Annual report 2010 - Imperial Tobacco Group

Corporate ResponsibilityOur Corporate Responsibility strategyis integral to our overall businessstrategy and is embedded throughoutthe Imperial Tobacco Group.Corporate responsibility is integral to our business success.We are committed to operating in a way that is financially,socially and environmentally responsible. We believe that thisfocus and commitment enhances our foundation for long-termsustainable sales growth.Information within this ReportReflecting our belief that operating in a responsible manneris simply part of how we do business, this year’s annualreport incorporates our Corporate Responsibility Reviewto provide stakeholders with a comprehensive overview ofour activities and achievements. Our performance review isstructured around our strategy and highlights the progresswe have made against our current objectives and the targetswe are setting for the future.Key information about CR within this report can be foundas follows:22 Key Performance Indicators25 Principal Risks and Uncertainties41 CR Performance Review53 Non-Financial Performance Indicators54 GovernanceCR Assurance and VerificationStatement from Corporate CitizenshipImperial Tobacco commissioned Corporate Citizenship toprovide external assurance on its Corporate Responsibility(CR) reporting for 2010, including this corporate responsibilitysection of its Annual Report and Accounts and key parts ofthe corporate responsibility section of its website.Imperial Tobacco has chosen to use the AA1000 AssuranceStandard (AA1000AS) 2008. Our assurance is a Type 1 andthe level of assurance offered is moderate as defined by theStandard. Details of our assurance scope, methodologyand conclusions appear in our full statement published atwww.imperial-tobacco.com/cr.In our opinion Imperial Tobacco’s CR reporting reflects theprinciples of AA1000AS (2008). In our full statement weprovide information on the Company’s performance againstthese principles and provide feedback that can help theCompany and its stakeholders identify where its reportingcan be strengthened in future.Corporate CitizenshipLondon, November 2010SGS VerificationSGS United Kingdom Limited have verified the accuracy andreliability of our occupational health, safety and environmentdata. Their findings are available in their assurance statementpublished on our website.CR Information OnlineMore detailed and background information on our approachis available on our website.Here you will find:––More details on our CR Framework––Our views on important issues in the tobacco industry––A full progress report against our objectives set out inour CR Review published in March 2010––Our performance aligned to the GRI index––Case studies demonstrating our progress––External feedback from our assurance and verificationand our Stakeholder Panel for more information visit:www.imperial-tobacco.com/cr41