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雷夫.约翰森先生在“中瑞高层企业社会责任论坛”的讲话
2008-04-14
沃尔沃集团总裁及首席执行官雷夫.约翰森先生4月14日在钓鱼台国宾馆参加“中瑞高层企业社会责任论坛”上的讲话
Leif Johansson’s speech at the CEO round table – CSR. April 14, Beijing
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is a great honour for me to be allowed this opportunity to give you my and Volvo Group view on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Let my start by saying that we are living in exciting times! Technology has brought people from all over the world closer together, our ability and willingness to learn from other cultures have never been as great as today and there is increasing awareness that we share a common future. These factors create great opportunities for all nations around the globe. But it is at the same time true that the world is also facing new challenges, not least as regards the climate issue and social development.
There is a long tradition of commercial links between China and Sweden, something we were aptly reminded of last year when we welcomed the 18th century ship the East Indiaman “Götheborg” back to Sweden following its long voyage to China. The ship was received in the port of Göteborg by the heads of state of both our countries, His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf and His Excellency President Hu Jintao. We were delighted and very proud of the fact that President Hu Jintao graced Volvo with a visit during his stay in Sweden.
Allow me to start off by saying a few words about the Volvo Group. Today we manufacture trucks, buses and construction equipment as well as marine and industrial engines. We are also a leading producer of high-tech components for the aerospace industry. All this makes the Volvo Group one of the world’s largest providers of commercial transport solutions and Sweden’s largest company.
The Volvo Group has grown steadily and is today established all over the world, not least here in Asia where we have about 15 percent of our total sales. We did our first business with China back in the 1930s, and today we have almost 4000 employees here. Our position in China is today very strong and we can produce tailored products to suit your needs. We have of course monitored your astonishing industrial development. For us, China is no longer an export market. Rather, we regard China as one of our domestic markets and a market with immense potential. Over the years we have learned to appreciate the considerable competence that our Chinese colleagues have at their command, and their strong energy and determination to develop further.
I am convinced that our company’s long-term commercial success and competitiveness are both reinforced when we develop competitive products, show respect for our employees, offer a good working environment and behave as good corporate citizens. Working in a socially responsible way is an inherent part of the Volvo soul and our history. The fact that we focuses on CSR is also a precondition for my survival every morning at the breakfast table when the members of my own family ask difficult questions!
Volvo’s founders had a clear vision when they started the company 80 years ago. Since Volvo’s products were to be used by people, our founders insisted that safety and quality characterise everything we did. This care for the human being was expanded during the 1970s to encompass the environment too. So with safety, quality and the environment as our core values, it is a logical consequence that we should also behave in a socially responsible manner. Allow me to give you a few practical examples of what I mean.
To begin, we naturally follow the laws of the land in which we operate. Over and above this, we have a code of conduct that applies to all our more than 100,000 employees world wide. Our code of conduct describes principles that apply in the relationships between the company and our employees, customers and other parties.
We stand fully behind the principles of human rights such as they are defined in the UN’s Declaration of Human Rights. The Volvo Group recruits and treats its employees in a way that is not discriminatory as regards, for instance, gender, religion and nationality. The freedom to engage in trade union activities and the right to sign collective wage agreements are respected throughout the Volvo Group. We do not tolerate child labour or work carried out under force or the threat of violence. The minimum age of employment used by us is the age at which compulsory education ends in each respective country.
Volvo has operations in 180 countries and production facilities in 18 countries. One thing that has significantly enriched my personal life has been the opportunity to learn from the immense diversity that is to be found throughout the Volvo Group. It’s why it is always such a pleasure to go to work every morning! I encourage diversity at all levels of the company. Diversity generates creativity, which in turn promotes innovation, which itself is a precondition for success. Volvo has staff from all nationalities, women and men, young and old, representing various religions and different areas of competence and expertise. All this is an immense asset. One of our strategic goals is to increase awareness about the benefits diversity bring throughout our organisation.
