Carphone Warehouse 2003 Annual Report Download - page 13

involved in supporting the charity. Many of our employees
give their time to community and training programmes
within the Trust’s activities.
Environment
All of our stores have a requirement to ensure that all
packaging and store waste is returned to our warehouses
to be recycled and re-used. Systems are in place to ensure
that all mobile phones and related accessories are recycled,
reconditioned and distributed for re-use. All old mobile
phone batteries are disposed of by a licensed waste
management and recycling company.
All UK carrier bags are made of low-density recyclable
polyethylene. The UK monthly buyers’ guide distributed
through our stores has a print run of over one million each
month, and the paper used is chlorine free and made from
wood from sustainable forests. All company cars have been
changed to diesel in order to lower emissions.
Mobile phone crime
The Carphone Warehouse has continued its commitment
to working with industry, police and government to
combat mobile phone crime. In March 2003, the Group
spearheaded a publicity campaign across London that
aimed to reduce mobile phone crime. The “Immobilise”
campaign highlighted the message that “Stolen Phones
Don’t Work Any More”, with all the UK networks now
blacklisting mobile phone identity numbers, rendering
stolen handsets useless. The publicity campaign will be
rolling out across the UK in the summer. In addition to
spearheading the campaign, The Carphone Warehouse
has set up a hotline to provide customers with information
on how to report stolen mobile phones. It also provides
informative literature through leaflets, posters and stickers
in all UK stores and the Company’s website,
carphonewarehouse.com.
Mobile phones and health concerns
The Carphone Warehouse has for a number of years
recognised that there is customer confusion surrounding
health and mobile phones. In May 1998 the Group
launched an independent service regarding the issue,
including regularly updated fact sheets. The leaflet sets out
all the facts relating to health and mobile phones including
new medical research, Government announcements and
industry comments. This allows customers to make their
own choices surrounding health and mobile phones.
In May 2000, The Carphone Warehouse was recognised
by The Stewart Report, the UK Government committee
appointed to address the issue. It stated: “The Carphone
Warehouse, an independent retailer, provided an important
example of good practice in the way it makes its
information readily available at mobile phone outlets.”
Specific Absorption Rates (SAR) listings
The majority of mobile phone manufacturers have recently
retested all their radio wave emission rates under an
approved harmonised standard. To give customers direct
access to this information, the Group lists all these figures
in its UK monthly buyers’ guide.
Mobile phones and driving concerns
The increasing use of handheld mobile phones whilst
driving is a very real concern in today’s society and drivers
are reportedly four times more likely to have an accident as
a result of driving while using a mobile phone. To encourage
our own employees to drive safely the Company installs a
free handsfree kit into every company car and provides
every employee with a free handsfree earpiece. It is also
an employee disciplinary offence to use a handheld mobile
phone while driving.
Diversity and inclusion
The Group recognises the importance of diversity and
inclusion, and has systems in place to recruit employees
of different genders, ages, disabilities and ethnic origins.
We recruit using totaljobs.com and jobability.com, the
leading job site for disabled people, as well as through
a number of ethnic magazines.
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The Carphone Warehouse Group PLC Annual Report 2003