Communication on Progress

Communication on Progress

Participant
Published
  • 10-Dec-2012
Time period
  • January 2011  –  December 2011
Files
Links
Format
  • Part of a sustainability or corporate (social) responsibility report
Differentiation Level
  • This COP qualifies for the Global Compact Advanced level
Self-assessment
  • Includes a CEO statement of continued support for the UN Global Compact and its ten principles
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Human Rights
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Labour
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Environment
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Anti-Corruption
  • Includes a measurement of outcomes
  • Meets all criteria for the GC Advanced level
Issue Area Coverage
(self-assessed)
Strategy, Governance
and Engagement
  • Criterion 1: The COP describes key aspects of the company’s high-level sustainability strategy in line with Global Compact principles

  • Social and environmental impact of the organization’s activities

  • Key performance indicators to measure progress

  • Major successes and failures during the reporting period

  • Impact of broader sustainability trends on the long-term prospects and financial performance of the organisation

  • Major sustainability risks and opportunities in the near to medium term (3-5 years)

  • Overall strategy to manage sustainability impacts, risks and opportunities in the near to medium term (3-5 years)

  • Criterion 2: The COP describes effective decision-making processes and systems of governance for corporate sustainability

  • Involvement and accountability of management (C-suite) in developing corporate sustainability strategy in line with Global Compact principles and overseeing its implementation

  • Corporate governance structure (Board of Directors or equivalent) and its role in oversight of long-term corporate sustainability strategy and implementation in line with Global Compact principles

  • Goals and incentive schemes for management (C-suite) to promote sustainability strategy in line with Global Compact principles

  • Criterion 3: The COP describes engagement with all important stakeholders

  • List of stakeholder groups engaged by the organization

  • Regular stakeholder consultations in the area of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption

  • Process for stakeholder identification and engagement

  • Outcome of stakeholder involvement

  • Process of incorporating stakeholder input into corporate strategy and business decision making

Human Rights
  • Criterion 8: The COP describes key outcomes of human rights integration

  • Disclosure of main incidents involving the company

  • Outcomes of due diligence process

  • External and formal reporting of operations or operating contexts that pose risks of severe human rights impacts

  • Outcomes of processes of remediation of adverse human rights impacts

  • Criterion 7: The COP describes effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms of human rights integration

  • Process to deal with incidents

  • System to monitor the effectiveness of human rights policies and implementation, including in the supply chain

  • Monitoring drawing from internal and external feedback, including affected stakeholders

  • Leadership review of monitoring and improvement results

  • Criterion 6: The COP describes effective management systems to integrate the human rights principles

  • Operational-level grievance mechanisms for those potentially impacted by the company’s activities

  • On-going due diligence process that includes an assessment of actual and potential human rights impacts

  • Internal awareness-raising and training on human rights for management and employees

  • Allocation of responsibilities and accountability for addressing human rights impacts

  • Internal decision-making, budget and oversight for effective responses to human rights impacts

  • Processes to provide for or cooperate in the remediation of adverse human rights impacts that the company has caused or contributed to

  • Criterion 5: The COP describes robust commitments, strategies or policies in the area of human rights

  • Commitment to comply with all applicable laws and respect internationally recognized human rights, wherever the company operates (e.g. the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

  • Statement of policy expressing commitment to respect and support human rights approved at the most senior level of the company

  • Statement of policy stipulating human rights expectations of personnel, business partners and other parties directly linked to operations, products or services

  • Statement of policy publicly available and communicated internally and externally to all personnel, business partners and other relevant parties

Labour
  • Criterion 9: The COP describes robust commitments, strategies or policies in the area of labour

  • Written company policy (e.g., in code of conduct) on labour

  • Reference to relevant international conventions and other international instruments (e.g. ILO Core Conventions)

  • Reflection on the relevance of the labour principles for the company

  • Inclusion of minimum labour standards in contracts with suppliers and other relevant business partners

  • Specific commitments and goals for specified years

  • Criterion 10: The COP describes effective management systems to integrate the labour principles

  • Grievance mechanisms, communication channels and other procedures (e.g. whistleblower mechanisms) for reporting concerns or seeking advice

  • Risk and impact assessments in the area of labour

  • Allocation of responsibilities and accountability within the organisation

  • Internal awareness-raising and training on the labour principles for management and employees

  • Criterion 11: The COP describes effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms of labour principles integration

  • Process to deal with incidents

  • System to track and measure performance based on standardized performance metrics

  • Audits or other steps to monitor and improve the labour performance of companies in the supply chain

  • Leadership review of monitoring and improvement results

  • Criterion 12: The COP describes key outcomes of integration of the labour principles

  • Disclosure of main incidents involving the company

  • Outcome of due diligence and follow-up efforts to uphold the freedom of association right to collective bargaining

  • Outcome of due diligence and follow-up efforts to eliminate forced labour

  • Outcome of due diligence and follow-up efforts to abolish child labor

  • Outcome of due diligence and follow-up efforts to eliminate discrimination

Environment
  • Criterion 13: The COP describes robust commitments, strategies or policies in the area of environmental stewardship

  • Written company policy on environmental stewardship

  • Specific commitments and goals for specified years

  • Reference to relevant international conventions and other international instruments (e.g. Rio Declaration on Environment and Development)

  • Reflection on the relevance of environmental stewardship for the company

  • Inclusion of minimum environmental standards in contracts with suppliers and other relevant business partners

  • Criterion 14: The COP describes effective management systems to integrate the environmental principles

  • Allocation of responsibilities and accountability within the organisation

  • Environmental risk and impact assessments

  • Assessments of lifecycle impact of products, ensuring environmentally sound end-of-life management policies

  • Internal awareness-raising and training on environmental stewardship for management and employees

  • Grievance mechanisms, communication channels and other procedures (e.g. whistleblower mechanisms) for reporting concerns or seeking advice regarding environmental impacts

  • Criterion 15: The COP describes effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for environmental stewardship

  • System to track and measure performance based on standardized performance metrics

  • Leadership review of monitoring and improvement results

  • Process to deal with incidents

  • Audits or other steps to monitor and improve the environmental performance of companies in the supply chain

  • Criterion 16: The COP describes key outcomes of integration of the environmental principles

  • Indicators on uses of materials and energy

  • Indicators on emissions, effluents, and waste

  • Indicators on the company’s initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility

  • Indicators on the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies

  • Disclosure of main incidents involving the company

Anti-Corruption
  • Criterion 20: The COP describes key outcomes of integration of the anti-corruption principle

  • Indicators of Human Resources procedures supporting the anti-corruption commitment or policy

  • Outcomes of assessments of potential areas of corruption, where appropriate (Ref. D3)

  • Outcomes of mechanisms for reporting concerns or seeking advice (Ref. D9)

  • Disclosure of main incidents involving the company

  • Criterion 19: The COP describes effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for the integration of anti-corruption

  • Process to deal with incidents (D13)

  • Leadership review of monitoring and improvement results (D12)

  • Public legal cases regarding corruption (D14)

  • Use of independent external assurance of anti-corruption programmes (D15)

  • Criterion 17: The COP describes robust commitments, strategies or policies in the area of anti-corruption

  • Publicly stated formal policy of zero-tolerance of corruption (D1)

  • Commitment to be in compliance with all relevant anti-corruption laws, including the implementation of procedures to know the law and monitor changes (B2)

  • Carrying out risk assessment of potential areas of corruption (D3)

  • Detailed policies for high-risk areas of corruption (D4)

  • Statement of support for international and regional legal frameworks, such as the UN Convention against Corruption (D2)

  • Policy on anti-corruption regarding business partners (D5)

  • Criterion 18: The COP describes effective management systems to integrate the anti-corruption principle

  • Support by the organization’s leadership for anti-corruption (B4)

  • Human Resources procedures supporting the anti-corruption commitment or policy, including communication to and training for all employees (B5 + D8)

  • Internal checks and balances to ensure consistency with the anti-corruption commitment (B6)

  • Communications (whistleblowing) channels and follow-up mechanisms for reporting concerns or seeking advice (D9)

  • Actions taken to encourage business partners to implement anti-corruption commitments (D6)

  • Management responsibility and accountability for implementation of the anti-corruption commitment or policy (D7)

  • Internal accounting and auditing procedures related to anticorruption (D10)

Value Chain
Implementation
  • Criterion 21: The COP describes implementation of the Global Compact principles in the value chain

  • Policy on value chain, including a policy for suppliers and subcontractors

  • Awareness-raising, training and other types of capacity building with suppliers and other business partners

  • Analysis of sustainability risk, opportunity and impact in the value chain, both upstream and downstream

  • Communication of policies and expectations to suppliers and other business partners

  • Monitoring and assurance mechanisms (e.g. audits/screenings) for compliance in the value chain

Verification and
Transparency
  • Criterion 22: The COP provides information on the company's profile and context of operation

  • Legal structure, including any group structure and ownership

  • Countries where the organisation operates, with either major operations or operations that are specifically relevant to sustainability

  • Markets served (including geographic breakdown, sectors served, and types of customers/beneficiaries)

  • Primary brands, products, and/or services

  • Direct and indirect economic value generated for various stakeholders(employees, owners, government, lenders, etc.)

  • Criterion 24: The COP is independently verified by a credible third-party

  • COP is reviewed by a multi-stakeholder panel or by peers (e.g. Global Compact Local Network)

  • Accuracy of information in COP is verified against assurance standard (e.g. AA1000, ISAE 3000)

  • Accuracy of information in COP is verified by independent auditors (e.g. accounting firm)

  • Content of COP is independently verified against content standards (e.g. GRI Check)

  • Criterion 23: The COP incorporates high standards of transparency and disclosure

  • COP uses the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Guidelines

  • Board, where permissible, approves COP and other formal reporting on corporate sustainability

  • COP qualifies for Level B or higher of the GRI application levels

  • COP includes comparison of key performance indicators for the previous 2-3 years

  • Relevant sustainability information from COP is included in annual financial report and filings

Taking Action in
support of Broader
UN Goals and Issues
Engaging with the
UN Global Compact
Business and Peace
  • The COP describes local stakeholder engagement and strategic social investment activities of the company in high-risk or conflict-affected areas

  • Stakeholder engagement mechanisms across company and contractor operations

  • Approaches to stakeholder engagement involving civil society, international organizations etc.

  • Actions toward constructive and peaceful company-community engagement

  • Sustainable social investment projects

  • The COP describes policies and practices related to the company's government relations in high-risk or conflict-affected areas

  • Assessment of opportunities for constructive engagement with government actors in order to support peace

  • Measures undertaken to avoid complicity in human rights violations by government actors

  • Management practices aimed at preventing corrupt relationships with government officials

  • The COP describes policies and practices related to the company's core business operations in high-risk or conflict-affected areas

  • Information on how policies, strategies and operating practices have been adapted to the specific high-risk/conflict context based on due diligence

  • Adherence to best practices even where national law sets a lower standard, including in the management of security services

  • Management of the supply chain to avoid contributing to conflict through purchasing decisions and practices