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Our Approach |
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| We continue this year to report along the sustainability
framework of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), which
sets out the principles and indicators that organisations can
use to measure and report on its sustainability parameters.
This report uses the GRI G3 guidelines and meets the
application criteria of a self claimed B Level report. The GRI
reporting process was driven entirely by the internal
expertise of Aitken Spence. |
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This report is presented as an integrated report in the Aitken Spence PLC Annual Report 2010/11. The report covers information pertaining to all owned and managed operations, which includes operations in Asia and South Africa. Activities discussed in this sustainability report were performed at Group entities in Sri Lanka and the Maldives for the reporting period between 1st April 2010 to 31st March 2011.The report's disclosure covers owned operations in Sri Lanka and Maldives.
Data related to subsidiaries has been obtained through the main representative of each subsidiary's sustainability sub committee, who coordinates with the relevant personnel operationally in charge of the data to maintain records and submit information for reporting. The information so obtained includes information on energy consumption, water consumption, waste management, quality assurance, performance against targets and other activities. This process involves some limitation as there are some occassions where the required data is not available. For example, the amount of water consumed from a ground water well is not measured as opposed to the water obtained from municipal water lines.
Calculation and measurement of the data is based on generally accepted industry norms and standards, and the data is presented in the most comparable manner. For example, energy saving is calculated in multiples of joules and where information is not available to present the data in joules, such as the energy saved due to efficiency improvements in a mini hydropower plant, the electrcity consumption is given in kVA amounts or Watts. Amount of water consumption is given in cubic meters and waste resources are presented in kilograms.
In order to identify the indicators to report on, all performance indicators of significant importance to the Company were shortlisted by the centre (Group Business Development Division). These indicators were filtered through the subsidiary sustainability representatives and the respective personnel at their subsidiaries to narrow it down further. Based on the feedback received from the subsidiaries we met with the senior management for their feedback. Throughout this process, the materiality of the performance indicators, completeness of the information available and requirements of the stakeholders played a key role in identifying the disclosures for the Group Sustainability Report of 2010/11. |
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The ability to engage with its stakeholders in healthy, mutually beneficial, lasting relationships forms the bedrock of a sustainable organisation.
The multiple and diverse relationships built by Aitken Spence across industries and society have been formed on trust, mutual respect and undertsanding and have been developed over time.
There are many channels in place, as illustrated in the diagram, to facilitate engagement with these stakeholders so that the Company and the Stakeholder both receive continuous feedback. At Aitken Spence, the feedback thus received is analysed based on the relevance and priority of each stakeholder group and informs our internal judgment about business priorities.
Stakeholders are chosen based on relevance and priority and the feedback we receive informs our own internal judgement about the priorities for our business.
Key sustainability issues and concerns addressed through stakeholder engagement include return on investment, profit and growth for inverstors, business partners and shareholders; career progression, benefits, remuneration, working facilities and personal development for employees; product and service qualiy, cost, reliability for customers; economic, social and environmental impact including local purchasing and employment for communities.
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The Integrated Sustainability Policy, unveiled during the 2009/10 financial year was further ingrained within our businesses with the objective of creating sustainable value and driving reliable growth.
The policy attempts to encapsulate all issues related to sustainable development which we deem important to maintain the viability, profitability and integrity of the company. The policy encompasses 19 clauses on compliance, ethical conduct, environment, community outreach, sustainable processes, governance, stateholder engagement, quality, customer service, talent management, innovation, safety and health, human rights, information security, continuous improvement and credible reporting.
These clauses are linked to an implementation framework and each policy clause has actions to be completed by the subsidiaries. All actions are classified into a tier system according to essential actions, expected actions and exemplary actions where tier I outlines the essential actions which must be practiced across all subsidiaries. |
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The sustainability strategy of Aitken Spence is a three pronged strategy flowing from the Integrated Sustainability Policy. At the second level of implementation, the strategy encompasses a strategic differentiation exercise at subsidiary level, which involves each subsidiary identifying a sustainability platform which can serve as a competitive advantage. Once this strategic exercise is complete, the next step will be identifying a Group differentiation for Aitken Spence, which takes into account the diversity and nature of its many businesses.
Our aim for the next year is to complete the implementation of all tier I action points of the policy by 90 - 100% by end December 2011. As of March 2011, we had already reached the 50% mark. In parallel, the Sustainability Team is in the process of implementing a system for supporting and protecting human rights, drafting EMS documents to specify the systems and procedures, establishing OHS systems at every work place, corporate communications and the procedures on information security within the Group. |
The Group's sustainability activities are driven by the Sustainability Team of Aitken Spence PLC, which is supported by subsidiary-level sustainability subcommittees which appoint a member each to the Team. The Sustainability Team meets once a month to discuss progress of ongoing activities and new initiatives.
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- Clause 'N' on Occupational Health and Safety was also formally introduced to the Sustainability Team during the year. All subsidiary teams now include a dedicated person monitoring the workplace to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the employees. Training needs for the newly appointed representatives have been identified and relevant programmes are being conducted gradually.
Aitken Spence Logistics took a special interest in this area and conducted an internal audit of 3 of their facilities to inspect hazards to health, safety and welfare of their employees. Corrective and preventive action was taken for more than 90% of the identified risks and the remaining work is being completed. A half day training programme was conducted for 33 department heads on the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Act. The OHS Committee of Logistics has also been reappointed with more representation from all sites and the company hopes to redraft the OHS policy and manual of the company along the guidelines set by OHSAS 18001 and ISO 26000.
- During the last year a clause 'R' on Information Security (IS) was formerly introduced to the Integrated Sustainability Policy. Drafted by the Group IT division, the Policy aligns our systems with international IT security standards. An external audit on IS controls has also been conducted (Futher information is disclosed in the Risk Management report) and further developments to the IS policy will incorporate higher controls.
- As a Group, we are very serious about gradually making ours a paperless office. We currently segregate all paper waste and shred old records for recycling. During the year, the amount of paper recycled from Aitken Spence Towers was 6,506 kg which amounts to 110 trees, 206,760 litres of water, 26,024 kWh of electricity, 11,418 litres of oil and 19 m3 of land fill saved. Our overall aim is to limit paper usage to only the most critical documents. Towards this goal, Group IT is implementing a Group level Document Management System to manage documents electronically where possible.
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| Read our Sustainability Report |
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Sustainability Report |
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Aitken Spence Integrated Sustainability Policy
- (English) |
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Aitken Spence Integrated Sustainability Policy
- (Sinhala) |
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Aitken Spence Integrated Sustainability Policy
- (Tamil) |
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