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Principles |
Progress |
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Human rights |
1. Businesses should support and respect the protection of international proclaimed human rights within their sphere of influence
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We have respect for the diverse national cultures and differences in laws and traditions in countries where we operate, at the same time as seeking to abide by the values of the international community, notably the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.
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2. Businesses should make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses |
Our own human rights principles are applicable to all our operations but particularly in countries where democracy, respect for the rule of law and economic development are fragile.
Operations are also encouraged to have their own human rights policies. In addition, we have appropriate whistleblowing procedures in place.
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Labour standards |
3.Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition to the right to collective bargaining
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Our employee code of conduct states that we ‘reinforce the principles of enlightened and humane employment practices and in particular we recognise employees’ right to organize and to negotiate their conditions of employment’. In 2008 42% of employees were members of a trade union (35% in 2007).
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4. Businesses should uphold the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour |
Within our Responsible Sourcing Principles we state that ‘employees should not be forced into involuntary labour and coercion at work is not acceptable’. We are working to embed our principles in the supply chain.
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5. Businesses should uphold the effective abolition of child labour |
Our Responsible Sourcing Principles include the statement: ‘in accordance with relevant ILO conventions, children may only be employed in circumstances which fully safeguard them from potential exploitation’. One of our human rights principles covers the unacceptability of ‘child labour which is illegal, socially unacceptable or leads to loss of educational opportunity’. |
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6.Businesses should eliminate discrimination in respect of employment and occupation |
Our employee code of conduct states that we must ‘practise equitable recruitment and development’. Many of our operations also have an employee diversity policy covering ethnicity, gender and disability, bearing in mind that diversity is applied differently in different countries due to cultural norms and legal frameworks.
Specifically in South Africa, our businesses monitor their progress in meeting targets required under the Employment Equity Act and here the proportion of Asian, black and coloured representation in the total workforce was 75.6%, up from 74.5% in 2007. In our human rights principles, reference is also made to ‘intolerance of discrimination’. |
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Environment |
7.Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges
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Our approach to sustainable development is to look to the future and to have plans in place to meet various potential scenarios to ensure that our business is sustainable. This is also the case for our four environmental priorities which cover water, energy and carbon, packaging and waste.
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8. Businesses should undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility
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Our approach to sustainable development is to look to the future and to have plans in place to meet various potential scenarios to ensure that our business is sustainable. This is also the case for our four environmental priorities which cover water, energy and carbon, packaging and waste. |
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9. Businesses should encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies |
The application of technological advances has been extremely important in, for example, reducing our water consumption. It is also having an impact on the production of biogas from waste water which can then be used as a fuel source. Many of our breweries are exploring this opportunity to increase the proportion of renewable energy used. |
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Anti-corruption |
10. Businesses should work against all forms of corruption, including extortion and bribery |
We do not tolerate any form of bribery or corruption. Within our code of conduct we state that we will be consistent in honouring our legal and moral obligations, protect our standing as regards integrity and credibility and be a leader in the best practices of corporate governance. |