Co-creation – engaging with our stakeholders
It is important to understand our stakeholders’ needs so that we can work together along the value chain, find opportunities and address risks.
GRI 2–23, 2–29
We have been in constant dialogue with our stakeholders for many years – employees, customers, suppliers, regulators and local communities. In May 2019, a particularly fruitful stakeholder workshop brought together participants from Beckers and customers, suppliers and other stakeholders along our value chain. It also featured representatives from NGOs and the United Nations, sustainability and academic experts, and colleagues from our parent company. The result was a creative and constructive dialogue about sustainability challenges and how best to tackle them. The workshop was invaluable in helping us define our 2030 Sustainability Strategy.
New stakeholder engagement framework
We restructured and refined our global strategic process in 2021 to engage even more effectively with our stakeholders. We updated our stakeholder model to make it more consistent – it now puts sustainability at the center of every dialogue. We define stakeholders in two – not necessarily mutually exclusive – ways. First, as entities or individuals that could be affected by our own organization’s activities, products and services. And second, as entities or individuals that could affect the ability of our organization to implement its strategies and achieve its objectives.
We now group our stakeholders as either internal – employees and owner – or external – customers (including specifiers and OEMs), suppliers, the world around us (including Children & Youth, NGOs, trade associations, legislators/ governments). The model builds on the idea of integrating sustainability dialogue into channels of communication that already exist and are frequently used. We also devised separate processes for stakeholders that do not have regular contact with Beckers.
Internal stakeholder engagement
Beckers today maintains a well-established dialogue with internal stakeholders, employees at all levels of our business and our owner, Lindéngruppen. Every second year, we conduct a global employee survey to collect employee insights about their well-being and working conditions. As a part of our strategic business development, we hold regular meetings with Lindéngruppen and meet for an annual conference to discuss sustainability issues. And our Stream Teams channel sustainability topics to every level in the company.
External stakeholder engagement
As a company with production sites on five continents and a diverse supplier landscape, we are aware of our impact on the local communities that host us and on the people employed by the companies we do business with. We take very seriously our responsibility to foster good relations and ensure good working conditions along the value chain of our business. We are also aware of the environmental impact of our raw materials sourcing and production processes. We clearly communicate our goals through ouropen_in_newSupplier Code of Conduct and expect our suppliers to reduce their impact. We evaluate their progress towards these expectations through tools provided by EcoVadis, the business-sustainability service provider.
Our customers are one of our most important external stakeholder groups. Their ecological footprint is also our footprint. The more sustainable solutions we can provide them, the more sustainable our business becomes. This requires a comprehensive understanding of the market, including how our customers use our products and what their specific needs might be. Our sales staff are vital for this as they have a close and well-established relationship with our customers. We also solicit customer feedback through local surveys. Trade associations like ECCA, CEPE and NCCA provide us with industry insights. And local authorities hear from us annually as part of our reporting requirements.
Overview: Stakeholder engagement channels and key issues
Internal
Employees
We aim to be a top employer and offer our employees valuable opportunities to grow personally and professionally.
- Employees’ well-being
- Safe working conditions
- Training and education
- Anti-corruption
- Talent management
- Gender diversity
- Non-discrimination
- Understanding Beckers’ sustainability work and road forward
- Global Employee Survey
- Sustainability report feedback survey answered by around 300 employees
- Global Stream Teams
- Dialogue with union representatives
- Regular internal communications
trainings - Health and safety committees
- Feedback through Check-In Conversations
Owner
We are 100% owned by Lindéngruppen.
- Understanding Beckers’ sustainability work and road forward
- Regular board meetings
- Lindéngruppen (sustainability) conference
External
Customers
Customers (B2B)
We need a comprehensive understanding of the market, how customers use our products and their individual needs. Customer focus means we serve our customers by creating value through sustainable solutions that encompass both products and services.
- Awareness of customer needs
- Customer satisfaction
- Product quality and performance
- Realization of co-creation
- Innovation
- Collaboration to reach sustainability goals
- Local surveys
- Meetings with representatives
- Local, flexible, and professional customer service
- Reports
- Meetings at industry events
- Workshops and pilot projects on sustainable product developments
- Market research and business development
Specifiers and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs)
We benefit from a constructive exchange about needs and expectations with profilers, architects, contractors and specifiers, and OEMs.
- Awareness of specifiers’ needs
- Understanding of leverage points (what they need to choose Beckers)
- Meetings with relevant
representatives - Industry research and collaboration with 3rd parties
Supply chain
Suppliers
We rely on the products and services provided by our crucial partners. We cooperate for better synergies.
- CSR assessment
- Environmental performance
- Interest and capacity in R&D for more sustainable raw materials and products
- Long-term relationships
- Capacity planning
- Compliance with laws and regulations
- Anti-corruption
- Healthy and safe working conditions
- Respect of human rights and ensuring elimination of child labor
- No anti-competitive behavior
- Survey to main suppliers in each region
- Signing of Supplier Code of Conduct
- Participation in EcoVadis assessment and acting upon its results
- On-site supplier audits
- Sustainability workshops to evaluate joint developments with suppliers
The world around us
Children & Youth
We agreed to focus on this one global common cause and are now selecting NGOs, charities and partners to work with.
- Access to basic needs (food, clean water, health services)
- Access to education
- Violence against children and young people
- Risks to health and safety
- Working conditions and their impact on family life (e.g., working hours, business travel or working abroad, flexible working time, pay, parental leave policy)
- Potential exposure to harmful substances through applied coatings/chemicals
- Through the NGOs Global Child Forum and Save the Children
- Through contact points in our communities
NGOs and science (universities and research institutions)
We are focusing on technology scouting, i.e., looking outside the company and the traditional supplier base for emerging new technologies.
- Latest research and innovation
- Sustainability forecasts
- Workshops
- Interviews
- Collaboration and joint research projects
Trade associations
We value the exchange with other actors in the industry about political and economic developments.
- Latest research and innovation
- Sustainability forecasts
- Industry events
- Regular meetings
- Participation in working groups
Legislators/ government/ regulatory/ local authorities
We take our responsibilities as a responsible corporate citizen seriously. We comply with or exceed all applicable regulations in the countries in which we operate. We aim to positively contribute in our communities.
- Environmental impact
- Local regulatory compliance
- Product safety and labeling standards
- Training & education
- Quality of life for people in the community
- Personal meetings
- Talks with authorities
