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120 Group Management Report – Our Group Sustainability
Sustainability
The adidas Group is responsible and accountable for developing and implementing sustainable business practices that adhere
to our operational needs as well as our social and environmental obligations. As a consequence, we continuously engage with
our various stakeholders in a collaborative way with the goal of enhancing the social and environmental performance of the
Group. We believe that acting as good corporate citizens will improve our reputation and hence our economic value.
Engaging our stakeholders
At the adidas Group, we pursue a
policy of open dialogue with numerous
stakeholders, involving them in key social
and environmental decisions that shape
day-to-day operations. Through in-depth
engagement with, for example, the Better
Cotton Initiative, the Leather Working
Group and the AFIRM Working Group,
we work closely with leading companies
from a variety of sectors to develop
sustainable business approaches and to
debate social and environmental topics
on a global level. This is also supported
by our membership in organisations
such as the World Business Council
for Sustainable Development (WBCSD),
the World Federation of the Sporting
Goods Industry (WFSGI), the Fair
Factories Clearinghouse (FFC) and
the Fair Labor Association (FLA). In
addition, we recognise that open and
honest communication enhances the
transparency of our business and
demonstrates our commitment to being
accountable.
Workplace Standards set rules
in the supply chain
We have a responsibility to our
employees and the workers in our
suppliers’ factories as well as the
environment. Malpractice in these areas,
in particular human rights violations
and dubious employment practices,
can have a significant impact on the
reputation and operational efficiency of
our Group and our suppliers. Therefore,
covering health and safety, labour rights
and environmental protection at our
own sites and our suppliers’ factories
is of the highest importance to us.
We have defined rules or standards
embedding our own corporate values as
well as those society expects of global
businesses. These standards follow
International Labour Organization (ILO)
and United Nations conventions relating
to human rights and employment
practices, as well as the WFSGI model
code of conduct. We have condensed
our rules into a supplier code of
conduct that we call our “Workplace
Standards”. These Standards help us
select manufacturing partners and
serve as guiding principles in the early
identification and treatment of potential
issues of concern at our suppliers’ sites.
To illustrate how suppliers should
implement our Standards, we have
created a set of detailed guidelines
for use in factory settings, which are
updated on a regular basis by our
Social and Environmental Affairs (SEA)
team. The guidelines are also used to
determine suppliers’ compliance with
our Standards and to advise and train our
suppliers in improving their social and
environmental performance.
Our Workplace Standards contain clear
rules of conduct regarding:
– Environmentally sound, safe and
healthy working conditions
– Fair wages and benefits
– Freedom of association
– Prohibition of excessive overtime,
forced and child labour
– Protection against harassment and
discrimination.
Careful supplier selection
To improve working conditions
throughout our supply chain, the Global
Operations function works closely with
our SEA team on supplier selection. The
SEA team assesses all potential new
suppliers, and orders can only be placed
with a new supplier when SEA approval
has been granted.
More information online
Read more about:
– Our Group’s sustainability programme
– Sustainability targets and progress
– Stakeholder engagement
– The “Better Place” programme
– Performance data
– Our Group’s Environmental Strategy
in our 2010 Social and Environmental Online Report and on
our website at www.adidas-Group.com/sustainability.