Mercedes 2008 Annual Report Download - page 108

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Corporate Sustainability Board established. In 2008, the
Daimler Board of Management established the Corporate Sustain-
ability Board and the supporting Corporate Sustainability Office.
With this step, we have consolidated sustainability management
throughout the Group and firmly anchored it in our organization
in line with its growing importance. The Corporate Sustainability
Board reports directly to the Chairman of the Board of Manage-
ment and is chaired by the Board of Management Member for
Corporate Development. It coordinates important sustainability
measures throughout the company and supports the operating
units with their implementation. The Corporate Sustainability
Board networks existing management structures and sustainabili-
ty committees such as the Group Environmental Protection unit
and the Global Diversity Office. It enables us to better control our
sustainability activities strategically and operationally from
Board of Management level all the way down to the individual
employees.
To structure its activities, the Corporate Sustainability Board has
defined nine key areas, including climate protection, vehicle
safety, compliance, employee responsibility, stakeholder dialog,
and community relations. Moreover, the Corporate Sustainability
Board strives to continuously improve the communication of
sustainability issues.
Sustainability as a management principle. Sustainability,
diversity and social responsibility are formulated in our Manage-
ment Principles and are taken into account in the annual target-
agreement processes with our executives. All Daimler executives
are called upon to act in a sustainable manner, which should
also be reflected in their individual targets. Sustainability, diver-
sity, and social responsibility also have a firm place in the code
of conduct set out in our Leadership Competencies. According to
this code of conduct, managers should:
– act with a sense of responsibility toward society, the environ-
ment and all of the key stakeholders;
– display and demand responsible and ethically correct behavior;
– and actively promote the inclusion of different points of view
and create added value through diversity.
Magdeburg Environmental Forum. At the fifth Magdeburg Envi-
ronmental Forum in July 2008, which was entitled “Sustainable
Mobility — The Post-2012 CO2Agenda,” approximately 250 high-
caliber representatives from the worlds of business, science,
politics and NGOs discussed solutions for the road traffic of the
future. The joint organizers of the conference, Daimler and the
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), expanded the Mem-
orandum of Understanding they signed in 2005 in order to
strengthen their shared commitment to zero-emission driving and
the provision of the sustainable electricity and hydrogen infra-
structure that will be needed.
Dialogue with interest groups. Daimler’s Sustainability Dia-
logue, which was created in 2008 by the Sustainability Board, is
a tool for deepening and systematizing the exchange of ideas
with interest groups at national and international levels. Represen-
tatives of all the important stakeholder groups are invited to this
day of discussions, which is held annually. The first Sustainability
Dialogue, which was held in Stuttgart with approximately 60
participants on November 4, 2008, was very well received.
Sustainability at Daimler. Establishment of Corporate Sustainability
Board. Intensive dialogue with stakeholder groups. Expanded
provision of information.