Dialogue with stakeholders
Daimler is well aware of the reciprocal nature of the relations between companies and their social environment and is therefore conducting a dialogue all over the world with decision-makers in politics and the commercial sector, civic groups, employee representatives, and with shareholders, investors and analysts. In newly industrializing and developing countries, Daimler sees its involvement as a long-term contribution to political and economic stability, which is a prerequisite for gaining access to the market on a basis of mutual trust. Several main groups of stakeholders have been identified, which differ from one another in terms of how they relate to the company. Figure 5
Principles. A critical factor for Daimler in the identification and evaluation of stakeholders is the question of whether, and to what extent, a specific group of people is affected by the company’s activities or fields of work. The guiding principles of dialogue with them are:
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Materiality: What are the important issues for the company and the stakeholders?
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Completeness: What type of influence does Daimler have, and how do the stakeholders assess this influence?
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Responsiveness: Is Daimler reacting appropriately to the challenges that it views as important?
- Environment: Daimler has launched a cooperative project on biofuels together with the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) and the Ministry of Nutrition and Rural Areas of the State of Baden-Württemberg in order to define standards of sustainability for the cultivation of biomass for biofuels. For many years the company has been a member of the German Environmental Management Association (B.A.U.M.); “econsense,” a network of companies dedicated to sustainability; and the German Forum for Sustainable Development. Daimler is working together with the Öko-Institut in Berlin on the issue of environmental performance. The Group is also cooperating with environmental organizations throughout the world, including the Global Nature Fund and Euronature. In its dialogue with various environmental organizations such as BUND, Greenpeace and the European Federation for Transport and Environment, the company focuses in particular on the issues of CO2 and emissions.
- Reporting: Daimler has been an Organizational Stakeholder in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) since 2006.
- Procurement: In 2006 Daimler launched a two-year cooperative project called “Transparency in the Supply Chain” in order to generate sustainability reports by a select number of its suppliers. This project was initiated by the GRI and German Technical Cooperation (GTZ). Daimler is also participating in the launch of a project called “Workplace Standards throughout the Supply Chain,” which is being coordinated by the U.S. Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG). The goal is to develop common workplace standards for suppliers in the automotive industry. To this end, the project is developing training materials that will be used in training programs for automotive suppliers in China in 2007.
Responsibilities. Dialogue with stakeholders is maintained by various divisions, units and departments throughout the Group,
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notably by the Corporate Strategy, External Affairs & Public Policy, and Communications departments, which employ a worldwide network of contacts with national governments and international political bodies and organizations, social initiatives and media representatives.
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The regional companies, manufacturing plants, branch offices and sales companies also conduct a dialogue with customers, regional organizations and local populations.
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In addition, the specialist departments – for environmental protection, investor relations, human resources or procurement, for example – maintain contact with interest groups in their respective fields.
Daimler plans to further extend its dialogue with stakeholders. This goal is supported by its issues management process, which includes regular surveys concerning the company’s esteem from the viewpoint of relevant stakeholder groups.
A comprehensive list of the organizations of which Daimler is a member, with which it engages in an intensive exchange of ideas, or with which it has launched cooperative projects, can be found at www 7.
