Since 2008, we have been implementing a new CSR strategy to help our business grow in a fast, but responsible way. Over the last two years, a great deal of work has been done to integrate CSR in each part of our operations. We have made good progress but this remains on ongoing journey
We are very proud to present for the first time performance figures for each of our CSR areas. During 2009, we integrated a new reporting and management system to collect CSR data from our majority-owned companies. The results can viewed in the individual pages in this websection.
We are very pleased with our performance but are also aware that this is only a first step in fully understanding our environmental, social and economical impact on the societies where we operate. Nonetheless, with the information from each of our local operations centralised in one place, we are now in a much stronger position to identify areas for improvement and develop actions plan, both on a local level and for the group as whole.
During 2009, we reached some crucial milestones in our journey to integrate CSR in each aspect of our business. Three new policies were developed and implemented to set new group standards in the areas of Labour and Human Rights, Health and Safety and Marketing Communication. While you are reading this, we are also implementing group policies for Environment, Business Ethics and Community Engagement. With these polices in place, we have now reached a new phase in developing a group wide CSR approach. Our focus in 2010 in this area will be on further implementation and creating awareness among our employees in order to achieve full compliance.
By implementing the CSR policies, we also continue to confirm our on-going commitment to the United Nations Global Compact as the principles are reflected in our policies. This year, I signed the CEO water mandate on behalf of the group and we are endorsing the caring for climate initiative. More detailed information can be found in our communication on progress.
In a time when climate change and water scarcity become an increasingly important topic for ourselves and our stakeholders, we completed a baselines assessment last year to better understand our water and carbon footprint. The findings revealed that we are the most efficient international brewing company when it comes to our water and energy consumption. In terms of water usage, it came as no surprise that our biggest impact is in our agricultural supply chain. We used the findings of the assessment to develop a new environmental strategy, focussing on maintaining our leadership, reducing our packaging (and thereby our CO2 emissions) and supporting communities in managing their watersheds. We have set new, ambitious targets in the areas of water, energy and Co2 emissions for 2012. Our 2009 performance shows that we are well under way to reach these targets.
In line with out GloCal approach, we continued to develop local initiatives to promote responsible drinking and address issues related to the misuse of our products, such as underage drinking and drinking and driving. At the same time, we developed a new communication platform on group level called Clear on Beer which focuses on informing our consumers about all aspects related to alcohol to help them making an informed choice.
In 2008, we started a project to the implement of a Supplier and Licensee Code of Conduct to improve the social and environmental conditions. Last year, we joined the Suppliers Ethical Data Exchange (Sedex) to increase the level of knowledge of CSR issues in the Supply Chain for both Carlsberg and its suppliers. CSR criteria are now part of the all our purchasing decisions.
Creating a healthy and safe workplace for our employees remains the cornerstone of our business approach. Very regrettably, three of our colleagues lost their lives during accidents on our sites. Our thoughts are with the family of the diseased. Any fatality is unacceptable and we are constantly reviewing our procedures to avoid that similar accidents do not happen again.
In 2010, we will revisit our CSR focus areas and assess how to continue making a difference in those areas where we can have the most impact. An important element in that will be increasing and intensifying the dialogue with our stakeholders to better understand the expectation on us as a global company. For that reason, I encourage you to review the information on our website and give us your feedback.
Best regards,
Jørgen Buhl Rasmussen
CEO and President, Carlsberg Breweries