Communications Report 2003-2004

Participant
Published
  • 18-Jun-2004
Time period
  • January 2003  –  December 2004
Links
Description
  • ACTIONS

    Annual Review – 2003

    Pfizer printed 3.2 million copies of its 2003 Annual Review for distribution in 2004 to shareholders and stakeholders. The Chairman''s Letter to Shareholders includes a description of the Global Compact''s purpose, principles and participants. He says: "In response to advice from various groups in the Global Compact, we are improving our communications about Pfizer''s goals, actions and performance in corporate citizenship." Please see http://www.pfizer.com/are/investors_reports/annual_2003/review/p2003ar01_02_03.htm.

    Internet Website on Corporate Citizenship

    The Pfizer corporate citizenship internet site, launched on June 22, 2004, is our first comprehensive communications about corporate citizenship at Pfizer. The homepage includes a link to the UN Global Compact website, and two sub-pages on how Pfizer is participating in, supporting and implementing the Global Compact. This website also offers stakeholders the opportunity to provide feedback. Please see www.pfizer.com/corporatecitizenship.

    Brochure on Access to Medicines in Developing World

    In June 2004, Pfizer published A Prescription for Access, a 32-page booklet that outlines Pfizer''s five principles on access to medicines in the developing world. The Global Compact is referenced on page three as a key part of corporate citizenship at Pfizer, and - for easy reference - the Compact has a full page on the outside back cover. The text says: "Ultimately, the Global Compact is designed to engage business in becoming a systematic part of the solution to global social issues, leading to a more stable world." It includes an example of Pfizer''s implementation. Please see
    http://www.pfizer.com/subsites/philanthropy/access/access_spring_2004.pdf

    Book Chapter - "Pfizer: A New Mission in Action"

    Pfizer contributed a chapter to a book in 2004 about the Global Compact called, "Learning to Talk: Corporate Citizenship and the Development of the UN Global Compact," edited by Malcolm McIntosh and published by Greenleaf Publishing. The book chapter, "Pfizer: A New Mission in Action," chronicles Pfizer''s internal process of evaluating, adopting and beginning to implement the Global Compact. This includes a description by which senior management made the decision to sign the Compact, weighing the pros and cons, and how a decentralized company with 122,000 employees in over 100 countries began implementation. Please see www.pfizer.com/corporatecitizenship.

    OUTCOMES:

    - Our communications about corporate citizenship and the Global Compact have helped us increase dialogue with stakeholders, be open to discuss new issues based on the Compact’s principles, and attract new partners. That led to us:
    o Initiating research with a third party to understand better what NGOs expect of the pharmaceutical industry and of Pfizer and we shared the results with those NGOs.
    o Participating in an ongoing multi-stakeholder forum on improving access to medicine

    - As a company headquartered in the U.S., our internal and external communications about the Global Compact have helped employees in other parts of the world feel more recognized and valued. Employees in countries where corporate responsibility is better defined and understood than in the U.S. say the Compact has given them a platform on which to communicate better with their U.S. colleagues.

    - Our external communications, such as the Annual Review, have helped drive internal change. It has helped surfaced employees around the world to take a more proactive role in advancing corporate citizenship. This has led to discussions, based in part on the nine principles, which are shaping some of our priorities and actions.

    FUTURE COMMUNICATIONS

    We plan to:
    - Publish our first performance-based corporate citizenship report in early 2005

    - Hold a global corporate citizenship meeting for Pfizer employees to align better across countries, and the Compact will play a part in that.

    - Launch a corporate citizenship Intranet site for employees to serve as a forum for exchanging best practices. Like our external site, this will include the Compact on our homepage.

Principles covered
  • Principle 1 - Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights
  • Principle 2 - Make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses
  • Principle 3 - Businesses should uphold freedom of association & effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
  • Principle 4 - The elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour
  • Principle 5 - The effective abolition of child labour
  • Principle 6 - Eliminate discrimination in respect of employment and occupation
  • Principle 7 - Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges
  • Principle 8 - Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility
  • Principle 9 - Encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies
Languages
  • English