chain and actions taken

 

Disclosure 407-1 Operations and suppliers in which the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining may be at risk 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: Freedom of association and collective bargaining

Disclosure 408-1 Operations and suppliers at significant risk for incidents of child labor 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: Abolition of child labor
• 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: Abolition of child labor

Disclosure 409-1 Operations and suppliers at significant risk for incidents of forced or compulsory labor 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: Elimination of forced or compulsory labor

Disclosure 410-1 Security personnel trained in human rights policies or 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: Security

Disclosure 411-1 Incidents of violations involving rights of indigenous peoples corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
• Business theme: Indigenous rights

Disclosure 412-3 Significant investment agreements and contracts that include human rights clauses or that underwent human rights screening does not correspond to any SDG.

Disclosure 414-2 Negative social impacts in the supply chain and actions taken corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
• Business theme: Workplace violence and harassment
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Labor practices in the supply chain
• 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: Workplace violence and harassment

 

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 BP, 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 BP: 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 economic performance, energy use, environmental compliance, occupational health and safety, non-discrimination, anti-corruption, customer privacy. Among these, supporting Indigenous communities 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 engaged, through various tools and processes, with key stakeholders, asking them to identify the sustainability topics that they considered most important.

What actions were taken by Stantec to support Indigenous communities?

In its 2017 Sustainability Report Stantec reports that it took the following actions for supporting Indigenous communities:

• Building Aboriginal Partnerships
• For 18 years, Stantec has been the minority partner in and legal operator of various Aboriginal Partnerships. Accordingly, in 2017, seven Aboriginal Partnerships generated $16.8 million in gross revenue for Stantec and partners. Stantec’s Aboriginal Partnerships create shared value for partners, clients, and Stantec that extends beyond revenue. Stantec connects clients to local resources and offers to local Indigenous community members employment, training, hands-on skills development and direct investment, supporting economic growth. Through Stantec’s projects, Indigenous sub- contractors and employees were able to take on increased responsibility as crew leads, attend post-secondary education, and, in one case, start an Indigenous-owned environmental monitoring business. Additionally, Stantec participated in community engagement initiatives – valued at $35,000 – relating directly to the communities of its Aboriginal Partnerships and supported programmes such as Students on Ice, Polar Bike, Food First, Aboriginal Sport Circle-Youth Traditional Games, and the Aboriginal HIPPY reading programme.

• Implementing an Indigenous Relations Programme
• Stantec’s Indigenous Relations Programme promotes positive, productive relationships with Indigenous communities and businesses, supports diversity and inclusion, raises awareness and mutual respect, and guides planning, procurement, project pursuits and project execution. Stantec is also a member of the Canadian Council of Aboriginal Business (CCAB), which promotes Indigenous relationships and an economy based on shared prosperity and, in 2017, Stantec’s vice president of Indigenous Relations joined CCAB’s board of directors. Stantec is firmly committed to receiving certification in CCAB’s Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) programme, which supports Indigenous employment, community relations, leadership, and business development. PAR certification signals to communities that a company is a good business partner, supports a workplace that is inclusive of Indigenous Peoples, and is committed to contributing to the growing prosperity of Indigenous communities. In 2017, Stantec supported Indigenous educational programmes in Canada as follows:
  • Sponsored the University of Alberta’s Indigenous Partnership Development Programme and the Indspire Youth Career Fair (an ongoing annual sponsorship)
  • Sponsored the Aboriginal Day Live initiative for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network
  • Observed National Indigenous Peoples Day
  • Participated in Orange Shirt Day to honour people who survived abuse in Canadian residential schools
  • Volunteered for Reconciliation Week
  • Sponsored 20 Indigenous students in Stantec’s Edmonton office during Take Our Kids to Work Day, providing a full day of presentations and workshops

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

The GRI Standard addressed in this case is: Disclosure 411-1 Incidents of violations involving rights of indigenous peoples

Disclosure 411-1 Incidents of violations involving rights of indigenous peoples corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
• Business theme: Indigenous rights

 

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 2017 Sustainable Business Report Vodafone identified a range of material issues, such as digital rights including privacy, data protection and security, corporate taxation and total economic contribution, health and safety, business conduct and ethics, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Among these, increasing employment opportunities for young people through its business stands out as a key material issue for Vodafone.

