A vivid tradition of responsibility

January 31, 2001, at the World Economic Forum in Davos: Then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan calls on companies that operate internationally to take an active stance in meeting the challenges presented by globalization. His vision: a global pact based on universally accepted social and environmental principles.

Today, companies from more than 80 countries, international employee associations, civil society organizations, governments, and United Nations organizations are involved in the Global Compact. Under the auspices of the current UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, the world’s largest corporate citizenship initiative is moving forward.

The ten principles on which the pact is based, covering the areas of human rights, labor standards, environmental protection, and the fight against corruption, have long formed part of the corporate values of tesa. Our membership in the Global Compact underscores this vivid tradition. All of tesa SE’s activities related to commitment and involvement are subject to a continuous improvement process. In this current issue, the Progress Report 2010, we provide an insight into the development of our activities and projects – with regard to the ten principles of the UN Global Compact and our own corporate responsibility strategy.

The ten principles of the UN Global Compact

Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect international human rights in their own sphere of influence

Principle 2: They must ensure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses

Principle 3: Businesses should uphold freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining

Principle 4: All forms of forced and compulsory labor must be eliminated

Principle 5: The use of child labor must be abolished

Principle 6: Discrimination with respect to employment and occupation must be eliminated

Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges

Principle 8: Initiatives should be undertaken to promote greater environmental responsibility

Principle 9: The development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies is to be encouraged

Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery