Active stakeholder dialog
Trelleborg’s stakeholder communication shall be characterized by open relationships, regular dialog, clarity and a high level of ethics.
The stakeholder model can be combined with the diagram of the value chain and the diagram below shows that Trelleborg’s key stakeholders are present within the actual operation (Employees), close to the operation (Shareholders & Investors and Authorities) upwards in the value chain (Suppliers and Partners) and downwards in the value chain (Customers) as well as in the operation’s surroundings (Authorities, Society and Community). Stakeholders in the Society and Community group include neighbors or those who live close to our sites, as well as citizens of society in general, represented by such groups as the media, politicians, students and stakeholder organizations.
At many different levels, Trelleborg communicates continuously with these stakeholders, which include customers, suppliers, employees and shareholders. The selection of dialogue partners within each group is based on their relevance for achieving the company’s goals – both general and CR goals. The most recent version of the company’s Code of Conduct is the result of prior dialog with Trelleborg’s stakeholders.
The dialog with Trelleborg’s various stakeholders intensified during 2007. Among other activities, with the aim of improving the documentation on CR issues, a survey and analysis was conducted in 2007 in which selected stakeholders from the various core groups evaluated which aspects they viewed as the most significant to the company. The objective of such a survey is to ensure that Trelleborg “reports on the correct aspects” (while the third-party audit of CR reporting ensures that Trelleborg “reports the aspects correctly”).
The diagram above of our position in the value chain shows that Trelleborg’s
direct governance and influence with regard to CR issues is most evident within the actual framework of the business, as well as how the company exerts an influence upward and downward in the value chain in relation to suppliers, customers and others, through information and other methods.
Stakeholder dialog: engagements and channels
Some examples of stakeholder engagements from the past year:
- Trelleborg participated in the Global Compact’s annual Leader Summit.
- In October, a two-day seminar was held at which 40 graduate students from the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics in Lund, Sweden submitted feedback on Trelleborg’s 2006 Sustainability Report (see page 12). In February 2008, the same exercise was repeated with students from the Environmental Science Program.
- In November, Trelleborg Automotive’s facility in Guarulhos, Brazil, was visited by representatives from Banco, a Swedish fund specialist that focuses on ethical investment.
- The Group’s headquarters in Trelleborg were visited by representatives of Save the Children Sweden, who presented examples of how their work is progressing with support from such companies as Trelleborg.
Channels for stakeholder dialog:
- A main channel for all of Trelleborg’s stakeholders is the company’s website, www.trelleborg.com, with about 60 associated websites.
- Customers: Meetings with Trelleborg’s representatives and customers. The customer magazine T-Time (four issues per year).
- Suppliers and partners: Supplier visits and supplier audits.
- Shareholders and investors: Shareholder service (telephone and e-mail channels), Annual General Meetings, analysts’ meetings, meetings with ethical investors.
- Employees: Internal communications channels, such as TrellNet (intranet), Connect (internal magazine, two issues per year), trade union cooperation and events.
- Society: Local Open House and sponsorship activities, cooperation with universities and colleges.
- Authorities: Dialog with local supervisory authorities about specific issues. Trelleborg also works through trade organizations on national and European levels.