The term corporate responsibility has recently taken on an increasingly larger role in communication and general discussion. Customers, investors and partners will demand clearer proof of responsible business operations in the future. Among other things, Finland's goal of carbon neutrality and concern for the environment have created both legislative and social pressure. Employer image is also of greater importance, as companies are also fighting for the best employees.
In 2021, the European Commission issued a proposal for a new CSRD directive (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), which expands responsibility reporting obligations. In the first phase, it will affect companies employing more than 250 people, but in 2026 the directive will expand even further, also affecting listed small companies and SMEs.
Responsibility reporting is not a new thing, as large listed companies have already implemented reporting in accordance with the requirements of the Accounting Act since 2016. What changes with the directive is that the reporting obligation is gradually expanded to cover non-listed companies as well. In addition, there will be more uniform guidelines for reporting and, above all, with value chains, responsibility reporting will also affect subcontracting companies.
Graniti's responsible journey is a continuous process
At Graniit, we noticed that we lack both visible documents and clear processes to show that we already have corporate responsibility. Especially when responsibility in its truest form is defined as starting from where the boundaries set by the law are drawn, and what the company does more outside the boundaries.
In the fall of 2022, we started our own responsibility work, the first step of which has been determining Graniiti's current state. We clarified our field of activity and what factors affect it. With both surveys and interviews, we mapped the views of the owners, management and employees on our state of corporate responsibility.
Based on the answers, we identified areas for development. Our next step is to think about which of the development targets we promote with communication and which with educational methods.
Since 2017, one of our company's values has been
"to develop and promote a good work culture through regular, clear and open communication".
In accordance with our values, we opened our own website at the beginning of January 2023 responsibility section, where we talk openly and transparently about our own development of responsibility processes. We have done a lot of good, especially from the point of view of social responsibility (as evidenced by, for example, the Personnel Satisfaction Survey 11/2022). There is room for improvement, above all in the balanced consideration of areas of responsibility.
We see corporate responsibility as a journey where setting and evaluating goals is a continuous process. Along the way, we can happily and with a good conscience say that we are a responsible company. We are happy to discuss responsibility issues and are ready to go on a responsibility journey with your company as well.
