ING Direct 2009 Annual Report Download - page 20

ING Group Annual Report 2009
18
Corporate responsibility
Key points
> Key performance indicators for 2009
demonstrate the success of the Corporate
Responsibility strategy
> Progress in 2009 included revised Business
Principles, several financial education initiatives,
a tougher Defence Policy, an intensified
stakeholder dialogue and more
environmentally friendly products
> Climate change appeals made to world
leaders and Dutch government
ING wants to build its future on sustainable profit based on
sound business ethics and respect for our stakeholders, and to
be a good corporate citizen. As a result of the financial crisis,
our responsibilities towards society have come to the forefront
of public attention. This not only illustrates that our past efforts
and ongoing commitment to corporate responsibility were justified,
but also that the time has come to intensify our commitment even
further. That is why our aspiration to be a responsible financial
services provider and a good corporate citizen is embedded in
our corporate strategy.
CLEAR CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY STRATEGY
The essence of ING’s Corporate Responsibility (CR) strategy is that
we pursue profit on the basis of sound business ethics and respect
for its stakeholders. We therefore have a clear vision on ethical,
social and environmental issues, for both our banking and
insurance operations. This vision can be summarised as follows:
Being a responsible financial service provider means that we •
provide high quality products and services that meet the
needs and expectations of our customers. It also means
that we do not want to use our money for illegal, harmful
or unethical purposes.
Being a good corporate citizen means that we want to •
contribute to positive change in society. We therefore focus
on developing products and services that have sustainability
at their core and which take into account, among other things,
our community development programmes on children and
education, financial education and protecting the environment.
We have identified opportunities to further improve our CR policies.
It is of the utmost importance that we fulfil our responsibilities
towards society and constantly review them. To monitor global
issues, understand sensitivities and receive feedback on our
behaviour, we engage with our stakeholders in an open and
honest dialogue and adapt our policies when necessary.
We have been measuring our CR performance since 1995 and
today we use 10 key performance indicators. The results for 2009
are set out below:
PROGRESS IN 2009
ING BUSINESS PRINCIPLES REFRESHED
In 2009, ING launched a refreshed set of Business Principles and
started a corresponding employee awareness campaign. ING first
launched its Business Principles in 1999. Every five years the
Principles are revised to ensure their relevance in a changing
environment – the previous revision was in 2004. The 2009
employee engagement survey indicated that awareness of the
principles had decreased, so we decided to take action. Only if all
ING employees act with professionalism and integrity will we be
able to maintain our stakeholders’ confidence and preserve our
Company’s reputation. The principles play an important role in this
respect, as they clearly prescribe the corporate values we pursue in
both banking and insurance, and the responsibilities we have
towards society and the environment.
The Business Principles are now defined as follows: we act with
integrity, we are open and clear, we respect each other and we
are socially and environmentally responsible. Besides setting up
Being a responsible financial services provider and a good corporate citizen
1.2 Report of the Executive Board