Adidas 1998 Annual Report Download - page 26

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24 Social Responsibility
Social responsibility is an integral part of our brand values, and adidas-Salomon has
a tradition of requiring its suppliers to conform to social and environmental standards. In
1998 further steps were taken to ensure that there are acceptable working conditions in
the factories which supply adidas-Salomon products. All suppliers are obliged to adhere
to the corporate Standards of Engagement (SOE) confirming the policy on minimum
requirements for labor, health, safety and environmental issues. The SOE is based on the
World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry model Code of Conduct and states that
adidas-Salomon will not conduct business with suppliers who use forced labor or child
labor and do not comply with the employment laws of the country concerned. It has been
translated for display in factories into the languages of the countries where products are
sourced.
COMMITTED TO SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
COOPERATION IN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INTENSIFIED
Close cooperation in the R&D sector enables existing expertise to be exploited. The Salomon
apparel and outdoor development activities have been linked to the adidas organization,
while Salomon experts have taken over responsibility for developing adidas cross-country
ski boots, in order to capitalize on their valuable experience. Similarly, the product devel-
opers are utilizing the efforts of the research departments of the two brands. This cooper-
ation also helps to avoid duplication of activities and to give added focus to basic research.
The products of all brands are set to benefit from the transfer of expertise between the
research functions.
The benefits of joint research and product development activities are not easily quan-
tifiable. They can, however, be immense if ideas produced in this interchange process
translate into successful products.