Sustainability at Kuoni Congress

Transcription

1 Sustainability at Kuoni Congress

2 Table of contents 1 Why we engage on sustainability 4 2 Developing our strategy 8 3 Identifying issues and talking to our stakeholders 10 4 Prioritising issues & analysing materiality 14 At Kuoni Congress our objective is not that sustainability should be a part of our business, but that it defines the way in which we work. Our primary social purpose is to help clients plan, create and deliver congresses sustainably and we will implement a structure to ensure that this is the case. 5 Defining our sustainability pillars and principles 6 The big picture: Contributing to the UN s Sustainable Development Goals 7 Appendix Sustainability at Kuoni Congress 3

3 1 What our employees said Why we engage on sustainability 91% 45% 65% Last year in Paris, countries from across the globe came to an historic agreement on climate action. Furthermore last year, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a new sustainable development agenda outlined in 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 global targets. At Kuoni Congress, we believe that companies play an increasingly critical role in achieving a more sustainable development which will benefit business and society as a whole. In fact of our clients recently told us they would be very or extremely interested in new sustainability services for their events. and 50% 67%...of Kuoni Congress employees rated the company s accountability for social and environmental impacts as important or very important.... of staff said they would be interested in becoming CSR Champions for their office....of staff were very or extremely interested in taking advantage of Corporate Volunteering opportunities. The recent development of the international standard ISO 20121, which is designed to help organisations improve the quality and sustainability of their event related activities, products and services, as well as the Global Reporting Initiative s Events Sector Supplement indicate that sustainability in the events industry is here to stay. Those who do not engage will need to play catch-up later. Additionally, sustainability is a key driver of innovation, one of our company s principal values. Engaging on sustainability creates opportunities to develop new industry partnerships which can add value to our services, differentiate us from our competitors and constantly meet the growing expectations of our stakeholders for more sustainable services. of our clients already evaluate the sustainability level of their event organisers and suppliers before making purchasing decisions, and 67% of meetings industry bodies give preference to service providers with sustainability programmes. Employee and suppliers surveys revealed similar trends, with both stakeholder groups showing commitment to sustainability within their respective organisations. What our suppliers said A clear majority of the suppliers who participated in the survey prioritise sustainability in their business practices. 63% 44% How important is sustainability to your organisation? 18% Extremely important 1% Not important 5% Low importance...adhere to a sustainability programme or policy....have appointed someone to oversee sustainabilityrelated issues internally. 44% Very important 32% Important 4 Sustainability at Kuoni Congress 1 Why we engage on sustainability 5

4 Benefits of a Sustainability Management System Engaging on sustainability will show Kuoni Congress s proactive commitment to social and environmental stewardship and enable the company: Kuoni Congress is thus committed to act as a good corporate citizen, taking into full account the current and future economic, social and environmental impacts of its business. To operate in a less resource intensive manner, thereby reducing costs In particular, Kuoni Congress aims at being a leader by example and by showcasing best practice within its business units and its events value chain in order to ensure a positive legacy. To gain commercial benefit associated with good social and environmental practice, e.g. attracting top quality staff, securing the social license to operate, developing new products and proactively meeting customer demand To respond to legal drivers in national regulation and international norms To identify the social and environmental impacts of, and risks to, the business To this end, Kuoni Congress also aims to be certified in ISO in We recognise that achieving these commitments presents unique challenges for our company towards which we are fully dedicated. The scope of our ISO certification focuses on both Housing and PCO Congresses that take place across some of our principle destinations, subsequently we plan to extend the scope of certification to include additional congresses as the SEMS matures. To identify current gaps in the business s approach To actively engage in an inclusive dialogue with sustainability related stakeholders (employees, suppliers, governments, NGOs, international organisations, etc.) 6 Sustainability at Kuoni Congress

