Living Our Values Sustainability Report
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Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx | Xxxxxxxxx Living our values Sustainability report 1 Xxxxxxxxx | Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx XxxxxxxxxxxxxxLiving our xxxxxxxx values | |Introduction Xxxxxxxxx Walk the talk The values that Guardian News and Media is founded upon are not merely words in a manifesto, they aim to change the society we live in his report is called Living social injustices spawned by the onset of the our Values because Guardian industrial revolution, with its prospectus News and Media believes promising to enforce the principles of civil it is important that our and religious liberty, warmly advocate the many stakeholders not cause of reform and be independent of any only understand the core political party. To this original list of causes Tprinciples on which our company is based we would now add the need to respect and but can see also how we manifest them. protect the natural world on which all of Our readers and users feel equally our lives depend and advocate justice and strongly. Our most recent survey of readers fairness in the use of its resources. and users showed that around 95%* believe It is hard to conceive that within the it is important for us to be open in the way lifespan of the Guardian, the planet has we make editorial decisions and operate as been so polluted and degraded that the a business. ability of all species, including human CP Scott, who was editor of the beings, to continue prospering is now Manchester Guardian for an extraordinary seriously at risk. This is why GNM is 57 years, set the bar high in his leading putting so much emphasis on the coverage article celebrating the paper’s centenary in of climate change and other green Contents 1921, when he wrote that our most precious issues by creating the world’s largest possession is our “honesty, cleanness and most experienced team of specialist Introduction [integrity], courage, fairness, and a sense of environmental journalists and setting the Living our values ................................. 3 duty to the reader and the community.” ambitious aim as a company of becoming Sustainability vision ............................ 4 These values are also the essential environmentally regenerative. ingredients of a healthy democracy. Given Values are only truly tested in adversity, Editorial our responsibility is to shed light on and GNM is currently going through the Future of journalism ............................ 8 governments, organisations and individuals most difficult economic times in memory. Environment site ................................10 when they fail to meet them, it is also Our unique ownership structure becomes Social justice ....................................... 12 incumbent on us to publicly demonstrate even more important during times like Tax investigation ................................14 how we measure up. these, as the Scott Trust is governed by Torture ............................................... 15 This is why we have for the past seven long-term goals while publicly listed media Reader feedback .................................16 years produced this annual, independently companies are under enormous short-term audited social, ethical and environmental stock market pressures. Strategy report, the first media company to do so. This does not mean we are immune, and Business strategy ................................19 Being transparent is even more important like other companies we are having to cut Influence, reach and return ................ 20 now, given that trust in many key pillars of costs and staff, although with nothing like our democratic society, such as politics and the severity of some of our competitors. Commercial the media, are currently at such a low ebb. But we never lose sight of the far horizon Commercial strategy ...........................22 We are now ready to go a step further, and are continuing to invest in our core Ethical leadership ...............................23 becoming one of the only companies in aims of becoming the world’s leading liberal Responsible advertising ..................... 24 the world to have a dynamic corporate voice and creating the most influential sustainability reporting website using global environment website. We took the People web 2.0 technology, which is regularly same approach when the dotcom bubble Impact of recession .............................27 updated and creates an open dialogue burst, maintaining our faith in our website Editorial integration ............................28 with our stakeholders (guardian.co.uk/ development, and thus paving the way to Diversity ............................................ 30 sustainability). becoming the biggest UK online newspaper We want to mirror the cut and thrust of site with more than 27 million users. Operations debate that is so much a part of our hugely Our ambitions are not born of vanity Overview ............................................33 successful global website guardian.co.uk as but a firm belief in the importance of our Our carbon strategy ........................... 34 well as allow our stakeholders to be a part of independent journalism in helping people to Direct emissions .................................36 our sustainability journey. It no longer feels understand and interact with our increasingly Indirect emissions ..............................38 appropriate to rely on a printed report or complex and interdependent world. static website that delivers content Community This report covers GNM’s editorial, commercial, operational and HR functions within our London offices and two fully owned print sites. to stakeholders. Overview ............................................41 It does not include the activities of its parent company Guardian Media Group or its owner Scott Trust Limited. What we believe is special about GNM is Case studies ....................................... 42 Annualised data in this report refers to the period April 2008-March 2009. The commentary covers activity up to June 2009. that our values are not there as a backdrop For more information on Local partnerships ............................. 44 All new performance targets are set for completion by April 2010 unless otherwise stated. to making profits but the backbone of our passion to create a society based on justice sustainability at GNM go to Auditor's report Editors Jo Confino, Hannah Judge-Brown Art director Gavin Brammall Design Sian Everett Picture editor Rachel Vere and fairness. The Manchester Guardian guardian.co.uk/sustainability Independent analysis ......................... 46 Graphics Mark McCormick Production Steve Coady Project manager Amalia Sanchez Front cover and other Illustrations Noma Bar was created 188 years ago to challenge the 2 *SOURCE: GNM READERS SURVEY MAY 2009 3 XxxxxxxxxThe big picture | Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx | Sustainability vision xxxxxxxx XxxxxxxxxxxxxxSustainability xxxxxxxxvision | The | Xxxxxxxxx big picture Bringing our sustainability vision to life Our readers and users expect sustainability to be integral to our business. Have we got there yet? he journey towards behind the leaders in the sector. It is only sustainability for any in the last year, with the employment of an company is long and arduous environment manager, that we have become and has no clear final more effective in measuring and managing A local ecology lesson for GNM staff aboard a barge on Regents canal Photo: Anna Gordon destination point. It requires our carbon across our offices and print sites stamina and commitment (see page 33). Managing our responsibilities Tas well as new ways of thinking and of To further improve our performance in working. this area, we have set ourselves nine key Guardian News and Media has a for sustainability strategies in editorial, The steps we have taken in past years objectives for the current financial year. sustainability strategy in place covering commercial and operations sit in on each have paved the way for Guardian News and These include extending our understanding editorial, commercial, our operations and other’s regular meetings. Media (GNM) to now have an integrated of our carbon footprint beyond our core our people. The governance structure Coordinating and communicating our sustainability strategy that embraces all operations and into our supply chain, as well for this strategy has been considerably activity is the job of the sustainable areas of the company, from editorial and as setting clear targets for carbon reduction strengthened to ensure that our objectives development team, which during 2009 has commercial to our offices and print sites as (see page 33). are embedded across the business. been making presentations to staff in all well as our staff. To further encourage sustainable thinking Deputy editor Ian Katz has oversight of our departments so that the company’s strategy This is in tune with the expectations of by our staff, we have launched a more editorial coverage on sustainability, while becomes better understood at all levels. our readers and users, with our latest survey comprehensive employee engagement Tanya Cordrey, our environment general This "roadshow" was in part a result of our showing that nearly 90% of our newspaper programme. This included GNM’s first manager, reports directly to the managing last employee survey, which showed that readers and more than three-quarters of our Sustainability Day for staff on 5 June 2009 director on the business development side a fairly large proportion of staff did not web users say it is important GNM has such to