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 Vodafone engages with:

Stakeholder Group

Consumer and enterprise customers

Shareholders

Employees

Suppliers and partners

Governments and regulators

Local communities

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society activists

Industry peers

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics Vodafone engaged with peers, NGOs, civil society activists and sustainable business specialists, gaining their insights on the most important social, economic, environmental and ethical issues for both Vodafone and society as a whole.

What actions were taken by Vodafone to increase employment opportunities for young people through its business?

In its 2017 Sustainable Business Report Vodafone reports that it took the following actions for increasing employment opportunities for young people through its business:

• Offering work experience and insight into work events
• Vodafone’s work experience activities include week-long work experience placements, with job shadowing and development opportunities. In addition, Vodafone encourages its employees to bring young people into Vodafone so they can gain an insight into working life, through ‘bring your kids to work’ days. In some markets, Vodafone also offers secondary school-age girls the opportunity to learn key digital skills, through, for example, 500 places on a one-week coding programme available during the school holidays.

• Providing entry-level training
• Vodafone is expanding vocational training and apprenticeships across all the countries in which it operates, focusing on its technology and customer care divisions. These programmes enable apprentices to join Vodafone in permanent roles while being supported through continuous learning, in order to gain a formal qualification in their chosen fields. In the UK, Vodafone’s apprenticeship programme offers young people practical work experience and job-specific skills while being paid a competitive salary (at the UK Living Wage or above) and studying for an industry-recognised foundation degree qualification. Every apprentice is supported by a line manager and mentors, Vodafone’s Future Talent Team and Human Resources Business Partners, and has a personal tutor for their academic work. Currently, Vodafone has 90 apprentices in the UK and during the last four years over 120 young people participated in apprenticeships, in areas ranging from business administration and customer services to IT.

• Offering internships
• Vodafone’s internship programmes provide opportunities for undergraduate students to join the company for between one and six months in full-time positions across Vodafone’s businesses, as part of their degree. Involvement in challenging business-critical activities and projects allows interns to gain relevant business experience as part of their studies, also encouraging them to return to Vodafone post-graduation under Vodafone’s Discover graduate programme.

• Implementing the Discover graduate programme
• Vodafone’s Discover graduate programme offers young people with bachelor’s or master’s degrees a series of assignments across Vodafone’s business areas and local markets. Approximately 900 graduates are recruited worldwide every year, providing Vodafone with a strong pipeline of future talent. The Discover programme is also highly diverse, with more than 55% of new entrants being women, and recruits drawn from 55 different countries. During the last five years, Vodafone offered permanent roles to over 3,500 Discover Those who did not progress into a full-time role with Vodafone at the end of their training, were well placed to secure good job opportunities elsewhere.

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

The GRI Standard addressed in this case is: Disclosure 203-2 Significant indirect economic impacts

 

Disclosure 203-2 Significant indirect economic impacts corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
• Business theme: Availability of products and services for those on low incomes, Economic development in areas of high poverty
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
• Business theme: Changing the productivity of organizations, sectors, or the whole economy
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages
• Business theme: Access to medicines
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Changing the productivity of organizations, sectors, or the whole economy, Indirect impact on job creation, Jobs supported in the supply chain
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
• Business theme: Economic development in areas of high poverty, Foreign direct investment
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
• Business theme: Foreign direct investment

 

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 Vodafone, 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 Vodafone: 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 2016-2017 Sustainability Report Netafim identified a range of material issues, such as water conservation, enhancing customer capabilities, employee performance, sustainable productivity. Among these, supporting the communities in which it lives and works stands out as a key material issue for Netafim.

