Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2006 - a Summary
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Aviva CSR Report COVER 21/3/06 11:50 am Page 2 Aviva plc Corporate social responsibility report 2006 - a summary The full report is available at www.aviva.com/csr06 Customers Health and safety Community Workforce Suppliers Human rights Environment Standards of business conduct Moving forward in CSR Aviva_CSR_Report_Final_Artwork 23/3/06 9:16 am Page b Aviva, as a member of the international community, recognises its corporate social responsibility commitments in its various roles, which include insurer, investor, employer and consumer. We reflect these commitments in a Health and safety We recognise that our business family of eight policies, which relate to: We are committed to providing a activities have direct and indirect working environment which is both impacts on the societies in which we Standards of business conduct safe and fit for the intended purpose operate. We endeavour to manage We are committed to ensuring that and ensures that health and safety these in a responsible manner, our business is conducted in all issues are a priority for all business believing that sound and demonstrable respects according to rigorous ethical, operations. performance in relation to corporate professional and legal standards. social responsibility policies and Suppliers practices is a fundamental part Customers We regard suppliers as our partners of business success. We seek to provide our customers and work with them to help us achieve with a service hallmarked by integrity, our policy aspirations in the delivery We are committed to continuous quality and care. of our products and services. improvement in our corporate social responsibility programme and Human rights Community encourage our business partners We respect the Universal Declaration We strive to be a good corporate to strive for matching performance. of Human Rights and seek to be citizen around the world, recognising guided by its provisions in the conduct our responsibility to work in partnership Our business units throughout the world of our business. with the communities in which we are committed to achievement of our operate. policy objectives. Our performance Workforce will be periodically reviewed and We are guided by our aim to be the Environment externally verified to help us meet our employer of choice in all countries We are committed to a programme policy goals. At a local level, the heads in which we operate. of management, continuous of our businesses will review progress improvement and reporting of our at least annually. We will publish direct and indirect impacts, which reports regularly. marks our contribution to improving the world in which we live. Approved by the board of Aviva plc January 2005 Contents 01 Overview 02 Chairman and group chief executive statements 04 Aviva and CSR 06 Governance at group level 07 CSR challenges for Aviva in 2006 08 CSR issues for Aviva Climate change Our customer focus Managing structural change 12 CSR in practice Standards of business conduct Customers Workforce Health and safety Aviva is the world's sixth-largest insurance group and the largest insurance services provider in the UK, Human rights with more than 54,000 employees serving millions of customers. We are one of the leading providers Suppliers of life and pension products in Europe and are actively growing long-term savings businesses in Asian Environment markets, Australia and the USA. Our main activities are long-term savings, fund management and Community general insurance. 23 External engagements 24 Recognition of our performance You can find out more about Aviva plc by visiting our website www.aviva.com 25 Independent assurance statement Aviva_CSR_Report_Final_Artwork 23/3/06 9:16 am Page 1 Aviva plc Corporate social responsibility report 2006 1 Overview This is our fifth corporate social responsibility (CSR) printed summary report, which gives a high level view of our CSR approach, governance and performance in 2005, illustrated with some examples from Aviva businesses worldwide. Our online CSR report provides full details on our performance in each of the eight elements of CSR as well as separate CSR reports on each of our businesses. The CSR programme continues to cover all Aviva businesses worldwide. Reporting on the RAC, which we acquired during the course of the last year, will commence in our next report, to be published in 2007. of Aviva businesses worldwide are covered by the CSR programme www.aviva.com/csr06 Aviva_CSR_Report_Final_Artwork 23/3/06 9:16 am Page 2 Aviva plc Corporate social responsibility report 2006 2 Chairman and group chief executive We have established a board committee on CSR to strengthen the understanding and adoption of CSR in the operation of our businesses. Lord Sharman of Redlynch OBE, Chairman Chairman’s introduction In the international arena, the borders Foreword by group We believe that there is