What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2016 Yearbook Tallink identified a range of material issues, such as onboard safety and emergency planning, customer satisfaction, occupational health and safety, waste, chemicals and wastewater management, compliance and fair business. Among these, promoting human rights and workplace diversity stands out as a key material issue for Tallink.

Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards

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

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

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

Key stakeholder groups Tallink engages with:   

Stakeholder Group

Employees

Customers

Shareholders

Suppliers

Partners

Governmental institutions

Educational organisations

Community

NGOs

Media

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics Tallink conducted an online survey among internal and external stakeholders, and also organised a stakeholder symposium.

What actions were taken by Tallink to promote human rights and workplace diversity?

In its 2016 Yearbook Tallink reports that it took the following actions for promoting human rights and workplace diversity:

• Promoting labour-management relations
• Tallink’s management often reaches out to employees to have a dialogue with the employees and to secure a good information flow necessary for sustainable operations. There are regular meetings and larger events organised, and the management participates in the free time activities organised for the Group`s employees, several times per year. All employees have the right to belong to trade unions, and the percentage of total employees covered by collective bargaining agreements is close to 80%. There is also no evidence of the right to exercise the freedom of association and collective bargaining being violated, or at significant risk. The minimum notice periods regarding operational changes are determined by the Group`s responsibilities towards current and potential shareholders, as significant operational changes must be reported via stock exchange to all stakeholders at the same time, to diminish the risk of illegal transactions in the stock exchange. Still, the conditions of any significant changes in the employees’ workplace and/or conditions are handled according to the local and international legislation, and trade union agreements.

• Being an equal opportunities employer
• Tallink is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All people can apply for a job or a promotion in the company, set aside the regulatory specifics related to safety matters. Salaries are determined by the local labour market developments and Tallink follows the equal and leading market position dependant to the availability and skills of vacant employees. The salaries of ships and hotel employees are subject to collective agreements with the trade unions, and there are no differences between the salaries of different genders – the salary rates are connected to the concrete position and responsibilities. Accordingly, in 2016 there were no reports on discrimination by gender, age, race, or other such characteristics.

• Providing human rights training for security personnel
• Tallink’s regular, annual training for all security personnel also includes, by default, training on human rights topics. Without passing it, it is not possible to be employed on board of Tallink’s Additionally, every year, security personnel has to go through renewed training.

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

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 402-1 Minimum notice periods regarding operational changes

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

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

 

Disclosure 402-1 Minimum notice periods regarding operational changes 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: Labor/management relations

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 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

 

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 Tallink, 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 Tallink: 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 Yearbook Tallink identified a range of material issues, such as customer satisfaction, staff commitment, waste, chemicals and wastewater management, compliance and fair business, economic performance and impact. Among these, ensuring onboard safety stands out as a key material issue for Tallink.

Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards

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

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

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

Key stakeholder groups Tallink engages with:   

Stakeholder Group

Employees

Customers

Shareholders

Suppliers

Partners

Governmental institutions

Educational organizations

Community

NGOs

Media

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritize material topics Tallink carried out, through independent external consultants, an online survey among key internal and external stakeholders and, also, organized a stakeholder symposium.

What actions were taken by Tallink to promote onboard safety?

In its 2016 Yearbook Tallink reports that it took the following actions for promoting onboard safety:

• Complying with safety laws and regulations
• Tallink complies with international safety regulations (for example, the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea and the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code) and with the regulations of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), to ensure its operations are safe for passengers and crew members. Moreover, Tallink carries out systematic risk assessments, involving relevant external organizations as needed.

• Carrying out safety training and exercises
• Tallink constantly develops employees’ skills through training and carries out joint training exercises with the authorities of all flag states, including maritime rescue organizations. Accordingly, various training exercises of sea- and air rescue, helicopter, fire, spill prevention and cleanup, equipment, security, take place annually on its vessels. Additionally, once a week fire drills, testing of operations of the watertight doors and lifeboat drills are carried out on all vessels. Once every three months emergency steering drills, emergency flooding drills and MOB (man overboard) drills take place. Finally, every six months joint exercises are carried out. In 2016, two major exercises took place, with the involvement of Police and Border Guard Board, Rescue Board and Medical Emergency.

• Promoting emergency preparedness
• Tallink’s passenger ships have a surgery on board, which is equipped with first aid supplies and drugs. The surgery provides first aid and supports passengers with severe health problems and/or a disability. Additionally, all deck officers and department heads have received medical training to provide first aid. All crew members have also passed a first aid course. Moreover, Tallink’s vessels are equipped with life-saving and survival equipment. The equipment meets all relevant requirements and is ready for use all day, every day, all year round.

Which GRI indicators/Standards have been addressed?

The GRI indicator addressed in this case is: G4-PR2: Total number of incidents of non-compliance with regulations and voluntary codes concerning the health and safety impacts of products and services during their life cycle, by type of outcomes and the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 416-2 Incidents of non-compliance concerning the health and safety impacts of products and services

 

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

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

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

7 GRI sustainability disclosures get you started

Any size business can start taking sustainability action

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

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

See upcoming training dates.

 

References:

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