Corporate Citizenship

GE money

GE Money lends to the sub-prime market and its EMEA region has developed some ‘Responsible Lending Principles’ to guide employees in their interaction with customers. Corporate Citizenship was given approximately two months to conduct an extensive consultation with independent, expert opinion formers in order to gather external feedback to contribute to the revision of those Principles and to feed into GE’s initiative to develop five globally applicable RL principles.

Corporate Citizenship sourced potential opinion formers in five countries and identified relevant local partners to conduct some of the interviews. Contacts were consulted through focus groups and interviews conducted in each of the five countries.  Corporate Citizenship analysed the findings and presented them to GE’s executives along with a more detailed feedback document containing country specific summaries.

Feedback provided by Corporate Citizenship was used by GE Money to revise the standards, and further work was commissioned to feed into an internal project relating to how the standards might be used to gain competitive advantage. There is a potential third phase of work currently under discussion to conduct a global consultation on awareness and image of GE Money, and issues around implementation of the standards.

ANZ

ANZ is one of the top ten listed companies in Australia and in 2008, ANZ was assessed as the leading bank globally on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the second year in a row.

ANZ’s approach to corporate responsibility focuses on the issues and opportunities most relevant to its business and expertise, where it has the greatest opportunities to show leadership and bring about real and positive change.  The bank reports on progress to stakeholders through interim and annual Corporate Responsibility reports and monthly newsletters.

Since 2007, ANZ has contracted Corporate Citizenship to assure its annual Corporate Responsibility report rigorously against the AA1000 standard, the GRI G3 principles for defining content and quality and the ISAE3000 guidelines. As part of the assurance process, we produce a public assurance statement and a full and detailed management letter for ANZ management.

The Nationwide Foundation

The Nationwide Foundation, a registered grant making charity (no 1065552), wanted to introduce the theme of housing into its grants programmes; a topic which resonates well with the work of its benefactor, the Nationwide Building Society. The Foundation was particularly interested in identifying which disadvantaged groups the Foundation could focus its grant support on, for maximum impacts.

Corporate Citizenship carried out desk-based web searches and document reviews, in order to understand the key issues. This was then developed further through a series of face-to-face interviews with representatives from key stakeholder groups including Government, charities, infrastructure and umbrella groups, housing associations, and relevant staff members from the Nationwide Building Society’s Housing Finance and Corporate Responsibility teams.

The work provided an overview of key housing initiatives, service providers and highlighted gaps in current provision.  Through the research, the Nationwide Foundation gained an understanding of how best to address the new theme in order to add value, but remain within the Foundation’s existing budget limitations. The work ensured that the Foundation’s funding would complement, and not duplicate, the efforts of Government, charities and others.

ACEVO

Corporate Citizenship was commissioned by the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) to carry out a piece of research that would demonstrate the value of cross sector peer learning to businesses. The report demonstrates the missed opportunity that absence of such learning presents for both strengthening corporate relationships with community partners and also in developing businesses own talent.
The research examined the value of participation to both business and the 3rd sector through bursary sponsorship, mentoring, and action learning sets.  Corporate Citizenship interviewed a range of representatives from the corporate and 3rd sector for the project, and drawing from their experiences presented case studies and findings to ACEVO.

We provided ACEVO with a full report for publication, which can be used as a standing case study of the benefits of cross sector peer learning and the benefits that this provides for both the businesses and the 3rd sector leaders alike.

The report has been received well and has been launched in both London and Leeds. Corporate Citizenship also hosted a breakfast briefing to explore the issues that the report raised.

ICAEW

We recently helped the ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) develop a Business Sustainability e-learning programme to raise awareness of the business case for corporate responsibility and the issues which companies face in becoming sustainable. This modular programme is aimed at the ICAEW’s 130,000 members in 162 countries who need a practical guide to designing, implementing, measuring and reporting on corporate responsibility.

The Business Sustainability programme consists of five e-learning modules, providing the user with maximum flexibility. It can be completed in users’ own time, with no limit to the number of times people can dip in and out of the programme.

