APC 2004 Annual Report Download - page 53

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51
Business Review
Sustainable
development
Vision
Schneider Electric demonstrated its commitment to
sustainable development in 2001 by including specif-
ic indicators its Company Program.
Our Principles of Responsibility,
approved by the
Executive Committee in 2002, provides a framework
for our shared values and practices. Deployment
began in 2003 and was completed in 2004.
With operations in 130 countries and 197 production
facilities, we fully assume our social, societal and
environmental responsibility by establishing priority
areas for improvement each year while strengthening
our relationships with the Company's key stakehold-
ers: shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers
and the community.
We also provide our customers with solutions that
support sustainable development to help them pre-
serve the planet, ensure their equipment is safe, pro-
tect lives, and optimize consumption of energy and
natural resources.
2004 highlights
First Sustainable Development report
Schneider Electric published its first Sustainable
Development report in 2004 alongside the Annual
Report. The document outlined all of the Company's
actions in compliance with the major global bench-
marks, including the Global Reporting Initiative, and
explained how Schneider Electric sees and assumes
its responsibilities in the areas of corporate gover-
nance and social, societal and environmental perfor-
mance. The French professional order of auditors rec-
ognized our report for the quality of its social and envi-
ronmental information.
Revamped environmental policy
We reformulated our environmental policy in 2004 in
line with
Our Principles of Responsibility.
The policy
included two notable changes:
The eco-design approach is now systematically
applied to all range-core products thanks to produc-
tion site tracking.
For the first time, we have formally included our
commitment to providing products and solutions that
efficiently reduce energy consumption in our R&D pol-
icy, our acquisition strategy and our sales policy.
4
NEW2004 targets met
The NEW2004 progress plans were successfully
completed in 2004.
Social issues
A number of practices have been extended to all
employees to ensure equitable treatment. The ProSat
satisfaction survey, for example, now covers 99% of
our employees worldwide. Similarly, 80% of employ-
ees now have a variable salary component linked to
the Company's performance. In addition, all of our
employees around the world now have health cover-
age.
Societal issues
We are involved in outreach programs through the
Schneider Electric Youth Opportunities Foundation in
84.5% of our host communities.
Environmental issues
97% of the manufacturing facilities targeted by
NEW2004 have obtained ISO 14001 certification.
The remaining 3% are in the process of being cer-
tified. Lastly, all new major range-core products
developed in 2004 were eco-designed.
Social performance
Our human resources strategy is designed to create a
motivating working environment. Specific policies
have been developed covering international mobility,
career development, training and compensation.
These general guidelines are applied through local
programs.
In
Our Principles of Responsibility,
a document of ref-
erence for the entire Schneider Electric corporate
community, we affirm our commitment to diversity: “All
employees are entitled to express their cultural diver-
sity and are managed without discrimination. Team
members are encouraged to develop new skills and
team spirit. At the same time, they are recognized for
their initiatives and risk taking in contributing to the
Company's growth.”
Workforce
As part of its efforts to create a better geographic bal-
ance in its operations, the Company redeployed
resources in 2004. This led to several employment
reduction plans in the United States and Europe.
We took assertive steps to assist employees in re-
directing their careers at all concerned sites.