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Home Overview 2004 Who should read this report? Introduction from Sir Peter Mason Sustainability reporting in AMEC The business context Stakeholder research AMEC sustainability services 2004 Performance    Community    involvement    Employment rights    Environment    Health & safety    Ethics    Human rights    Profitable growth    Financial    management    Strategy and    markets    Customers    Processes Case studies Enviros audit Measuring our performance Full report index	Introduction from Sir Peter Mason
	Why have a sustainability programme and report? Sustainability - or corporate responsibility - is sometimes understood as the narrow environmental and social obligations of a company. To me however, it is a management approach that takes account of the broad and long-term concerns of stakeholders, not just short-term profits. Developing the skills of our people, improving the environment or being invited back to work in a particular community, are just as important as getting planning permission or winning a contract today. Over time, this approach should become part of the fabric of a company and the need for a formal sustainability report like this one would disappear. For now however, we believe we need this report, and the programme that lies behind it, to remind us of our broader obligations. For this reason, in 2005 we appointed a dedicated sustainability programme manager, Linzie Forrester, who now drives the sustainability programme, consulting with a group of senior colleagues led by Mike Straughen, the deputy CEO of our UK business. Progress at AMEC We launched our sustainability programme in 2000, and have, I believe, made good progress since then. We are particularly strong in some areas: striving for excellence in health and safety is central to AMEC's culture and we have made steady progress year on year to improve our accident rates. However, it is completely unacceptable that the number of fatalities at work increased compared to the previous year, and yet further efforts are being taken to ensure a safer year in 2005. In the environmental area, the fact that we have an environmental services business within AMEC is helping us develop new ways to help our customers meet their sustainability challenges. When it comes to community, businesses like our oil and gas operations have made a real difference in the regions where they work, employing local people, transferring knowledge and skills and providing long-term economic benefits. And of course, our wind farm and regeneration businesses also make an important contribution to the UK’s sustainable development. Stakeholder priorities sometimes conflict However, it is not always easy for us to move forward. Many of the benefits of sustainability are only realised over the longer term, so people may be sceptical about them. Externally, different stakeholders may have different timelines and concerns: most investors prioritise the delivery of financial results, and while customers expect us to meet environmental and health and safety standards, their buying decisions are still not made on this basis. Internally, people working at AMEC care about our employment approach and our broader reputation but may also view collecting sustainability data as a burden – particularly if they cannot see the commercial payback. In the long run, we believe sustainability is good for all, but there is inevitably short-term tension between the desire to be sustainable and more narrowly commercial concerns. Page    1    2    back to top	In this section > Introduction from Sir Peter Mason Sustainability in our vision, brand and principles
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