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As a strategic measure with long-term consequences, sustainability management is a task for all the alliance entities around the world. Accordingly, a Corporate Affairs department is at the core of the leadership structure. It holds responsibility for the alignment and steering of our global sustainability strategy. It defines objectives and initiatives, adopts new regulations and adjusts policies and monitors their implementation. At a local level a high degree of individual autonomy and responsibility is given to the local compliance officers to tailor global, all-encompassing directives to local national and cultural needs.
Local experts in each entity receive instructions concerning compliance to their respective entity. Random checks are made regularly and reports from such checks are filed and kept locally accordingly. Strict month- ly reporting on well-defined indicators is required all over the alliance entities. Whenever internal standards are not met, these issues are directly reported to the Directors and to the local Management Board, where a corrective plan is agreed upon. In close coordination with the Corporate Affairs Department, the relevant CSR-AML compliance team will manage the necessary corrective actions accordingly. Progress reports are sent back to the local Management Board until the required level of compliance is reached.
Through strong cooperation between the local teams and the Corporate Affairs department and with our local CSR-AML experts throughout the alliance entities, everybody is continuously working to establish and maintain a comprehensive compliance structure. This dual partnership motivates local innovation on CSR initiatives while maintaining and benefiting from Alliance Entities synergies.
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