5 2 Process is inclusive & participatory, and signed off by top management. 1 Desk Research Developing our strategy Sustainability policy guidelines for businesses ISO Standard requirements Global Reporting Initiative Event Sector Supplement guidelines Research on CSR & events Competitor analysis Company Process review Our sustainability strategy encompasses the so-called social purpose and principles, as well as formal policy, selected focus issues, reasoned prioritisation of these issues, an action plan and targets. 2 Stakeholder Mapping Brainstorming long-list of stakeholders Analysis of power & interest Short-list of stakeholders for outreach Impact & Risk Assessment A key feature is the materiality analysis this is the process of identifying key sustainability-related issues via stakeholder consultation that are relevant for the business. An overview of the process we applied in developing our strategy is found on the next page. 3 Stakeholder Consultation Consulation via telephone, video conferencing or online survey Feedback on long-list of sustainability issues Identify risks/opportunities Input of purpose & principles statement 4 Consolidation of Findings Sustainability Policy & Objectives Draft version of Sustainability Policy & action plan including materiality analysis complete 5 Approval by senior management 6 Implementation Integration of policy in training, communication, procurement Implementation of planned actions Developing monitoring & internal audit systems Action & Reporting 8 Sustainability at Kuoni Congress 2 Developing our strategy 9

6 NGOs IAPCO 3 Neighborhoods NGOs Environment Communities Congress president Scientific committee Programme committee Executive committee Local commitee Society Identifying issues and talking to our stakeholders Associations Exhibitors Sponsors Board Clients Employees Host/Hostess Guides Permanent Seasonal Interns Management Volunteers Airports The first step in the strategy development was to create a risk profile of the company. A series of interviews with middle management on current procurement, health & safety, and other business processes, including key software and capabilities, as well as supply chain analysis and statistics on procurement spend helped identify key issues. Information about the state of sustainability in the events industry as well as a competitor analysis helped to further inform a long-list of relevant sustainability issues, which were later fed into the stakeholder consultation process. Licensing bodies Royalty Collection Companies Municipalities Convention Bureau Police, Fire Dept, Emergency Services Government Kuoni Congress Venue Media Exhibition Halls/ Congress Centres Universities Hospitals Restaurants A stakeholder map was developed in the course of a two-day ISO implementation workshop with key members of staff as follows. Caterer IT Providers Suppliers Restaurants Decoration Companies Venues (if directly contracted) Stand Builder/Staging Crew Interpreters/Translators Excursion Providers Security Providers Investors Speakers Delegates Exhibitors Students Event Participants Audio & Video Providers Marketing Agency Audit & Advisory Congress promotional materials Printing companies Transportation Entertainment Companies Hotels Website designers Social Media Ads Events Industry SITE MPI ICCA 10 Sustainability at Kuoni Congress 3 Identifying issues and talking to our stakeholders 11

7 Staff were then asked to rate each stakeholder in terms of their respective power and interest, which helped define a core stakeholder list for further consultation. The results below show the scores of the supplier groups. The full results of the analysis can be seen in the matrix in the appendix. Venue, Suppliers, Clients High Power Event Participants Investors Media Keep satisfied Events Industry Manage closely Government Employees Power was seen as the ability to affect the company s business, shown on the vertical axis. The horizontal axis reflects the level of interest in the company and in Kuoni Congress s sustainability strategy. Those stakeholders showing high power and high interest were the focus for consultation in defining key material sustainability issues for the company. A series of 12 video conferences were held with key stakeholders, including suppliers, clients, and event industry bodies. This was supplemented by an online survey sent to all relevant external stakeholders, which asked participants to rate the level of interest on various sustainability topics with respect to Kuoni Congress business. 103 external stakeholders participated in the survey (21% response rate). To gain an internal perspective, all Kuoni Congress employees were invited to participate in an online survey, asking them to rate the sustainability topics where Kuoni Congress s activities had the highest impact (71% participation rate). Kuoni Congress remains committed to a continued dialogue, collaboration and partnership with key stakeholders, including clients, employees, suppliers, NGOs and other businesses and organisations as appropriate. Airports Environment Monitor Society Keep informed Low Interest High 12 Sustainability at Kuoni Congress 3 Identifying issues and talking to our stakeholders 13