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 Netafim engages with:  

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Customers	·      Customer meetings ·      Conferences ·      Workshops ·      Training and education programmes ·      Field trials
Employees	·      Meetings ·      Performance discussions ·      Internal communications processes
Distributors, partners and suppliers	·      Daily interaction in the course of Netafim’s global business
Policy makers and influencers	·      Engagement to positively support sustainable agriculture policy decisions

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics Netafim’s Executive Management Team and Sustainability Steering Team analysed and prioritised the interests and expectations of its internal and external stakeholders, raised in dialogue and consultation with them.

What actions were taken by Netafim to support the communities in which it lives and works?

In its 2016-2017 Sustainability Report Netafim reports that it took the following actions for supporting the communities in which it lives and works:

• Supporting community farming in the U.S.
• Starting in 2016, Netafim USA teamed up with the Leichtag Foundation to support Coastal Roots Farm, by providing smart irrigation solutions and support. Coastal Roots Farm is a community farm with a vision to preserve the locality of agriculture: grow the food where people live. The farm spreads over 8 hectares of land and includes a food forest, vegetable gardens, compost, a plant nursery, a vineyard, and animal pastures. Since its beginning in 2014, the farm has donated over 50% of its harvest – almost 90,000 pounds – to community members who lack access to fresh food. Drip irrigation is used on all crops cultivated, using equipment Netafim donated. Employees also get involved, to help the farm grow more with less.

• Training Indian youth in drip irrigation
• In India, Netafim implements the Rural Youth Skill Development Programme (RYSDP). This is a training and certification programme, for installation and maintenance of drip irrigation systems. The programme is carried out through a partnership comprising the Andhra Pradesh Micro Irrigation Project (APMIP), Netafim India, and other micro irrigation companies. RYSDP trains and certifies high school or junior college graduates in installation and maintenance of drip irrigation systems, so they can develop a career in this growing industry. The programme’s graduates can be hired by Netafim or other drip irrigation companies, or even start their own business. The programme consists of 5 days of classroom training provided by Netafim, and 20 days of field training provided by Netafim and other companies. In 2017, the programme ran nine times across 5 districts of Andhra Pradesh, training over 300 participants. Seven experts from Netafim volunteered more than 1,500 hours in classroom training and Netafim also offered a small daily stipend for selected participants through the training cycle.

• Building green walls in Israel
• In 2017, Netafim undertook a project to build “green walls” in schools throughout Israel. Netafim employees visited schools to set up vertical gardens: vegetables, herbs and flowers planted inside plastic bottles and irrigated by drip irrigation. Each wall includes three levels of “bottle planters”, irrigated with water from the top level trickling down to the second and third levels. Students and Netafim employees created the green walls together, and Netafim employees trained students to maintain the walls and care for the plants. Each participating student is responsible for one “bottle planter”, and cares for it over time. This activity provides a model for sustainability education that can be applied in different educational frameworks in any country, in both rural and urban areas. Up to now, Netafim has established green walls in 18 schools in Israel, donating automated drip systems for each.

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

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 203-2 Significant indirect economic impacts

2) Disclosure 413-1 Operations with local community engagement, impact assessments, and development programs

 

Disclosure 203-2 Significant indirect economic impacts corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
• Business theme: Availability of products and services for those on low incomes, Economic development in areas of high poverty
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
• Business theme: Changing the productivity of organizations, sectors, or the whole economy
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages
• Business theme: Access to medicines
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Changing the productivity of organizations, sectors, or the whole economy, Indirect impact on job creation, Jobs supported in the supply chain
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
• Business theme: Economic development in areas of high poverty, Foreign direct investment
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
• Business theme: Foreign direct investment

Disclosure 413-1 Operations with local community engagement, impact assessments, and development programs does not correspond to any SDG.

 

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 Netafim, 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 Netafim: 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 Hitachi identified a range of material issues, such as corporate governance, fair operating practices, human rights, the environment, labour practices. Among these, promoting community involvement and development stands out as a key material issue for Hitachi.

