Corporate Social Responsibility

The directors acknowledge the importance of corporate social and ethical responsibility in the Group’s activities and understand the growing emphasis placed on such conduct in the regulatory environment applying to its companies. Our drive for quality extends to the efforts we make to ensure Avon’s environmental impact is minimal. As a company we consistently stress the importance of maximising efficiency and the heavy promotion of recycling. This can be demonstrated by the work that Avon has undertaken at the Hampton Park West facility, where the volume of uncured rubber waste sent to licensed landfill has been reduced by two thirds since 2005 and is instead recycled. Aside from promoting initiatives around lean manufacturing and the reduction in levels of waste and energy use, the Group’s stated policy is the direct management practices to:

•  Good communication and integrity in our dealings with the communities in which we operate;
•  Fostering greater understanding between the Group’s business and the communities in which they operate;
•  Encouraging employees to participate, where appropriate, in the affairs of the community and professional bodies; and
•  A commitment to communicating with employees in a structured and open manner which includes regular briefings and dissemination of relevant information on the company.

In the UK the Group maintains a fund with the Community Foundation for Wiltshire and Swindon, a charity dedicated to strengthening local communities. The Group Director of Human Resources is a trustee of the Foundation, which targets its grants to make a genuine difference to the lives of local people. This year Avon’s fund provided a grant to the Wiltshire Music Centre Trust Ltd for the Wiltshire and Swindon Special Schools education project and to the Mitchemp Trust towards the cost of a full time Outreach and Development Worker. The Mitchemp Trust provides positive recreation and development experiences for vulnerable children from deprived rural areas. In the US, the businesses all take an active part in their local Chamber of Commerce and continue to seek to enhance their partnerships with the local community through employee involvement in local charities and business groups. Setting high internal standards has provided Avon Rubber p.l.c. with a framework, and a reputation, which should ensure its continued growth in the defence and dairy sectors for many years to come.

EMPLOYEES

Our employees are fundamental to the growth and success of our business. An objective of the Group is to attract, retain and evelop high performing employees who can facilitate and participate in the Group’s pursuit of its strategic aims and add value to the business and to our stakeholders. The Group performance management process links managers’ remuneration to achievement of a range of performance targets.

The Group seeks to encourage employee consultation, communication and involvement and to promote the
development of potential through relevant training.