The Achilles commitment
Organisations the world over are increasingly recognising that certain practices, such as the use of child labour, or poor stewardship of the environment, are no longer acceptable – and have the potential to damage corporate reputations, brands and ultimately, profits.
But managing the diverse range of issues that fall under the CSR umbrella (such as health & safety practice, environmental performance, labour standards and community involvement) is becoming ever more complex.
Managing the risk
Achilles, in its role as a provider of information to buyer and supplier communities in a range of geographical and industry sectors, is uniquely placed - not only to help organisations manage these complex CSR issues, but also to encourage performance improvement and the raising of standards across the supply chain. Working with customers, Achilles has, for some time, been integrating CSR-related issues into its services.
Most recently Achilles has been working with a group of key buyers to develop a program for suppliers to measure, manage and report their organisational carbon footprint. CEMARS (Certified Emissions Measurement and Reduction Scheme) enables suppliers to measure their baseline carbon footprint and produce a management and reduction strategy. This information will be used by buyers to drive performance improvement on greenhouse gas emissions through the supply chain and gain visibility of carbon related supply chain risk.
The UN Global Compact
Achilles aims to be at the forefront of the drive to help organisations meet their CSR and wider risk management obligations across the whole supply chain.
To demonstrate its commitment, in 2005 the company signed up to the United Nations Global Compact, which enshrines a set of 10 principles covering human rights, labour standards, the environment and corruption.
Achilles publishes regular Communications on Progress to show our activities in relation to each of the 10 principles.
Saïd Business School, Oxford University
Achilles has also joined forces with Oxford University’s Saïd Business School to create The Oxford-Achilles Working Group on Corporate Social Responsibility. The group seeks to provide a forum for debate on CSR supply chain issues, and produces white papers and case studies, as well as a CSR e-resource. Highly-knowledgeable speakers continue to provide intelligent insights into the roles of business and academia in this important arena of debate.
Outward Bound
Achilles is a Patron of the Outward Bound Trust, the largest educational charity in the United Kingdom working with young people. The charity has a long-established reputation for its ‘hands-on’ training and employee development, and Achilles sees great value in investing in the next generation. The company has also seen substantial benefits from the programme developed by the charity to train and develop staff.
We are also the main sponsor of Outward Bound’s annual Charity Challenge, which is open to teams from all industry sectors, and encourages both teamwork and the raising of funds for Outward Bound’s charitable work.