Respect, Relationships and Responsibility
Jann Brown of Cairn Energy on how local needs, international best practice and Cairn’s own high standards influence the company’s engagement with the communities and environments in which it operates.
As an oil and gas exploration and production company that aims to create sustainable value for all its stakeholders, we are committed to improving the lives of the societies in which we operate through the integration of economic prosperity, social development and environmental protection.
Our approach to sustainable development stems directly from our vision and our strategy. Essentially, Corporate Responsibility (CR) at Cairn is about how we manage the balance between financial growth, the environment and the communities where we operate. This is based on the expectations of our shareholders and other stakeholders in relation to our financial performance, as well as risk management and wider environmental and societal concerns. By better managing our Corporate Responsibility, we reduce potential negative impacts and also generate and sustain value.
The Cairn Business Principles define our fundamental values and approach to managing the business in accordance with the Company’s policies, and set out goals for our behaviour.
These Business Principles are based on our three Core Values:
- Respect: for people, communities, the environment, the rule of law and human rights;
- Relationships: we believe that building strong, open and lasting relationships with our stakeholders is not merely a social responsibility but is vital to achieving our business goals; and
- Responsibility: we recognise our responsibility to ensure our actions do not harm people, the environment or society.
These values, known as the 3Rs, are promoted to staff, partners, suppliers and contractors.
We also set annual business performance objectives and targets and measure and report our performance against them, as well as the risks associated with our operations and the robustness of our internal controls. We seek to continually improve our performance in all areas.
Understandably, people and organisations around the world have concerns regarding our industry and the global sustainability issues and challenges the world faces. We are committed to listening to diverse views and taking them into consideration. Creating value lies at the heart of our business strategy and we need to contribute not only to economic growth but to safe and healthy environments and vibrant communities. Our commitment to transparency and accountability is reflected in our stakeholder engagement and our disclosure of all aspects of our financial, governance, environmental and social impacts.
2010 Corporate Responsibility Report
The 2010 Corporate Responsibility Report is the 11th external review of our CR performance. It sets out our priorities, objectives and performance from 1 January to 31 December 2010 across three main areas of responsibility:
- our people;
- the environment; and
- our communities and suppliers.
It also outlines the governance structures, policies and principles we have in place to:
- manage the potential impacts of our CR activities;
- guide our behaviour; and
- ensure compliance with all relevant regulations, standards and legislation.
2011 Interim Report
The 2011 Interim Report includes a brief update on CR progress and performance during H1 2011 and can be accessed here.
Corporate Responsibility Reports