Standards

International standards of corporate governance and corporate responsibility are for us a source of invaluable – indeed indispensable – guidance.

In recent years especially, innumerable standards and guidelines for sustainability management have been set up by a variety of international bodies and non-governmental institutions. Part of what these do is to facilitate comparisons of how individual corporations in a globalised economy perform.

Standards for environmental management
Our environmental management system came about as a result of a Group-wide directive that came into force in 1999 and was itself based on the international standard ISO 14001. At the heart of our Group-wide environmental management system is the RWE Environmental Reporting and Information System (ERIS) now in place in all those companies in which we hold a stake of more than 50 percent. ERIS enables us not just to monitor Group-wide implementation of our environmental management system, but also to analyse all the key data of relevance to our environmental impact. Our CR management rests on these same structures.
Corporate Directive on Environmental Management (PDF | 27 KB)
ISO: ISO 14000 essentials (www.iso.org)

Standards for labour relations
The eight core labour standards enshrined by the International Labour Organization (ILO) define certain minimum standards for workers’ rights worldwide. The four areas covered are freedom of association and the outlawing of forced labour, discrimination and child labour. These conventions are directed at states rather than companies, as it is left up to the ILO member states to translate them into national law. All those states in which RWE has subsidiaries have adopted these standards in their own statute books (see ILO database).
Not in every country is compliance with ILO standards a matter of course, however. Our membership of the United Nations’ Global Compact underscores our commitment to the standards enshrined there and our determination to ensure that our suppliers likewise comply with them. The GC principles are part of the RWE Code of Conduct, which is one of the references in our terms of contract for our suppliers.
ILO Labour Standards (www.ilo.org)

Standards for occupational safety
In August 2006, the Executive Board of RWE AG adopted a new occupational health and safety policy that was to be binding on all employees. This new policy defines the relevant management responsibilities as well as underscoring the need for individual responsibility. Our occupational safety management system is based on the requirements of the ILO and of the OHSAS (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series) standard 18001.

RWE Health and Safety at Work Policy (PDF | 106 KB)
ILO-OSH 2001 (www.ilo.org)
OHSAS 18001 (www.ohsas-18001-occupational-health-and-safety.com)
Status of certifications

Standards for reporting
Our corporate responsibility and sustainability reporting is based on the G3 guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), including those of the Sector Supplement Electric Utilities.
Global Reporting Initiative (www.globalreporting.org)

Our report also takes account of the criteria of the Society of Investment Professionals in Germany (DVFA) first submitted at the end of 2007, which we perceive as part of our drive to have greater weight accorded to sustainability issues in company valuations.
DVFA criteria for non-financials (PDF | 1.1 MB)