8 4 Kuoni Congress Value Chain Prioritising issues & analysing materiality Government Infrastructure & Services Convention Centres & Venues 3rd Party Suppliers (hotels, catering, etc.) Employees The events industry can have a wide range of direct and indirect impacts on society and the environment, and it can be difficult to know where to begin planning sustainability actions. At Kuoni Congress we strive to prioritise our implementation efforts towards stewardship in the operational areas over which we have greater degrees of control and influence, and where the magnitude of our impact is greatest. A series of tools developed by the Center for Corporate Responsibility at ZHAW* and BSD Consulting in collaboration with Kuoni Congress were used in this process. We began by defining our value chain and identifying critical sustainability issues within the industry beyond our own operations. We then gauged our level of influence, and the degree of impact as a result of our business, combined with the probability of occurrence of critical sustainability issues at each step of the value chain. Any operational areas that, after assessment, fell in the upper right hand quadrant of the matrix was considered significant and included in the consideration of objectives and actions where Kuoni Congress is able to materially influence or control them and/or where the magnitude of our impact is greatest. The analysis included the following factors: External issues Sustainability context Interest by external stakeholders associated with Kuoni Congress s business Interest by other external stakeholders such as NGOs Competitor analysis Existence of national, EU-wide or international conventions or targets Internal issues Interest by employees Risk to the organisation Relation to the company s core competencies Likelihood of occurrence/ probability Degree of impact on the value chain Prospective Clients Clients Exhibitors & Sponsors Speakers Convention Bureau / Events Industry Bodies Inputs Inputs Services & Product Development Human Resources, Finance & IT Waste Inputs Operations Technology Customer Service Marketing & Sales Outputs Satisfied Clients & Event Participants Engaged Employees Carbon Emissions Food & Beverage Materials (Signage, Paper, Giveaways, Decoration Elements) * Zurich University of Applied Sciences: School of Management and Law 14 Sustainability at Kuoni Congress 4 Prioritising issues & analysing materiality 15

9 Results from the external stakeholder survey, interviews and employee survey were taken into account and weighted most heavily. The matrix was developed based on the weighted scores, with any topic falling in the top-right quadrant being defined as material. Material Issues 100 Full list of topics Material Issues External Relevance / Importance for Stakeholders Accessibility 2 Animal welfare 3 Awareness raising 4 Biodiversity 5 Carbon emissions 6 Child protection 7 Community investment 8 Customer health & safety 9 Ecofriendly cleaning material 10 Ecofriendls technical equipment 11 Mobility 12 Economic performance 13 Staff training and dev 14 Employee satisfaction 15 Energy usage 16 Fair negotiation practices 17 Fair wages and working conditions 18 Food & beverages 19 Impacts on the community 20 Indirect economic impacts 21 Legacy 22 Local sourcing 23 Market prescence 24 Materials choice 25 Non-discrimination 26 Occupational health & safety 27 Preventing anti-competitive behaviour 28 Preventing bribery & corruption 29 Preventing noise pollution 30 Prevention of use of banned chemicals 31 Promoting sustainable service providers 32 Quality 33 Security 34 Sustainable sourcing 35 Waste reduction & management 36 Water usage 37 Working hours & overtime Kuoni Congress thus prioritises it s sustainability commitment according to the following 21 material topics: Economic 16 Fair negotiation policies 27 Preventing anti-competitive behaviour 28 Preventing bribery & corruption 32 Quality 33 Security 34 Sustainable sourcing Social 1 Accessibility 3 Awareness raising 8 Customer health and safety 14 Employee satisfaction 17 Fair wages & working conditions 22 Local sourcing 25 Non-discrimination 37 Working hours & overtime Environmental 5 Carbon emissions 11 Mobility 15 Energy usage 18 Food & beverage 24 Materials Choice 35 Waste reduction & management 36 Water usage Internal Relevance / Importance for Kuoni Congress (Impact) 16 Sustainability at Kuoni Congress 4 Prioritising issues & analysing materiality 17

