R&M – Sustainability Report 2022 published
Objective: Halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
R&M, the globally active developer and provider of high-end infrastructure solutions for data and communications networks, based in Wetzikon, Switzerland, is presenting its first CO2 balance sheet. It is part of the eighth Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility Report (CSER), which R&M has just published. Through energy-saving measures, R&M has reduced the energy consumption of its own plants by 12% since 2021. During the same period, operational CO2 emissions fell by six percent to 1,500 tonnes per year.
R&M determined the values according to scientific guidelines and on the basis of recognized equivalence data. R&M was supported in its efforts by the myclimate Foundation in Zurich. Data collection for sound CO2 accounting should be cultivated to be able to estimate upstream and downstream emissions. R&M wants to halve its operational greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
First R&M forest grows in India
CEO Michel Riva
«Our sustainability strategy is motivating. It has caught the interest of the entire corporate group,» reported R&M CEO Michel Riva on the occasion of the publication of the CSER Report.
For example, this motivation led the Indian subsidiary to donate the first R&M forest with over 1,500 trees in 2022. The afforestation project provides farmers with a livelihood and serves as CO2 compensation.
The family-owned company has significantly expanded its sustainability strategy since 2021. R&M joined the UN Global Compact last year. For the four areas of action environment, social aspects, ethics, and the supply chain, 26 benchmarks were introduced to make progress visible. Almost all 14 plants work with a standardized and certified environmental management system.
In the CSER Report, R&M also provides information on developments in the social field. Just like climate protection, this is one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to which R&M is committed.
For example, R&M is working hard to ensure that the plants demonstrably meet international standards for a healthy and safe working environment. Two-thirds of the plants have already passed corresponding certifications.
CEO Michel Riva continues: «In particular, we want to empower and encourage women to take on leadership and expert roles.» R&M has filled 40 % of management positions with women.
Last August, R&M achieved silver in the global sustainability ranking of the agency EcoVadis. R&M is aiming for gold in the future.
Source
R&M
EMR Analysis
More information on R&M: See the full profile on EMR Executive Services
More information on Michel Riva (CEO, R&M): See the full profile on EMR Executive Services
More information on the R&M Sustainability Strategy: See the full profile on EMR Executive Services
More information on The myclimate Foundation: https://www.myclimate.org/ + This international initiative with Swiss roots is one of the world’s quality leaders in voluntary CO₂-compensation measures. Its customers include large, medium-sized and small companies, public administrations, non-profit organisations, event organisers and private individuals. Via its partner organisations, myclimate is represented in other countries such as Germany, Austria, Sweden or Norway.
EMR Additional Notes on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
- United Nations Global Compact: https://www.unglobalcompact.org + The world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative: a call to companies to align strategies in operations with universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and anticorruption, and take actions that advance societal goals.
- At the UN Global Compact, we aim to mobilize a global movement of sustainable companies and stakeholders to create the world we want. That’s our vision.
- To make this happen, the UN Global Compact supports companies to:
- Do business responsibly by aligning their strategies and operations with Ten Principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption; and
- Take strategic actions to advance broader societal goals, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with an emphasis on collaboration and innovation.
- To make this happen, the UN Global Compact supports companies to:
- United Nations Global Compact 10 Principles:
- Human Rights
- Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and
- Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.
- Labour
- Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;
- Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour;
- Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labour; and
- Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
- Environment
- Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;
- Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and
- Principle 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.
- Anti-Corruption
- Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.
- Human Rights
- The 17 SDGS (Sustainable Development Goals) by 2030:
- Detailed explanation of each of the 17 SDGS: https://www.unglobalcompact.org/sdgs/17-global-goals
More information on EcoVadis: https://ecovadis.com + EcoVadis has been evaluating the performance of companies in the categories of sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) since 2007. The EcoVadis methodology is based on international sustainability standards, including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the United Nations Global Compact and ISO 26000. Due to the broad spectrum of analysis, the rating is a preferred tool by customers to evaluate the sustainability performance of companies in the context of supplier qualification. Furthermore, the ranking plays a major role among investors and analysts in addition to indices when evaluating companies. Currently, the EcoVadis network counts more than 85,000 rated companies in 160 countries.
More information on Pierre-François Thaler (Co-Founder & Co-CEO, EcoVadis): https://www.linkedin.com/in/pfthaler/
EMR Additional Notes:
- ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance):
- Refers to the three key factors when measuring the sustainability and ethical impact of an investment in a business or company. Most socially responsible investors check companies out using ESG criteria to screen investments.
- ESG metrics are not commonly part of mandatory financial reporting, though companies are increasingly making disclosures in their annual report or in a standalone sustainability report.
- There is not a standardized approach to the calculation or presentation of different ESG metrics.
- Environmental: Conservation of the natural world
- Climate change and carbon emissions
- Air and water pollution
- Biodiversity
- Deforestation
- Energy efficiency
- Waste management
- Water scarcity
- …
- Social: Consideration of people & relationships
- Customer satisfaction
- Data protection and privacy
- Gender and diversity
- Employee engagement
- Community relations
- Human rights
- Labor standards
- …
- Governance: Standards for running a company
- Board composition
- Audit committee structure
- Bribery and corruption
- Executive compensation
- Lobbying
- Political contributions
- Whistleblower schemes
- …
- Environmental: Conservation of the natural world
- Criteria are of increasing interest to companies, their investors and other stakeholders. With growing concern about he ethical status of quoted companies, these standards are the central factors that measure the ethical impact and sustainability of investment in a company.
- Consequently, ESG analysis considers how companies serve society and how this impacts their current and future performance.
- CSR (Corporate Social Responsability):
- Framework or business model that helps a company be socially accountable to itself, its stakeholders, and the public.
- The purpose of CSR is to give back to the community, take part in philanthropic causes, and provide positive social value. Businesses are increasingly turning to CSR to make a difference and build a positive brand around their company.
- CSR tends to target opinion formers – politicians, pressure groups, media. Sustainability targets the whole value chain – from suppliers to operations to partners to end-consumers.
- CSR vs. ESG:
- CSR is a company’s framework of sustainability plans and responsible cultural influence, whereas ESG is the assessable outcome concerning a company’s overall sustainability performance.
- The major difference between them is that CSR is a business model used by individual companies, but ESG is a criteria that investors use to assess a company and determine if they are worth investing in.
- Circular Economy:
- A circular economy is a systemic approach to economic development designed to benefit businesses, society, and the environment. In contrast to the ‘take-make-waste’ linear model, a circular economy is regenerative by design and aims to gradually decouple growth from the consumption of finite resources.
- In such an economy, all forms of waste, such as clothes, scrap metal and obsolete electronics, are returned to the economy or used more efficiently.
- Sustainability Vs. Circular Economy:
- Circularity focuses on resource cycles, while sustainability is more broadly related to people, the planet and the economy. Circularity and sustainability stand in a long tradition of related visions, models and theories.
- A sustainable circular economy involves designing and promoting products that last and that can be reused, repaired and remanufactured. This retains the functional value of products, rather than just recovering the energy or materials they contain and continuously making products anew.
- Carbon Dioxide (CO2):
- Primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities. Carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere through burning fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil), solid waste, trees and other biological materials, and also as a result of certain chemical reactions (e.g., manufacture of cement). Carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere (or “sequestered”) when it is absorbed by plants as part of the biological carbon cycle.
- Decarbonization:
- Reduction of carbon dioxide emissions through the use of low carbon power sources, achieving a lower output of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.