We constantly strive towards open communication and the active exchange of information with the world in which we live and with the people with whom we work. We present an open account of our work on sustainability and CSR in a special report that can be accessed on the Internet at volvo.com. The report follows the guidelines laid out in the procedures by the Global Reporting Initiative.
Every year, we conduct a Group-wide survey called the Volvo Group Attitude Survey. In this survey our employees are encouraged to offer their views on their work situation what they feel needs to be improved.
The economy, the environment and social development all tie in together. The environmental issue has extremely high priority in the company. Volvo is well aware that we are part of the environmental problem, but we are also part of the solution. Global warming and the threat to the climate are the biggest environmental problems of our time. As one of the world’s largest vehicle manufacturers, we have a responsibility for reducing the environmental imprint of our production and our products. If we succeed in this venture, we will strengthen our own and our customers’ competitiveness, while at the same time making a positive contribution to society’s development in general.
In 2007 we unveiled seven trucks each optimised for carbon dioxide-neutral operation. They were developed to run on seven different fuels sourced from renewable raw materials. We have made immense progress in the development of energy-efficient products, one example of which is the very latest fuel-saving hybrid technology. At the same time, we are focusing on reducing the environmental imprint of our own production process, not least by reducing energy consumption. In 2007, for instance, we inaugurated the world’s first carbon dioxide-neutral vehicle factory – the Volvo Trucks plant in Ghent, Belgium. Thanks to investments in wind-power and biofuels, it uses electricity and heating that do not make any net carbon dioxide contribution to the atmosphere. Our aim is that all our factories should be carbon dioxide-neutral in the years to come.
The environment and the efficient transportation of people and goods are coming into ever-sharper focus in an increasingly urbanised world. Volvo is involved in the development of high-efficiency bus systems in many major cities – our system is called Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). It can be likened to a metro or light railway system. A BRT system has the same properties as a rail-bound system when it comes to passenger capacity and average speed. It includes dedicated bus lanes and high-capacity buses. The main benefits of BRT are that the environment improves since emissions are reduced and more passengers can travel by public transport. Not least important: BRT is much cheaper than any rail-bound alternative.
Working with Corporate Social Responsibility is a task that never ends and there will always be areas that we can improve. We believe, however, that we have made considerable progress and that we are heading in the right direction. We are strengthened in this belief by the positive comments that our CSR work has generated in several independent reviews. Allow me to give you an example:
- For the sixth consecutive year, the Volvo Group has been noted in Dow Jones Sustainability Index thanks to the Group’s sustainability drive in the areas of economy, environment and social issues. This means that Volvo is assessed as being among the 10% best companies in the world when it comes to combining economic profitability with environmental care and social consideration. We were awarded a particularly high mark for our handling of environment-related issues and for our corporate governance. I am very proud of this.
It is my perception that a proactive approach to CSR promotes enhanced diversity, more satisfied customers, more loyal employees, stronger brands, risk minimisation, and a better environment. We have a long tradition of corporate social responsibility and we intend to continue to lead developments in this important arena in the future. Active CSR dedication is an integrated part of the Volvo Group’s competitiveness and it is crucial to our ability to create value for our customers, employees and shareholders. Moreover, this work contributes to a development process that creates value for future generations too.
We are open to an exchange of thoughts and ideas and we warmly welcome a dialogue with various sections of Chinese society.
Thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak here today, and allow me to conclude by saying that I am looking forward to continued discussion!