As well as covering the ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ of business sustainability and corporate responsibility, the programme comes alive with a range of international case studies and provides users with the tools to develop a personal and corporate action plan. The e-learning programme is all about putting theory into action.

http://www.icaew.com/index.cfm/route/159696/icaew_ga/en/Qualifications/Specialist_qualifications_and_programmes/Business_Sustainability_Programme/E_learning_modules

Provident Financial

Supply Chain

Provident Financial is the market leader in home credit in the UK and Ireland. It also has a successful credit card business, offering a different kind of card specially designed for people who often find themselves excluded by other lenders.

Provident Financial aims to procure products and services that have minimal negative impacts on the environment and society at large. This involvement not only yields social and environmental improvements throughout the supply chain, but also helps to contain costs, improve risk management and enhance the company’s reputation.

In keeping with its environmental supply chain management policy, Provident Financial reviewed the environmental performance of key suppliers and joined forces with them to develop policies and practices that minimise environmental risks.

Corporate Citizenship assisted Provident Financial with an analysis of its supply chain, mapped and prioritised its risks and responsibilities, reviewed the supply chain policy and drafted a risk assessment questionnaire to guide and inform its supply chain managers. We also facilitated a training workshop for procurement teams to raise awareness and assist with the ‘embedding’ process.

Assurance

Provident Financial is a FTSE 250 financial services company which specialises in the provision of personal credit products for consumers in the non-standard lending market. The business operates in the UK and Ireland, with around 3,000 employees and over two million customers in the UK and Ireland. Corporate Citizenship has provided advice and support to Provident Financial on a range of corporate responsibility matters since 2001.

Given the nature of Provident Financial’s business and customer base, the company has always received a high level of scrutiny regarding its performance as a responsible business. Since 2005, Provident Financial has asked Corporate Citizenship to provide an external assurance of its corporate responsibility reports. The service we have given has been very much added value, in that we have not only verified report content but also helped Provident Financial to produce better reports, whilst making forward looking recommendations that have influenced strategy and driven new initiatives. We also organise and facilitate an annual stakeholder roundtable for Provident Financial prior to report drafting, the results of which are used to shape content development.

By working with Provident Financial over a number of years, we have helped the company make great progress in its approach to corporate responsibility, as well as its performance and reporting.

Britvic

Britvic Soft Drinks is one of the two leading soft drinks businesses in Great Britain and Ireland, with a portfolio of brands like Robinsons, Tango and Pepsi.  New product developments include J2O and Fruit Shoot.

Following the flotation of the company in 2005, corporate responsibility was identified as a key area for development. The Board and the Executive Committee approved a formal strategy and deliverables across five key areas including marketplace issues. Britvic has since launched a Consumer Careline and GDA labelling across all packs, to help consumers make more informed choices when they purchase.

Corporate Citizenship has put together a full ‘footprint’ assessment of one of Britvic’s brands, outlining social, environmental and economic impacts of that brand – from sourcing of raw materials and packaging to disposal and end use. Our work is enabling the brand to identify impacts which need reducing or improving upon, and those elements which can be leveraged to inform, and build a stronger relationship with, the brand’s consumers and customers. Corporate Citizenship’s brand footprinting empowers brand owners and marketers to make informed choices about their brand’s development based on ethical considerations.

Unilever

Unilever is one of the world’s leading consumer goods companies with 400 brands spanning foods, home and personal care products. Its portfolio includes world favourites Lipton, Knorr, Dove and Omo.

Unilever has identified that values-led brands will increasingly drive the business, engaging with consumers on issues that matter to them. For example, Dove’s successful Campaign for Real Beauty breaks current stereotypes about beauty. Omo/Persil’s ‘Dirt is good’ campaign emphasises the importance for children of feeling free to play outdoors as part of their learning and development.

Corporate Citizenship has worked with Unilever on a range of consumer issues for more than five years. We supported the pilot ‘imprint’ process for one brand, focusing on economic impacts. We advise on the presentation of nutrition and hygiene issues to specialist audiences through Unilever’s award-winning sustainable development reports. At country level, we were part of projects to map the economic, social and environmental impacts of the consumer goods business in Indonesia and Africa.

