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METRO GROUP : ANNUAL REPORT 2010 : BUSINESS
→ GROUP MANAGEMENT REPORT : 7. SUSTAINABILIT y MANAGEMENT
7. Sustainability management Sustainability organisation with clear
assignments
For us, profitability and sustainable business practices are
two sides of the same coin: a company can only generate
profitable growth over the long term if it acts responsibly
towards society and the environment. That is why we have
declared sustainability to be an integral component of our
Company’s strategy. This means that social and environmental
requirements must also be considered in all business
decisions and processes. The goal of our sustainability
management is to ensure the Company’s future viability. At
the same time, we aim to respond to the increased expectations
of various stakeholders by acting responsibly. The
improved ranking in the dow Jones Sustainability world
Index (dJSI world), which tracks the performance of the
world’s leading companies in the area of sustainability,
documents our progress in this area. In September 2010,
METRO GROUP improved its ranking in all three categories
of economy, ecology and corporate responsibility, compared
with the previous year, clearly outperforming the retail
industry average.
In the reporting year, we developed the strategy “Go sustainable
2012”, which we will use to further expand and concentrate
the focus of our Group-wide sustainability management.
The strategy should also contribute to elevating us to
becoming one of the leading retail and wholesale companies
in the area of sustainability beyond 2012. At the same time,
the strategy also supports the key components of our efficiency
and value-enhancing programme Shape 2012. In this
context, we continuously identify relevant social and
ecological challenges affecting the retail and wholesale
industry. The measures derived from this process help us
to minimise the Company’s sales and cost risks as well as
profitably leverage opportunities for sales growth and cost
savings in its operational business. To make “Go sustainable
2012” a growth opportunity for the operational business, we
defined concrete objectives for all fields of activity in the
financial year 2010. we will expand the activities in the area
of climate and resource protection, broaden our training
programmes for suppliers in emerging and developing
countries and further refine our demographic management.
→ p. 105
On the basis of the “Go sustainable 2012” strategy we are
developing sustainability into a key value driver for our Company.
This presupposes integrated management systems and
an organisational structure with clearly defined responsibilities.
For this reason, the Sustainability Board that was created
in 2009 develops binding Group-wide standards for sustainable
business practices and helps us to anchor these
within the Company. The Sustainability Board consists of representativesofthesalesdivisionsandtheheadsofMETRO
AG’s
corporate departments. The composition of the Sustainability
Board ensures that all decisions are practical and geared
towards day-to-day operations. The members are:
Chairman
dr Eckhard Cordes, Chairman of the Management Board of
METRO AG
Managing Director
dr Michael J. Inacker, head of Corporate Communications,
Public Affairs & CSR
Representatives of the sales divisions
Peter Overbosch, head of Quality Management
Metro Cash & Carry
dr hans-Jörg Gidlewitz, member of the Management
Board of Real
Ralph Spangenberg, member of the Management Board of
Media-Saturn-Group
Marion Sollbach, head of Sustainability Galeria Kaufhof
Thomas Storck, member of the Management Board of
Galeria Kaufhof
Thomas Ziegler, Chairman of the Management Board of
METRO Group Asset Management
Representatives of the relevant corporate departments
of METRO AG
dr Rolf Giebeler, head of Legal Affairs (until
31 december 2010)
hans-Jürgen Matern, head of Regulatory Affairs and
External Relations QShE
Bettina Scharff, head of Organisational & Social
development
Oliver Steinert, head of Investor Relations
Michael wedell, head of National Politics