Reebok 2015 Annual Report Download - page 100

GROUP MANAGEMENT REPORT – OUR GROUP
Sustainability
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Training our suppliers: The results from our compliance rating also enable us to precisely determine
training needs at our suppliers’ factories. The adidas Group has initiated a system of multi-level and cross-
functional training sessions together with its global supplier network. In 2015, the SEA team conducted
120 training sessions and workshops (2014: 131). We offered more group trainings, i.e. training sessions
for more than one supplier instead of individual training sessions. That way, we have been able to achieve
higher efficiencies and provide opportunities for cross-learning and best-practice sharing among suppliers.
Warning-letter system to enforce compliance: Where a manufacturing supplier is performing poorly
in terms of Workplace Standards compliance, we work closely with them to find solutions. However, when
we find ongoing and serious instances of non-compliance as well as a lack of commitment from factory
management to address the issues, we send out a formal warning letter including a notification to factory
management that their business relationship with the adidas Group is in jeopardy. Overall, three warning
letters result in a termination. In 2015, we terminated our business relationship with three suppliers for
compliance reasons (2014: 13 terminations).
Further information about our supply chain management can be found on our website.
SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES WITH DEDICATEDAPPROACH
For many years, the adidas Group has been actively supporting communities through various programmes
such as the ongoing support from the adidas brand through its corporate volunteering programmes
managed by the adidas Fund, Reebok‘s track record in supporting human rights groups or TaylorMade-
adidas Golf‘s long-standing programme supporting charities.
All our programmes are built on three complementary pillars – community involvement, employee
engagement and corporate giving – determined by local cultural, economic and social factors. Programmes
on Group level are supplementary programmes led by our SEA team. They include activities at Group
headquarters, projects in suppliers’ countries and relief operations.
In 2015, we targeted considerable volumes of our financial and product donations to people affected by
the refugee crisis and worked in close collaboration with our long-term partners Wings of Help (Luftfahrt
ohne Grenzen) and SOS Children’s Villages as well as various other local organisations. In addition, we
initiated an ad hoc relief fund to support people after the Nepal earthquake. Further information can be
found on our website.
FINDING BETTER WAYSTO MAKE OUR PRODUCTS
One key goal of our sustainability strategy is to reduce the overall environmental impact of materials used
in our products. We aim to find materials that reduce waste or have less of an impact throughout their
whole life cycle and are constantly searching for new and innovative ways in our product creation.
1) Committed to drive innovation: The adidas Group collaborates with organisations and industry partners
to accelerate innovation in its sustainable product manufacturing.
•Parley for the Oceans: In 2015, the adidas Group partnered up with Parley for the Oceans, an organ-
isation engaging in ocean conservation and eco innovation that creates awareness to end the destruction
of the oceans. Among other projects, this collaboration will drive the creation of innovative products
and the integration of materials made from ocean plastic waste into products. The adidas Group has
already taken immediate concrete steps in this direction such as the creation of the world’s first shoe
made of yarns and filaments reclaimed and recycled from ocean waste, followed by the presentation
of a 3D-printed ocean plastic shoe midsole. Additionally, the adidas Group has committed to phase out
the use of plastic bags in its own-retail stores and, together with its partner COTY, ended the use of
plastic microbeads across all its body care products as of December 31, 2015. Further information can
be found on our website.
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