WEIRBULLETIN | MARCH 2011 SUSTAINABILITY


Helping to build a better world T


he World Commission on Environment and De- velopment’s definition of sustainable development is ‘development that meets the need of the present without compro-


mising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’. During 2010, the Weir Board undertook a


review of our approach to corporate respon- sibility as part of its strategic review to ensure the Group’s world class standing is maintained and improved. The review identified that a sustainability strategy could assist the Group in achieving its wider business goals and sup- port the three drivers of growth: • Innovative action • Collaborative mindset • Global capability


Our approach is concentrated on six key areas; Environment To reduce our energy use and carbon footprint By adapting our existing successful Lean dis- ciplines, the Group believes it can improve its operational environmental performance which will help drive cost efficiencies in its operations. In terms of risk management, the increased


regulation on carbon reporting in the countries where we have significant operations such as the US, Australia and South Africa, the sus- tainability strategy in relation to environmental risks will allow us to adapt to change faster as our presence in emerging markets increases. To drive the Group’s proactive approach to continuous improvement, the three Divisional Environmental Improvement teams have been tasked with identifying and actioning three en- vironmental improvements at each site within their division in a rolling programme covering: • Air emissions • Energy efficiency • Waste and recycling • Water efficiency During 2010 the Group established a cor- porate greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory to help


calculate carbon footprint which will enable the Group to understand the GHG implications of its global business activities and in turn improve its management. The inventory has been developed to cover all material GHG emissions in all sites under the Group’s direct control worldwide starting with the base year 2009. The primary focus of the GHG inventory was to collect data under Scope 2 GHG emissions under the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.


Health & Safety To maintain a safe and healthy workplace Safety has been a priority for many years at Weir with strong processes in place to ensure a zero tolerance culture is enforced. By increas- ing focus more on health and well-being activi- ties and improving the communication of health issues the Group will benefit from improved employee engagement supporting the goal of being an employer of choice. In addition the development of health and safety processes in our supply chain will be encouraged.


Employees To attract and retain the best employees Increased investment in employee develop- ment programmes within the Group, particu- larly the Weir Graduate Development Frame- work and improved communication through the creation of the Senior Management Group will support the Group in its goal of driving innovation, collaboration and global capability. The Senior Management Group was created in January 2010 by the Chief Executive with the aim to enhance communication across Weir and to provide a platform to help lever- age our strategic agenda.


Communities To invest in the communities in which we operate Increased investment in community activities and implementing a framework to prioritise community initiatives will improve employee en- gagement and also allow employees to improve their skills which will be recognised through the Group’s personal development process.


Phrases such as ‘sustainability initiatives’, ‘global impact’ and ‘green house gas emissions’ have become more common with increased transparency and reporting demands in society. Weir SPM have been working on a Green House Gas (GHG) Management Plan to improve and aim to become a benchmark company with regard to GHG. The company assessed the current landscape and discovered


positive results but only at average emissions for the industry which will be used as a benchmark for future tests and reporting docu-


As part of this framework we plan to focus


on community projects with an educational theme whether it is mentoring at a local school, helping the young engineers of the future with their school projects, assisting with local school events, setting up scholarship schemes or arranging site visits from local colleges and universities to sponsoring the education of children.


Products and technology To optimise the energy efficiency of our products and supply of products to low carbon industries In the area of innovation our sustainability strategy will focus research and development on supporting our customers to manage their own sustainability risks through the develop- ment of energy and resource. By doing so we will both differentiate our


products in the market, improve our relation- ships with customers and support our sales and marketing efforts.


Ethics To conduct our business responsibly and ethically Investors, customers and employees are increasingly focusing on environmental, social and governance in their decision-making. The Weir Group’s sustainability strategy will enable it to demonstrate good performance in these areas which will enhance the Group’s reputa- tion.


In addition as the Group moves into


emerging markets more and more, maintaining higher governance standards than the market in which we operate will ensure that our reputation remains intact. To drive the sustainability strategy and to monitor performance and reporting the Board has established a corporate sustainability steer- ing committee with responsibility for identifying future sustainability risks and opportunities, monitoring the various Group activities in the ar- eas of environmental and greenhouse gas data collection and reporting, products and technol- ogy innovations, ethics, community activities and employee investment and to provide oversight of the management and reporting controls.


ments. The team spent over 70 hours brainstorming and negotiat- ing important factors to include in the Weir SPM GHG management plan. The team outlined the salient factors that will have the greatest impact on improving the business for employees and shareholders whilst reducing impact on the environment. The team of 11 is led by Ricky DeMalade, project manager, Peter


Bacciarelli as the project sponsor and Patrick Hudgin, green house gas assessor.


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