In addition, we have helped develop new policies for issues such as human rights in the sourcing of raw materials and other ingredients. We supported the revision of Unilever’s Code of Business Principles, which sets out the company’s overarching commitments and underpins its approach to consumers.

Cadbury

Cadbury is the world’s largest confectionery company, with a strong regional presence in beverages in the Americas and Australia.

Initially, Corporate Citizenship helped Cadbury to develop a formal Human Rights and Ethical Trading (HRET) Policy. Cadbury wanted to put in place processes for compliance within all parts of the business and the supply chain. So the policy was tested by conducting pilot visits with suppliers to countries where key ingredients are sourced. These pilot studies also helped develop the HRET Management Communication Programme. Training sessions were then held for procurement staff to share the findings of the pilot studies and to equip them with tools to communicate the policy and standards to suppliers.

We then assisted with an assessment of the main sources of supply for key agricultural raw materials and the development of a strategy for managing them more responsibly. This involved several stages: country and crop risk assessments, facilitation of an expert group to inform the process, and the development of a framework of sustainable sourcing criteria to guide decisions in the sourcing of key crops.

HSBC

The HSBC Climate Partnership is a groundbreaking five-year partnership between The Climate Group, Earthwatch Institute, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and WWF, involving an investment of $100 million over five years. HSBC wanted to effectively measure the impact of the programme.

Corporate Citizenship has been an advisor to HSBC for the past six years. We helped to devise the initial partnership and conducted ‘due diligence’ on the partners; we supported the partnership particularly around programme planning and target setting; and we worked with the partners to design the measurement system to assess the impact of the programme.

As a result of our work, HSBC is able to measure the outputs and impacts of the programme accurately and demonstrate the difference their investment has made around the world to climate change.

Lafarge

Lafarge is the world-leading building materials company with nearly 84,000 employees in 79 countries.  Its business strategy of expansion in emerging markets and innovation is complemented by the Sustainability Ambitions 2012 that set targets for the material sustainability issues Lafarge faces.

Lafarge has reported on sustainability since 2001.  It has set itself the goals of matching best reporting practices and standards, reporting ever-more directly and transparently on material issues and improving the responsiveness of reporting.

We have been working with Lafarge on reporting since 2006.  The 2008 Sustainability Report includes full coverage of the integration of new acquisitions Orascom and Larsen & Toubro and of the progress and management of sustainability in Lafarge Shui On, Lafarge’s Chinese operation.

PwC

Corporate Citizenship has been working with PricewaterhouseCoopers for a number of years on different aspects of the firm’s CSR programme. In 2006, PwC asked us to conduct a qualitative review of its community investment programme in Southwark which has been running for over a decade.

We interviewed a range of stakeholders in the project, from those who were involved at the outset, to the organisations and groups who work with PwC today. We reviewed the programme in the context of best practice in community investment, and looked at the lessons to be learnt from PwC’s experience.

We provided PwC with a full report for publication, which PwC can use as a standing case study of their involvement in the borough and to complement their community investment reporting. The case study was launched at the Globe Theatre on Monday 25th June 2007.

Go-Ahead

Go-Ahead is one of the largest public transport groups in the UK. Its businesses include train companies Southern and Thameslink, as well as bus companies London General and London Central. We have been working with Go-Ahead for five years.

In our first year, we verified the Go-Ahead Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report. In the second year, we verified the report again, but also provided advice and guidance to the in-house team on what should be included to keep Go-Ahead up with the best CSR reporters. In our third year, we were asked to manage the entire CSR reporting process – from overseeing data collection through to drafting the content. We also carried out the verification with appropriate Chinese walls.

Since 2006 we have managed the production of a group-wide PDF and web reports complemented by individual company summary reports; an innovation introduced to allow the reporting process to be more responsive to stakeholders.

Go-Ahead has been recognised as one of the top 100 ‘Companies that Count’ in the prestigious Corporate Responsibility Index from Business in the Community. Having never featured in the list before, Go-Ahead was rated 69th in 2005 and received ‘gold’ status in 2006.

Centrica

Centrica is a leading integrated energy company operating in the UK, North America and Western Europe, and increasingly sources gas further afield.

