Our approach to sustainable development
The Group’s stakeholders
Owing to its size and reach, the Group has a wide array of stakeholders. The nature of the business of our branches and subsidiaries, as well as their position within the value chain, determines the composition of their respective stakeholder groups. At different stages of the value chain, our impact on and relations with stakeholders varies, as do our specific commitments towards them. The PGNiG Group strives to conduct its business responsibly, with due regard for the role of social dialogue. Throughout the business decision-making process, the Group looks for solutions that would benefit all of its stakeholder groups, taking into account both the economic and social aspects. This approach is driven by the awareness that sustainable development is only possible if there is mutual understanding between the Group and its stakeholders, and if we recognise and try to understand one another’s needs and expectations.
The stakeholder groups presented below were selected on the basis of the experience of the Group’s companies and branches. As shown in the table below, some organisational units work with selected groups of stakeholders. Taking their needs into account and communicating with them is also part of the risk management process.
For example, stakeholder relations within the exploration area are based on a long chain of mutual relations, although the key stakeholder group in that area is the operators to which the Group companies offer their services. In the PGNiG Group, the operators are both the owner and its upstream companies (POGC Libya, PGNiG Norway AS).
The mutual relations consist in the provision of seismic, geophysical and drilling services to domestic and foreign operators. In order to meet the conditions for working with an operator, Group companies have to interact with the public bodies issuing permits for field work and monitoring investment projects for their compliance with environmental criteria and other requirements; they must offer equipment that will enable failure-free execution of work in compliance with the environmental regulations, and create a safe working environment in accordance with QHSE (Quality, Health, Safety, Environment) standards.
| Stakeholders | Method of dialogue |
| Employees – current and retired | Public consultations, Employee Council, the system of communicators (employees responsible for the internal communication process), daily electronic newsletter, internal corporate portal, staff surveys, web chats with representatives of the Management Board, occasional events, trips for retired employees |
| Customers Operators as customers (E) Transmission System Operator (S) Customers for distribution services (D) |
Satisfaction surveys, helpline, website, Customer Service Offices, dedicated business consultants |
| Local communities | Public consultations, activities of the PGNiG Foundation and donation fund, direct interaction with local authorities and organisations |
| Business partners NGOs Social organisations |
Dedicated business consultants, direct meetings, conferences, trade declarations, involvement in worldwide humanitarian relief efforts – in Poland, through the PGNiG Foundation and donation fund |
| Suppliers Suppliers of services and equipment (P) |
Evaluation of partnership, support for local development |
| Research institutes, universities and other schools Consultancies and research institutes (P, S) |
Support for vocational education at all levels, conferences, the PGNiG Foundation’s scholarship scheme, technical support for investment projects |
| State administration and market regulator European Commission (S) |
Consultations, joint initiatives such as conferences and workshops |
| Shareholders and investors | Meetings with asset managers, participation in roadshows and foreign conferences for investors, dedicated newsletter, current and periodic reports |
| Media | Press articles, interviews, thematic inserts |
Legend:
E – exploration, P – production, S – storage, D – distribution
Another example of stakeholder cooperation is the complex network of interconnections within the gas production segment. The PGNiG Sanok and Zielona Góra Branches produce crude oil and natural gas. These activities involve significant environmental impact, as well as involvement with local communities. Therefore, it is crucial to the immediate and broader environment of oil and gas production facilities that they operate in an environmentally friendly manner. Modern facilities are often located in the middle of forested areas, equipped with state-of-the-art process monitoring systems, and built with the use of cutting-edge technologies.
In this area, customers and suppliers of equipment also play an important role. Their expectations and requirements concerning product quality, flexibility, the timeliness of supplies, as well as maintenance of high working standards, are a key priority for the Branches. Involvement with local communities entails frequent public consultations, and also participation in various sports and cultural events taking place in a given region.
Sustainable Development and Responsible Business Strategy
The Group’s Sustainable Development and Responsible Business Strategy was formally approved by the Management Board of PGNiG in July 2009. Contributors to the strategy included employees from all operational areas of the PGNiG Head Office, as well as from branches and subsidiaries of the PGNiG Group. The Group’s Sustainable Development and Responsible Business Strategy is complementary to the Group’s business strategy. The main objective we have embarked on by formulating our sustainable development mission is to be an active player on the Polish energy market, acting responsibly and takes into consideration the needs and expectations of its various stakeholder groups and the natural environment.
The Group’s CSR strategy addresses a range of challenges posed by our environment, and the actions we plan result both from the needs of our stakeholders and from best practices in place at the Group, in particular in the area of environmental protection and social involvement.
