Reebok 2011 Annual Report Download - page 111

adidas Group
2011 Annual Report
GROUP MANAGEMENT REPORT – OUR GROUP
107
2011
02.8 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 a good
corporate citizen will improve our reputation and hence our economic value.
02.8
Engaging with a variety of stakeholders
At the adidas Group, we openly engage with numerous stakeholders,
involving them in key social and environmental decisions that shape
day-to-day operations. Through active participation in, for example, the
Better Cotton Initiative, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, 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 labour rights, health and safety, 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.
Careful supplier selection
To improve working conditions throughout our supply chain, the
Group function Global Operations 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.
Encouraging self-governance
We help our core business partners in establishing management
systems with internationally recognised standards such as ISO 14001
for environmental management or OHSAS 18000 for health and safety
management systems as we believe good management systems help
factories improve their day-to-day operations and support the process
of self-governance. By running a certified management system,
our suppliers demonstrate commitment to continuously enhancing
their performance. We help them build or improve human resources
systems to maintain proper working conditions, including factory
grievance systems to routinely find and fix non-compliance issues.
Furthermore, by enforcing employment standards at the sites of our
manufacturing suppliers, we empower workers to protect their own
rights and take an active role in decision-making.
More information online
More information on the following topics is available on our website at
: WWW.ADIDAS-GROUP.COM/SUSTAINABILITY:
– Our Group’s sustainability programme
– Sustainability targets and progress
– Stakeholder engagement
– The “Better Place” programme
– Performance data
– Our Group’s Environmental Strategy