Centrica recently revised its Business Principles and wanted to re-launch them internally in such a way that they would become truly embedded in employee behaviour. Corporate Citizenship worked with them to design an e-learning programme that showed how the Principles should be used to underpin employees’ day-to-day decisions, and the importance of referring to the principles for guidance in any ethical dilemma.

For each of the eight principles, a set of ‘what-if’ scenarios were developed, to illustrate the difficult choices employees have to make. Depending on the choice made, a commentary is provided, to explain if the principles are not being followed, and what should be done. Available on-line and on CD-Rom, the package includes an introduction by the CEO, a quiz and helpline for more information.

The programme was rolled out in the UK initially and has since been extended to North America, accompanied by booklets, summary leaflets and a fun board-game for use during induction programmes.

Chime Communications Plc

We have been advising Chime in developing a comprehensive environmental management programme that will also enable Chime to become a carbon neutral company.

To start, we supported Chime in undertaking an independent Climate Impact Assessment to provide a full account of the carbon emissions from its business operations, including business travel, commuting, energy consumption and waste management. This process provided a robust baseline measurement against which to gauge environmental performance, and set future targets and objectives.

Chime is aiming to develop a culture of environmental responsibility and leading edge thinking that extends from employees through to suppliers and clients. To achieve this, we have helped Chime with the following actions:

• Including staff in group wide environmental decisions to encourage a sense of joint commitment, and embed a sense of environmental responsibility in the office and beyond.
• Setting up a network of Climate Change Champions from each Chime company who share ideas and help build awareness at company level.
• Using internal e-newsletter The Week at Chime to communicate environmental developments, reduction tips and consult with employees.
• Running 4 monthly ‘Turn it off’ poster campaigns to encourage employees to take steps to reduce emissions.

Chime has already switched to green electricity for main offices, and is working with stationery suppliers to trial recycled office paper. In 2007 Chime intends to include environmental criteria in the selection process for preferred suppliers, and review the practices of existing suppliers.

While reduction is central to Chime’s approach, some inevitable emissions will be offset. We helped Chime to choose appropriate projects which this year are a Rural Solar Electrification Project in India and Sri Lanka; a Forestry Project in the UK; and a Wind Power Generation Project in India.

Pearson

Strategy Planning and Delivery

Pearson is an international media company with market-leading businesses in education, business information and consumer publishing. It was one of the original signatories to the UN Global Compact, which commits global companies to standards of behaviour in relation to the environment, labour and human rights.

Corporate Citizenship has worked with Pearson over a number of years to provide both strategic advice and practical support to bring alive those commitments on labour standards, human rights and environment across all of its businesses.  We have also assisted Pearson to fulfil its commitments under the UN Global Compact, help them to share those experiences with other signatory companies and analyse environmental, labour standards and human rights surveys.

As a result of our support, Pearson is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices; is rated as media sector leader with ‘platinum’ status in the BITC Corporate Responsibility Index and has been included in the FTSE4Good indices since inception.

Sustainability services

Pearson is an international media company with market-leading businesses in education, business information and consumer publishing. It was one of the original signatories to the UN Global Compact, which commits global companies to standards of behaviour in relation to the environment, labour and human rights. We have worked with Pearson over a number of years on its environmental management.

With our help Pearson has been able to extend the reach of its reporting process across all the Pearson businesses in 60 countries. It has also published web-based reports on environmental matters; committed to become a climate neutral company by the end of 2009 and led its industry for its responsible approach to paper purchasing.

As a result of our support, Pearson is rated as media sector leader with ‘platinum’ status in BITC’s Environment Index.

Friends Provident

Friends Provident wanted to evaluate their Friends in the Community Programme to understand; how effective the programme is in the local community, what motivates their people, and what could improve participation levels of their staff.

Corporate Citizenship interviewed a range of stakeholders in the project including key internal staff who run and communicate the programme.  We also held a focus group for participants, surveyed all staff and sought the opinions of their community partners.

We reviewed the programme in the context of best practice in community investment activity.

Corporate Citizenship delivered a report of findings together with practical recommendations for how Friends Provident could improve their Friends in the Community programme and how they can engage with their staff.
As a result of our work, Friends Provident was able to better understand the impact that it was making in the community and how it could strengthen key relationships.