Sustainable development and responsible business covers all links in the PGNiG Group’s value chain and applies to all four areas of sustainable development, resting on six strategic pillars:
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
| Enhancement of satisfaction of existing customers and acquisition of new customers through improved customer care; | Efficient and partnership-based cooperation and dialogue with social and business partners; | Conduct of business in a responsible way while caring for the natural environment; | Creation of safe and friendly workplaces; | Consistent, credible and efficient communication and marketing; | Seeking out new business expansion opportunities in line with the principle of sustainable development. |
An integral part of the Strategy is the implementation plan, which defines the operational goals corresponding to each strategic objective. Apart from defining the operational goals and steps to achieve them, the plan also specifies success measures and implementation schedules, which enable the Group to consistently gauge implementation progress, as well as monitor the business owners of individual goals. An additional part of the plan is a list of the internal and external stakeholders relevant to the respective operational goals. The identification of stakeholder groups is meant to better accommodate their needs in the implementation process.
Strategy management
Soon after the formal adoption of the Strategy, a dedicated structure was established to coordinate the processes related to its implementation at the Group. Within its framework, Members of the Management Board, along with the President, act as Project Sponsors. Another tier is the Steering Committee, composed of the business owners of strategic objectives. The Management Board’s Proxy for the Strategy is responsible for coordinating and monitoring the Sustainable Development and Responsible Business Strategy implementation at PGNiG subsidiaries and branches, and for internal and external communication of actions on the sustainable development and responsible business agenda. The same role at the level of the Group’s branches and subsidiaries is performed by regional CSR Facilitators. These are a few dozen persons for whom sustainable development is one of their primary job responsibilities. The Proxy is also responsible for monitoring the progress of the implementation of the strategic and operational goals, and for reporting actions scheduled for a given period to the Management Board. The Proxy also collects data from across the Group and prepares a CSR Report together with the regional Facilitators.
It is worth noting that since 2010 the strategic objectives have been among the criteria used to evaulate senior management staff, following their inclusion in annual MBO targets. In this way the strategic objectives are refelcted in the goals set for individual employees and teams. All the above testifies to the strategic involvement and determination of the Group as it implements its Strategy.
In 2010, Group companies started to conduct their businesses pursuing their own Sustainable Development and Responsible Business Strategies. They regularly send strategy implementation reports indicating the number of tasks completed in particular pillars, including those executed according to schedule, and those delayed.
Information about this Report
“Responsible Energy 2011” is the fourth CSR report prepared by the PGNiG Group. This Report follows Global Reporting Initiative guidelines and IPIECA indicators. Furthermore, it is based on the guidelines and indicators described by the Global Compact and the ISO 26000 standard.
This Report presents our pursuit of the objectives defined in the Sustainable Development and Responsible Business Strategy in the period from January 2011 to December 2011, using figures and/or descriptions of the practices, rules or procedures in place.
Figures quoted in this Report relate to 2011.
Quantitative measures presented in this Report rely on the data of the parent undertaking, PGNiG SA, as well as 23 gas sales units, all domestic branches of PGNiG, and most of PGNiG’s wholly-owned subsidiaries, as demonstrated by the diagram in the “PGNiG – Company profile/Structure of the PGNiG Group” section.
Each section dealing with the respective strategic pillars begins with a summary, presented in graphic form, of the number of actions initiated under a given strategic objective by all those Group companies who are implementing their own strategies. The graphs show the total number of tasks completed, executed according to schedule and delayed by all Group companies.
This Report has not been reviewed externally, although selected indicators and the financial data presented are consistent with the PGNiG Group’s Annual Report and Financial Statements for 2011 and, as such, were verified by the auditors. Notwithstanding, independent audits were also conducted at PGNiG subsidiaries, including environmental protection system audits.
The changes that took place within the Group in the last year do not affect the comparability of data included in the reports for previous years. Information on the changes in the Group’s structure has been presented in the “PGNiG – Company profile/Structure of the PGNiG Group” section. There is no need to adjust data included in the reports for previous years.
All data in this Report were accurately collected directly from the entities described in this document, and from persons managing the respective areas of the PGNiG Group’s operations.
Osoby odpowiedzialne za kwestie zrównoważonego rozwoju i odpowiedzialnego biznesu w Centrali PGNiG:
Marzena Strzelczak, Centrala PGNiG SA, Pełnomocnik Zarządu ds. Strategii Zrównoważonego Rozwoju i Odpowiedzialnego Biznesu
marzena.strzelczak@pgnig.pl
22 691 82 01
Katarzyna Mróz, Centrala PGNiG SA, Koordynator ds. Komunikacji Strategii Zrównoważonego Rozwoju i Odpowiedzialnego Biznesu
katarzyna.mroz@pgnig.pl
22 691 82 11