Sustainability & CSR feature in industry reports
06 January 2012
Sustainability & CSR feature in industry reports
Industry’s drive for sustainability is reflected in the latest annual reports from national chemical associations in Belgium and Spain (see photo), as organisations also aim to better communicate industry’s performance and contributions to society. Essenscia’s emphasis is on sustainable development while Feique’s approach is based on corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Belgium’s essenscia uses 33 quantitative indicators covering People, Planet and Prosperity as well as several quantitative and qualitative indicators covering the section on Products, together with industry’s contribution to product safety, sustainable construction, innovation for more resource efficiency, and sectoral initiatives. Indicators were selected in close cooperation with stakeholders, trade unions, environmental NGOs, and sustainability experts, and follow the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) methodology developed by the UN. This is the chemical and life science association’s second sustainable development report; the first was issued in 2009.
Feique says its report seeks to ensure the elements of its current Responsible Care initiative are “connected into a new generation of global CSR/sustainable development reports” for industry, and based on a strategy that aims to meet stakeholder expectations. While acknowledging the challenges of working with limited official external data, Feique says the report has sought to add value to Spain’s Responsible Care programme, and thus to the industry. A strong history of Responsible Care performance reporting meant over half the 45 CSR indicators in the 2011 report had been covered under the initiative. An additional 11 socio-economic indicators use data from the Spanish National Statistics Institute, INE.
At regional and international level, Europe’s Cefic will publish its first sustainability report in the first half of 2012, while ICCA reports for participants of the Rio+20 and ICCM3 conferences are also underway.
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The International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) is the worldwide voice of the chemical industry, a sector with 2009 turnover of more than €1,900 billion (excluding pharmaceuticals). ICCA members account for more than 60 percent of global chemical sales. The ICCA focuses on key issues for the chemical industry, and the promotion and coordination of Responsible Care® and safe chemicals management through the Global Product Strategy. Priority advocacy issues include chemicals management, regulatory affairs, and international climate negotiations.
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