雷夫•约翰森在首席执行官圆桌会议上关于企业社会责任的讲话4月14日于北京
尊敬的阁下，女士们先生们：
非常有幸能有机会跟大家分享我本人和沃尔沃集团关于企业社会责任的一些看法。首先我要说我们正处在一个令人兴奋的时代！技术将世界各国人民拉得更近，我们从未像现在这样能够并且愿意从其他文化中汲取养分，人们也愈加认识到我们共同拥有同一个未来。正是这些因素给全世界的所有国家提供了难得的机遇。然而我们也清楚地认识到这个世界正面临各种新的挑战，而这其中不光是有关气候和社会发展的问题。
谈到中瑞两国由来已久的商贸联系时，我们不禁想到去年双方共同欢迎18世纪“哥德堡”号仿古商船完成漫长航行后从中国返回瑞典时的情景。当时我们两国的领导人——瑞典国王古斯塔夫十六世与中华人民共和国主席胡锦涛——一起在哥德堡港口迎接商船的抵达。对于胡锦涛主席在逗留瑞典期间莅临并参观沃尔沃集团我们感到十分高兴和自豪。
请允许我首先介绍一下有关沃尔沃集团的情况。目前我们的产品涵盖了卡车、公交车、建筑设备以及船用和工业发动机。同时我们也是航天工业高技术零部件的主要生产商。正是基于如此强大的实力，沃尔沃集团才得以成为全球最大的商用运输解决方案提供商之一以及瑞典国内最大的企业。
沃尔沃集团实现了稳步发展，我们目前的经营活动立足于全球。亚洲是全球市场的其中一个组成部分，沃尔沃在亚洲地区的销售额占全部销售额的比重约为15%。早在二十世纪三十年代沃尔沃便在中国开展业务，如今我们在中国大约有4000名员工。沃尔沃集团在中国拥有牢固的市场地位，我们可以生产定制化产品以满足中国客户的需求。当然我们也同时密切关注着中国令人惊叹的产业发展状况。对于我们来说，中国已不再是一个单纯的出口市场。实际上，我们更愿意将中国看作是我们其中的一个国内市场，一个蕴含巨大市场潜力的地区。在过去若干年中，我们充分领略了中国同仁所具有的竞争力以及他们在加大发展过程中所表现出的极大活力和决心。
我坚信只要我们的企业能够开发出具有竞争力的产品，做到尊重员工，提供良好的工作环境，并且争做一个合格的企业公民，我们就会取得长期的经营业绩，同时竞争力也将得到提高。采用对社会负责的方式开展经营是沃尔沃企业灵魂和历史的一个固有组成部分。每天早晨在餐桌前我的家人都会问我一些难于回答的问题，好在我们非常重视企业社会责任，否则我就会陷入答不出问题的尴尬。
沃尔沃的缔造者在80年前创办这家企业时就已有了一个清晰明确的远景。鉴于沃尔沃产品是供人使用的，因此企业创办者坚持将安全性和质量作为每一项工作的必要内容。二十世纪七十年代，沃尔沃将这种对于人的关爱扩展到了环境领域。正是由于将安全、质量和关爱环境作为企业的核心价值，我们也就理所应当要以对社会负责的方式开展经营。为更清楚地阐述我所要表达的东西，请允许我给大家举几个实际例子。
首先，我们自然要遵守企业经营所在地的各项法律。更重要的是，我们还制定了适用于沃尔沃在全球的所有十万多名员工的行为守则。我们的行为准则对处理企业与员工、客户和其他有关方面的关系的准则做了描述。
我们完全支持包括在联合国人权宣言中所规定的各项人权原则。沃尔沃集团招聘和对待员工的方式绝没有诸如性别、宗教和民族等方面的歧视。沃尔沃集团上上下下都会尊重员工参与工会活动以及签署集体工资协议的权力。我们绝不容忍使用童工或采取强迫或暴力威胁手段迫使工人劳动。我们的最低用工年龄为各国所规定的国民在结束义务教育时的年龄。
沃尔沃集团在180个国家开展经营，在18个国家拥有生产厂。让我的个人生活变得如此丰富的其中一个方面就是我有机会从沃尔沃集团中无所不在的多元企业文化中获益。这就是为什么每天早晨我都会十分愉快地投入工作！我鼓励在公司各个层面推动多元化。多元性可催生创造力，创造力又可推动创新，而创新则是企业取得成功的必要前提。沃尔沃的员工来自各个国家，这些不同性别、年龄的员工有着不同的宗教信仰、职业背景和专业知识。所有这些对于企业来说都是一笔巨大的财富。我们的战略目标之一就是要让员工充分意识到多元化会给我们的企业带来诸多好处。
