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10
November 2006
Grasim is a member of the Global Compact, an international
forum that operates under the aegis of the United
Nations. The forum's vision is to usher in a "more
sustainable and global economy." There are
ten basic principles outlined in its charter and
the following pages highlight the thinking and
initiatives of the company in those areas.
Human
Rights
1. Businesses should support and respect the protection
of internationally proclaimed human rights
Grasim ascribes to the human rights policy of the
United Nations and Global Compact. It has a comprehensive
policy and a code of conduct which is binding on
all employees who must sign it on their induction
in to the company. It protects the interests of
the employee and other stakeholders. "Integrity,
trust, fairness and honesty are the basics that
guide our strategies, our behaviour and the relationships
we build with people, both internally and externally.
Each of us will exercise the highest level of ethical
and professional behaviour," states the policy.
2. Businesses should make sure that they are
not complicit in human right abuses
Grasim endeavours to uphold the human rights outlined
in the Global Compact. Not only in terms of its
employees, as detailed above, but also for others
such as customers and business associates. Here
is what the policy states: "We are committed
to our customers, to fulfilling their present needs
and anticipating their unmet needs. We are dedicated
to continually improving quality, usefulness and
value of our products and services that help our
customers enhance their performance. We provide
value for customers through creativity, innovation,
productive relationships, quick response and simplicity
in all that we engage in."
Going
beyond business, the company is engaged in community
work, concentrating largely in the rural areas
close to its manufacturing plants. Grasim, has
been involved in various meaningful, welfare-driven
initiatives that distinctly impact the quality
of the weaker sections of society.
Implemented
under the aegis of the Aditya Birla Center of
Community Initiatives, Grasim's community development
programme reached out to nearly six lakh people
in 2005-06. The major programmes include watershed
management including drinking water provision
in villages and townships, and running schools
for ensuring quality education to children. It
is in tandem with the Group's social vision which
is "to make a qualitative difference to the
lives of the weaker sections of the society in
proximity to our plants and in doing so improve
the Human Development Index of our nation."
In
recognition of the outstanding community work,
Grasim's Staple Fibre Division (SFD) at Nagda
received the prestigious Asian CSR Award 2005,
naming it among the three best Asian Corporates
working to elevate education standards among the
rural poor. The Indian Chemical manufacturers
Association conferred the Corporate Social Responsibility
Award on the SFD plant.
A
summary of our involvement is enumerated below:
- Grasim
conducted 630 medical camps at which over 87,200
villagers were medically examined and those
who were afflicted were treated for their ailment
- 5,675
villagers were checked for their eyesight of
which 2,303 senior citizens were provided with
intra ocular lens and 768 were given spectacles
for better sigh
- Immunised
49,000 children against polio and 1,699 children
for Hepatitis B
- Over
1150 children between the ages of three to six
have been enlisted in Balwadis run by Grasim
- Over
5,300 farmers benefited through farm-based programmes,
farmer training, seed multiplication and compost
units
- Water
harvesting structures, such as hand pumps installation,
erecting check-dams, ponds, roof-water harvesting
and digging wells support thousands of families
Labour
Standards
3.
Businesses should uphold the freedom of association
and the effective recognition of the right to
collective bargaining
Our manufacturing locations have workers in the
unionised cadre. Long term settlements are signed
with the workers at regular frequency wherein
the management and union leaders sit across the
table and negotiate the terms of the settlement.
The process is peaceful and productive across
all locations.
Being
essentially a meritocracy and a peoples' organisation,
our attention in the people area remains unwavering.
We are enhancing the quality and the pace of the
institutionalisation of our systems and processes.
These now embrace the entire life cycle of the
employee's engagement with the organisation. Several
new initiatives have been taken towards the well
being of our employees, particularly in the area
of healthcare, education of their children and
other critical aspects. We have cordial relations
with our shopfloor colleagues, creating a work
place environment that nurtures innovation and
encourages people to constantly learn and grow.
4.
The elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory
labour
People are keen to associate with Grasim out of
their own volition. The terms and conditions are
explained in detail openly before the appointment
is formalised.
5. The effective abolition of child labour
Grasim does not employ child labourers.
6. Eliminate discrimination in respect of employment
and occupation Grasim
is an equal opportunities employer. Our policy states:
"We respect the individual rights and dignity
of all people. We believe in the inherent potential
of employees and are fully committed to people development
processes in our company in a fair, equitable and
transparent manner. We encourage employees to grow
professionally and personally to their highest capabilities
regardless of nationality, caste, religion, colour
or sex."
Environment
7.
Businesses should support a precautionary approach
to environmental challenges
Our environment policy clearly states: "We
are committed to sustainable development and to
the health and safety of our employees and the
environment surrounding our plants; to building
eco-efficiency in all of our operations and to
guarding natural resources. We are committed to
going beyond stipulated requirements and ensure
energy conservation and productive recycling of
waste."
Grasim's
Viscose Stable Fibre's OEKO-TEX 100 certification
which endorses that the fibre produced by us is
next to nature, has been renewed by the British
Textile Techno Group, Manchester, U.K. This is
significant as it also indicates that our Viscose
Staple Fibre does not contain any harmful substance.
8.
Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental
responsibility
We
relentlessly pursue the development of cleaner production
processes that inherently reduce pollution levels
and require fewer resources. All of the company's
plants adopt clean technologies and processes that
combine both economic progress and sustainable development.
Professional environmental Auditors such as KPMG
Peat Marvick, Det, Norske Veritas, the State Pollution
Control Board's certified auditors and Environmental
Auditors conduct an in-depth environmental audit
at our plants. Their Audit reports validate our
commitment to environmental conservation.
State-of-the-art
automated industrial Effluent Treatment Plants
(ETP) operate across all of Grasim's manufacturing
units. The treated effluent is recycled and is
used for horticulture. On the energy conservation
front, recycling digester pre-steam condensate
boiler feed water in the D.M. water plant, has
resulted in significant energy savings. To prevent
air borne effluents escaping into the atmosphere,
advanced equipments are in place to meet the stringent
air-pollution norms.
9.
Encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally
friendly technologies
Grasim is increasingly resorting to alternate
fuels, such as pet coke which is a by-product
of oil refineries and low grade lime stones, to
save on natural resources.
The installation of In-line Optical Brighteners
and Analysers for controlled chlorination and
improving the process efficiency has considerably
reduced chorine generation. Among the new ways
of waste disposal devised at the VSF and pulp
plants, include using ETP sludge dryers to facilitate
burning in the existing coal fired boilers. This
results in lower coal requirement thereby minimising
coal-related environmental impact.
10.
Businesses should work against all forms of corruption,
including extortion and bribery
The company policy clearly states: "I will
not seek or encourage bribes or kickbacks in any
form. I will not deal with a supplier who offers
me a bribe to get a contract awarded." Adherence
to the policy is total and no leniency is shown
to a defaulter.
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The
Aditya Birla Group has re-articulated the
values that spawn across its diverse businesses
and locations and act as an organisational
glue to bind people together. These values
are: Integrity, Commitment, Passion, Speed
and Seamlessness. The values drive the organisational
thinking and processes-whether related to
people, manufacturing, environment or community
responsibility, the bedrock of the principles
outlined by the UN Global Compact.
Here is what our Chairman Mr. Kumar Mangalam
Birla has to say: "Great businesses
are never built on the quick sands of opportunism.
If living by our values means, perhaps growing
at a pace slower than we would otherwise
liked, so be it. For us, leadership lies
at the heart of knowing what we stand for."
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