Sustainability program
During 2008 we continued to build on our
proven capabilities. We proceeded with the implementation of our accelerated
Vision 2010 strategy and further developed the sustainability program which is
intrinsic to this strategy. Year by year, sustainability is becoming
increasingly integral to our day-to-day activities. This is a process which
has not yet been completed and which, indeed, never can be fully completed.
The current economic climate should not divert our attention from the real
challenges confronting our world, which involve ensuring sustainable energy
supplies, addressing climate change, and providing adequate levels of
healthcare and nutrition for the globe’s entire population. As the world
changes around us, we must continually adapt, offering innovative solutions
which create a positive dynamic not only for our customers and our company but
also for the world in which we operate. The year 2009 is the double centenary
of Darwin, whose The Origin of Species, published in 1859, introduced the
principle of ‘survival of the fittest’ and highlighted the crucial importance
of adaptability in a constantly changing world.
Four global trends
Our sustainability strategy is one of
adaptability. In 2007 we defined four global trends which we believe will
increasingly shape our world: Climate and Energy, Health and Wellness,
Functionality and Performance and Emerging Economies. During 2008 we responded
to these trends with a variety of initiatives on which we report here, from
the search for second-generation biofuels to the implementation of
world-leading quality standards in the nutritional sector. We are also
convinced that our combination of Life Sciences and Materials Sciences will
provide new growth opportunities for DSM as we meet evolving needs in
developing fields such as biomedical materials and renewable materials. Our
commitment and expertise led to many achievements of which we can be justly
proud – for instance, the award of Carbon Trust certification to our vitamin
production site in Dalry, UK. We can also be especially proud of the way in
which our employees around the world have engaged with our partnership with
the World Food Programme. On many fronts, we are using our energy and
professional expertise to help alleviate the suffering of some of the poorest
people in the world and pave the way to a more sustainable future.
Employee Engagement Survey
Yet so much remains to be done. The
balance between people, planet and profit is not a constant: it has to be
sought again and again as circumstances change. Our Employee Engagement
Survey, which was run for the first time in 2007 and is to be repeated in
March 2009, generated many positive results but also showed room for
improvement. Key areas for attention were inspirational leadership (which is
required of managers at all levels), high-performance culture (which is a
prerequisite for implementing our accelerated Vision 2010 strategy) and
workforce diversity (which needs to increase in terms of gender as well as
nationality, thus enabling us to remain innovative).
Leadership position in sustainability
Our continuous inclusion
in the top rank of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) reconfirmed our
leadership position in sustainability but also pointed out the need for
improvements regarding eco-efficiency, occupational health & safety, human
capital development and customer relationship management. To our deep regret
we have to report a fatality at one of our plants – the death of a DSM
employee who was blown off a tank container in Venlo, the Netherlands, while
carrying out a routine procedure.
Sustaining progress in a changing world means giving full attention to the
areas where we can and must improve. It means building on our strengths – our
unique science base and technology platform, our global reach, and the skills
and commitment of our employees – to create a sustainable way of doing things.
Increasingly our focus is on using processes and creating products that
generate a reduced eco-footprint throughout the entire value chain. But we
must look beyond the visions of science and the specifics of manufacturing to
a deeper understanding of sustainability – one which embraces every aspect of
our working lives. Developing that understanding, living it out, and ensuring
that it benefits the world which our children will inherit is our great
challenge and our great opportunity. This stewardship is very much a work in
progress, and we will report on the advances made during 2009 in next year’s
Triple P Report. The progress made during 2008 would not have been possible
without the efforts and enthusiasm of our people, and I would like to take
this opportunity of thanking them all.
This year we are proud to have improved the transparency of our reporting on
sustainability, as is evidenced by the achievement of GRI A+ status for this
report.
Feike Sijbesma
Chairman of the Managing Board