为实现坦诚公开的交流、以及同我们所生活的这个世界，同我们的同仁积极交流信息和思想，我们正做着孜孜不倦的努力。我们对沃尔沃在可持续发展和企业社会责任方面所作的工作做了公开的说明，有关的具体内容可以在沃尔沃官方网站上所提供的一份特别报告中找到。这份报告是依据“全球报告计划”所规定的报告指南加以撰写的。
每年我们都要在全集团范围内开展一项名为“沃尔沃集团态度调查”的调研工作。在这项调查中我们鼓励员工发表他们对各自工作状况的看法并提出哪些方面需要改进。
经济、环境和社会发展问题是相互关联、密不可分的。环境问题是企业需要优先解决的头等大事。沃尔沃清楚地认识到我们既对环境问题负有一定责任但同时我们也是解决这一问题的参与者。全球变暖以及环境所遭受的威胁是我们这个时代中最大的环境问题。作为全球最大的汽车制造商之一，我们对于减少生产过程和产品本身对环境的影响责无旁贷。如果要在这项事业上取得成功，我们就必须提高自身和客户的竞争力，同时为社会的总体发展做出积极贡献。
2007年，我们推出了七款针对二氧化碳净排为零而加以优化的卡车。改造后这些卡车将可以使用产自于可再生原料的七种不同燃料。我们在高效率产品研发方面取得了显著进步，其中的一个例子就是我们最新开发的可大大节约燃料的混合动力技术。同时，我们也在关注减少生产过程对于环境的影响，而这将不仅仅是通过减少能源消耗加以实现。举例来说，我们在2007年启动了全世界第一家二氧化碳净排为零车辆制造厂，即设在比利时根特的沃尔沃卡车厂。由于我们投资建设了风力发电和使用生物燃料，该厂使用的电力和热力将不会导致大气中的二氧化碳含量增加。我们的目标是在来年让我们的所有工厂都实现二氧化碳净排为零。
随着全世界城市化水平的加深，环境以及人员和商品的高效运输成为人们日益关注的焦点。沃尔沃正参与在多个主要城市推广的高效公交车系统的开发工作，我们所研发的系统叫做“快速公交”或简称BRT。该系统可与地铁或轻轨系统实现连接。快速公交系统的载客量和平均时速指标不逊于轨道交通系统。它包括了公交车专用道和高载客量公交车。应用BRT的主要好处是在减少排放的同时提高了公交系统的运力从而有助于环境的改善。另外同样重要的是：快速公交系统比其他所有的轨道交通方案都更加经济。
企业社会责任方面的工作永无止境，而我们总可以找到需要加以改进的地方。但我们相信我们已取得了很大进步并且正朝着正确的方向迈进。若干独立评论机构对我们的企业社会责任工作做出了积极评价，这更加坚定了我们的这一信念。请允许我给诸位举一个例子：
- 沃尔沃集团已经连续第六年进入道琼斯可持续发展指数排行榜，这要归功于集团持续推动经济、环境和社会问题的解决。这一成绩意味着沃尔沃在将经济利益与关爱环境和社会责任加以结合方面已位居百分之十的最佳企业之列。我们在处理环境相关问题和公司治理方面的得分尤其突出。这令我感到非常自豪。
我认为对企业社会责任采取积极步骤将可以推动企业的多元化，提升客户满意度，增加员工忠诚度，加强品牌实力，使风险降至最低并且能对环境加以改善。我们长期以来一直致力于做好企业社会责任工作，在未来我们还将继续做这一重要领域的带头人。积极投入于企业社会责任是构成沃尔沃集团竞争力的一个不可或缺的组成部分，它对于我们为客户、员工以及利益相关者创造价值的能力起着至关重要的作用。另外，这项工作也有助于推动为将来几代人创造价值的发展过程。
我们对思想和观念交流持有开放的态度，同时我们热切地盼望能与中国各行各业的人士进行对话。
感谢大家让我今天有机会在这里发言，最后，我期待能就相关问题做更多讨论！