Chrysler 2007 Annual Report Download - page 22

For the Fiat Group, corporate social responsibility is a way of
doing business that permeates every company process and
every single activity, and goes well beyond the company’s
confines to touch employees, customers, and all the people
who live in the areas where the Group operates. As the new
Code of Conduct approved in 2003 points out, “Fiat is an
international group which, because of its size, activities and
geographical spread, plays a significant role in the economic
development and welfare of the communities where it
operates”.
This awareness, and the sense of responsibility it brings,
brought about the need for greater transparency on issues
such as the environmental and social impact of our work that
did not in the past find space in financial disclosures. This is a
whole new culture. By fostering it, we are setting a virtuous
circle in motion, because acknowledging and accepting
responsibility inspires others to shoulder it too. And this is one
of the ways that Fiat interprets its corporate social
responsibility.
Since 1993, the Group has published an Environmental Report,
expanding it in 2005 to become part of the Sustainability
Report. Now in its fourth year, the Sustainability Report
illustrates the Group’s commitments and achievements around
the world, on the environmental and social as well as
economic fronts. It provides a detailed view of the Group’s
attention to ensuring sustainable manufacturing practices at its
production plants and to developing environmentally friendly
products with low consumption and emissions. In addition, it
illustrates research work and its impact on ecological mobility
and traffic safety. In the area of social responsibility, the Report
scrutinizes the Group’s dealings with its worldwide workforce
and the public, along with such major issues as workplace
health and safety and equal opportunities.
This year, to ensure that the information provided is even more
closely attuned to our stakeholders’ needs, the Group has
decided to bring its reporting practices into line with the new
Global Reporting Initiative GRI-G3 Sustainability Reporting
Guidelines. The Global Reporting Initiative is a multi-
stakeholder network of thousands of experts around the world
whose mission is to develop and disseminate sustainability
reporting procedures. The GRI-G3 Guidelines provide a globally
accepted model for measuring an organization’s economic,
environmental and social performance.
By contrast with previous years, the content of the 2007
Sustainability Report will reflect the reporting framework called
for by the GRI-G3 third-generation guidelines, and will thus be
presented in two sections: one dealing with the so-called
standard disclosures, and the other with performance
indicators.
The section covering standard disclosures discusses the
strategic choices that set the overall context for the initiatives
described in greater detail in other sections of the Report, with
an analysis of the principle risks, opportunities, impacts and
achievements for the year. This section also illustrates the
Group’s organizational profile, its methodological approach in
preparing the document, corporate governance mechanisms,
core values, and stakeholder inclusiveness and engagement
processes.
The section devoted to performance indicators gauges the
Group’s economic, environmental and social impacts. The
environmental indicators cover performance in such areas as
energy, water, emissions, effluents, waste, biodiversity, and the
sustainability of the Group’s products and services. The social
performance indicators cover such key aspects as labour
practices, industrial relations, occupational health and safety,
employee training and education, diversity and equal
opportunities, human rights, society and product responsibility.
The information published in the Sustainability Report
complements the material provided in the sustainability
section of the Group’s website at www.fiatgroup.com, where
stakeholders can download the Report in electronic format and
use the e-mail [email protected] to provide their feedback
regarding the Group’s corporate social responsibility.
Report on Operations Corporate Social Responsibility, combining growth and respect 21
Corporate Social Responsibility,
combining growth and respect