Itella takes responsibility openly and reliably
Itella’s principal task is to produce services required by the community by securing its customers’ important information and product flows. Corporate responsibility has been the cornerstone of our activities throughout our long history.
Our Corporate Responsibility Principles (pdf) define the key elements and commitments of Itella’s corporate responsibility activities, such as the UN’s Global Compact principles. We also require the Group’s partners to comply with equivalent, ethically sustainable principles. The Employee Code of Conduct determines the procedures we expect from our own personnel.
Itella’s corporate responsibility comprises four strong elements:
- Human resources (HR) responsibility: Our personnel is the key to our success. Group-wide People Strategy provides us guidelines for personnel development. Along with facilitating the daily work, common HR practices also offer an effective means for ensuring fair and equal treatment of employees in all Itella countries.
- Environmental responsibility: Itella focuses its environmental activities on the energy efficiency of its transport fleet and properties, and the use of renewable energy. We also help our customers boost their business by reducing both emissions and expenses.
- Financial responsibility: By maintaining profitable and sustainable business growth in a long-term and effective manner, Itella ensures that it will continue to be a competitive company and a good employer.
- Services for society: We offer high-quality, forward-looking postal services to all citizens across Finland. In multi-channel postal services we have been among the pioneers of the information society, even in international standards.
Jukka Alho, President and CEO
Managing responsibility
Itella’s corporate responsibility work constitutes a part of the Group’s normal management. At Itella, management is based on the shared values of Itella Group. Good management and leadership support the attainment of the company’s goals and foster a positive work climate. Corporate responsibility is the responsibility of Itella’s director in charge of communications and corporate responsibility.
Itella reports on corporate responsibility annually on its website and in its Annual Report. The reporting period is from January 1 to December 31 according to the accounting period.
In compliance with the GRI Guidelines, reporting focuses on the factors which are crucial to Itella’s business and essential from the perspective of our stakeholders. In its corporate responsibility reporting, Itella aims at a Group-wide assessment which includes the Group companies in all countries.
Work towards this goal progresses in stages in different areas. For example, all of the Group’s operating countries have been included in environmental reporting since 2009. On the other hand, in HR the implementation of uniform processes and reporting systems is only just beginning. Therefore, workforce-related information is only included in GRI reporting for Finland.
While the starting point is to review corporate responsibility at the global level, Itella’s position in society is most prominent in Finland. This explains the emphasis put on different aspects of corporate responsibility.
Materiality Analysis of Itella’s Corporate Responsibility
This chart (Annual Report and Corporate Responsibility Report 2010, Digipaper, page 25) shows the essential aspects of Itella’s corporate responsibility from the perspective of stakeholder expectations and the business impact.
They were investigated through a stakeholder survey in late 2010, along with mapping the key responsibility aspects of Itella’s strategy and business sector. A large number of Itella specialists and executives contributed to the analysis, after which Itella’s Management Board approved the outcome. The materiality analysis is utilized in Itella’s corporate responsibility management and reporting development.