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 Hitachi engages with:  

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

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Customers	·      Customer satisfaction activities ·      Marketing ·      Website ·      Advertisement activities
Shareholders and Investors	·      Announcements of financial results (quarterly) ·      General shareholders’ meetings (annual) ·      IR events, one-on-one meetings (about 740 times/year) ·      IR tools: Integrated Report, business reports, etc.
Suppliers	·      Procurement activities ·      Supplier meetings ·      CSR monitoring (218 companies/year) ·      CSR audits (20 companies/year, annual)
Employees	·      Intranet, in-house newsletters ·      Training ·      Town hall meetings between senior management and employees (21 times/year) ·      Employee surveys (annual)
National and Local Governments, Industrial Associations	·      Policy council participation ·      Participation in business and industry associations
Local Communities	·      Contribution to local communities through business ·      Participation in volunteer activities
Academic Associations and Research Institutions	·      Open innovation (joint research)
NGOs and NPOs	·      Stakeholder dialogue (4 times/year) ·      Dialogue through collaboration
Global Environment

What actions were taken by Hitachi to promote community involvement and development?

In its 2016 Sustainability Report Hitachi reports that it took the following actions for promoting community involvement and development:

• Implementing a policy on social contribution activities
• In fiscal 2014, Hitachi revised its policy on social contribution activities, to proactively promote its activities through a new, Group-wide policy. This policy is based, among others, on employees’ flexible mindset and motivation brought about by volunteer activities that contribute to the development of sustainability in society as a whole. Accordingly, in 2012, Hitachi launched the Hitachi Volunteer Day. To mark the International Volunteer Day on December 5 every year, Hitachi encourages its employees every November and December to organise and participate in a broad range of volunteer activities, contributing to their communities. In fiscal 2015, Hitachi and the Hitachi Global Foundation offered 2,057 million yen in funding for global social contribution activities related to business activities, employee volunteers, and charitable activities in the fields of human development, the environment and community support.

• Carrying out surveys of social contribution activities
• Hitachi conducts surveys of social contribution activities – charitable gifts, community investment and commercial initiatives in the community – based on the LBG (London Benchmarking Group) measurement framework. This is an internationally recognised, global network of 114 companies that provides a framework for measuring corporate community investment. Hitachi constantly focuses on ways to strategically align its social contribution activities with its business, with efforts toward this goal including continual charitable activities and increased community investment, across the Hitachi Group. 

• Meeting societal needs through the Hitachi Global Foundation
• On April 1, 2015, five foundations in Japan – the Odaira Memorial Hitachi Education Foundation, the Kurata Memorial Hitachi Science and Technology Foundation, the Hitachi Environment Foundation, the Hitachi Scholarship Foundation and the Hitachi Mirai Foundation – merged into the Hitachi Global Foundation. The newly formed organisation’s aim is to develop the activities previously undertaken by the five foundations, to further meet societal needs. The Hitachi Global Foundation will utilise Hitachi’s experience and know-how to promote activities in three key areas: promotion of academic research, science and technology; human development; and support for local communities. The Foundation has a long-term view of how it will implement social contribution programmes across a range of societal needs, such as addressing the declining birthrate and the graying of society, responding to the rapid advancement of information technology, cultivating future human resources and revitalising local communities. Programmes include providing scientific research grants, nurturing future science- and engineering-related personnel, offering scholarships to faculty at universities, and addressing global issues facing the socially vulnerable, including youths and the elderly.

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

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 413-1 Operations with local community engagement, impact assessments, and development programs

2) Disclosure 413-2 Operations with significant actual and potential negative impacts on local communities

 

Disclosure 413-1 Operations with local community engagement, impact assessments, and development programs does not correspond to any SDG.

Disclosure 413-2 Operations with significant actual and potential negative impacts on local communities corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
• Business theme: Access to land
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
• Business theme: Access to land

 

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 Hitachi, 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 Hitachi: 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.