a natural between the responsibilities of the chief executive relationship between good governance State, the NGO and the business are Our approach to CSR has been simple. – how a company organises and sometimes blurred. Against such a Centrally, we have set policy objectives conducts its internal affairs – and CSR background, it is all the more important and our businesses around the world – how it manages its impacts and that Aviva forms its own clear have identified how best to achieve relationships with stakeholders. In both view of where its obligations them. This ‘organic’, locally-owned cases, integrity is the driving force. The under CSR lie. The committee will approach to our CSR programme is a board recognises that its responsibility therefore also constitute a high level key feature of its success to date. Each is to ensure that this remains the case. group for formulation of policy for year, incrementally, we have moved recommendation to the full board forward. Learnings are exchanged For this reason, we have chosen to on new matters of CSR challenge. between businesses and are carried establish a new committee of the board forward from one year to the next. In specifically to provide stewardship for My predecessor, Pehr Gyllenhammar, this way, we can build on what is good our group-wide CSR performance. provided a firm foundation for CSR and what works. We know we are on This is a natural stage in the evolution within Aviva. I intend to build on a journey and this report outlines the of CSR governance. that foundation and to develop further progress made in that journey over the our understanding and practice. past year and also seeks to anticipate The CSR committee will comprise of the challenges of the future. four non-executive directors, myself and the group chief executive. Its This focus on the future is key to primary task will be to examine the Aviva’s approach. We have defined group’s CSR strategy, policy, plans our core purpose, our reason for being, and progress at a more detailed level as ‘prosperity and peace of mind.’ than can be achieved in a meeting This is what we aim to deliver for any of the full board. It will seek to key stakeholders, most notably our strengthen the understanding and Lord Sharman of Redlynch, OBE customers, as we help them to prepare adoption of CSR in the operation Chairman for a secure financial future. Across of our businesses. While recognising Aviva, we recognise the importance the diversity of our businesses, it will of listening and responding to our encourage and monitor progress customers. Our focus on the future towards Aviva’s common policy is a philosophy we express as Aviva: objectives. Forward thinking. The group’s individual businesses have The Forward thinking approach many means of access to external embodies a key principle of CSR, opinion on CSR in the countries in which is to take action now to which we operate. These are important safeguard the future. For example, channels of information and constitute climate change is a major uncertainty a valuable corporate radar at an for us all. While the role of science appropriately local level. The new is to analyse and interpret the data, committee will draw on this knowledge a responsible insurer can help society in its direction of the group-wide adapt to the changes and mitigate the programme. risks. Norwich Union’s demonstration house shows what steps people can take to limit the impact of flooding. This practical response to a challenge illustrates our approach to CSR. The test of CSR progress is to be found in the extent to which it is embedded in products and services. Aviva_CSR_Report_Final_Artwork 23/3/06 9:16 am Page 3 Aviva plc Corporate social responsibility report 2006 3 The Aviva Forward thinking approach embodies a key principle of CSR, which is to take action now to safeguard the future. Richard Harvey, Group Chief Executive Our subsidiary, Hibernian, is the first Aviva is committed to CSR and I am company in Ireland to use a new convinced of the value it brings to our technology to automate the assessment business and to all its stakeholders. It of flood risk. This permits us to rate reinforces the products we offer to our properties at an individual house level, customers, enhances the performance mirroring the developments already of our staff, promotes social benefits pioneered by Norwich Union in the UK. and delivers value to our shareholders. This example illustrates the exchange of best practice between our businesses. An example of connecting to local social priorities is given by our subsidiary in Lithuania. There, we Richard Harvey have launched a product which Group Chief Executive enables local companies to offer enhanced employment benefits packages, which will help mitigate the major problem of loss of talented staff through emigration. Our steady incremental progress is reflected in other ways. Aviva’s global CO2 emissions have reduced over the past year by 7,848 tonnes or by some 11%.