10 5 Defining our sustainability pillars and principles The social purpose and principles of Kuoni Congress have been defined via consultation with senior management and via staff vote (71% turnout). The primary social purpose is to help clients plan, create and deliver congresses sustainably. Kuoni Congress s principles have been identified as: Commitment Respect Quality Innovation People Focus Collaboration Additionally, Kuoni Congress commits to the ISO governing principles of sustainable development: Based on the materiality analysis, Kuoni Congress has clustered its priority issues along four areas of focus, our so-called sustainability pillars. These are defined as: Demonstrating strong business ethics Valuing our people Caring for the environment Creating renowned experiences An overview to our approach to sustainability including our sustainability pillars, principles and material topics is shown below. The frequency of the sustainability strategy will be reevaluated every 3 years, to ensure its continued validity as well as identifying any potential new areas for inclusion. Stewardship Inclusivity Integrity Transparency 18 Sustainability at Kuoni Congress 5 Defining our sustainability pillars and principles 19

11 6 The big picture: Contributing to the UN s Sustainable Development Goals The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an intergovernmental set of 17 aspirational Goals with 169 targets, adopted in September They cover a broad range of sustainable development issues including ending poverty and hunger, improving health and education, making cities more sustainable, combating climate change, and protecting oceans and forests. Kuoni Congress believes that business can make valuable contributions to the SDGs through their sustainability endeavors and has therefore embedded them in its own sustainability strategy based on the materiality analysis. The following figure shows the relationship between our sustainability pillars, materials topics and the SDGs. 20 Sustainability at Kuoni Congress 6 The big picture: Contributing to the UN s Sustainable Development Goals 21

12 7 Appendix Venue, Suppliers, Clients High Power Airports 25, , 17 8, 40 Events Industry Event Participants 37, , 34, 41 Employees 48 Investors Media 35, Keep satisfied Manage closely 19, 26, , Government 27, 30 22, 33, 43 11, 20, 28, Environment 3, 15, Monitor Keep informed 1, 4, 12, 21, 42, 51 Full list of stakeholders Employees 1 Permanent 2 Seasonal 3 Interns 4 Management 5 Volunteers 6 Host/Hostess 7 Guides Venue 8 Exhibition Halls/ Congress Centres 9 Universities 10 Hospitals 11 Restaurants Suppliers 12 Hotels 13 Transportation 14 Caterer 15 Excursion Providers 16 IT Providers 17 Security Providers 18 Audio & Video Providers 19 Audit & Advisory 20 Stand Builder/Staging Crew 21 Venues (if directly contracted) 22 Entertainment Companies 23 Decoration Companies 24 Florists 25 Interpreters/Translators 26 Restaurants 27 Marketing Agency 28 Social Media Ads 29 Website designers 30 Congress promotional materials 31 Printing companies Airports Media Events Industry 32 SITE 33 MPI 34 ICCA 35 IAPCO Event Participants 36 Speakers 37 Delegates 38 Exhibitors 39 Students Clients 40 Associations 41 Congress president 42 Board 43 Scientific committee 44 Programme committee 45 Executive committee 46 Local commitee 47 Sponsors 48 Exhibitors Government 49 Licensing bodies 50 Police, Fire Dept, Emergency Services 51 Convention Bureau 52 Royalty Collection Companies 53 Municipalities Society 54 Neighborhoods 55 NGOs 56 Communities Environment 57 NGOs Investors 5, 6, 52 54, 55, 56, 57 Society Low Interest High 22 Sustainability at Kuoni Congress 7 Appendix 23

13 For further information contact Kuoni Congress Avenida Diagonal, 416-3ª 1º Barcelona, Spain Tel Website: