Corporate responsibility policy

What corporate responsibility means for us
For BAA, corporate responsibility is about managing our business in a way that enhances the positive and minimises the negative economic, social and environmental impacts of our activities.

It requires us to make to balance successfully the interests of our different stakeholders through the quality of the judgements that we make. Those stakeholders include our employees, customers, suppliers and investors, governmental bodies, and the local communities around our airports. The trust of these groups is fundamental to our day-to-day business success and to protecting and enhancing its value into the future, so that we can deliver our overall corporate purpose – the responsible and profitable growth of air travel.

Aviation in a sustainable society
Sustainable development means enabling people around the world to meet their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life, without compromising the quality of life of future generations. In the UK, the Government aims to pursue that goal in an integrated way: achieving a sustainable, innovative and productive economy and a just and healthy society while respecting the limits of the planet’s environment, resources and biodiversity.

 For BAA, therefore, corporate responsibility means contributing to society’s wider goal of sustainable development, through:

• Maximising the positive economic benefits and prosperity that aviation brings.
• Minimising our negative impacts and working with others to help ensure that aviation plays its role in respecting scientifically agreed environmental limits.
• Contributing to social inclusion, cultural exchange and international communication, through the availability of responsibly-priced air travel. 
• Making a positive contribution to the skills, knowledge and motivation of our employees and building transparent and accountable relationships with all of our stakeholders.

 Our commitments
 
 How we work
1. We will run our business with integrity and openness, delivering optimum economic value within clearly-defined business principles, as set out in our Code of Ethics.
2. As a minimum we will ensure that all of our operations comply with national legislation in the countries in which we operate. We will also benchmark ourselves against other leading companies and best practice standards and seek to pursue a best practice approach wherever possible.
3. We will engage with stakeholders, based on a systematic and comprehensive plan, to understand their priorities and to discuss the opportunities and challenges we face as a business, in order to make better decisions.
4. We will systematically assess and manage our principal risks, and set annual targets and long-term objectives that define the level of performance we are aiming to achieve on priority issues.
5. We will seek to achieve breakthroughs in performance on the issues which matter most to us as a business and to our stakeholders. Where we do not have direct control over issues, we will use our influence to lead changes. 
6. We will report transparently on our overall approach, in line with best practice standards of accountability, through a process supported by independent verification.
7. Where we work to influence public policy, we will do so in line with the commitments in this policy.

Our people
8. We will give safety and security our highest priority at all times and will provide a safe, healthy and secure working environment.
9. We will provide rewarding conditions of employment, which are free from discrimination and harassment, allowing us to benefit from a diverse workforce (to serve the diverse customer base of our airports).
10. We will support freedom of association and provide opportunities for learning and development, to ensure the high performance of our workforce.
11. We accept the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labour Organisation Conventions and will respect and support the protection of internationally-proclaimed human rights within our sphere of influence.

Our socio-economic contribution
12. We will provide sustainable growth in profits for our shareholders to underpin the success of our business in the short and long term.
13. We will seek to anticipate future scenarios, new regulation and market trends to ensure the responsible development of our business into the future.
14. We will seek to benefit local and regional communities, identifying how our community programmes can most benefit those adversely affected by our operations.
15. We will work with airport employers and local, regional and national education providers to ensure that local communities benefit from the employment and career development opportunities that exist within our airports
16. We will provide fair opportunities to local suppliers to maximise our positive economic impacts at a local level. 
 
 Our environmental contribution
17. We will seek to reduce and mitigate our environmental impacts. 
18. We will base our approach on scientific evidence and respect scientifically-agreed environmental limits (including working to ensure that aviation plays its role in the global challenge of stabilising greenhouse gas emissions at a level that will avoid dangerous climate change).. Where there is scientific uncertainty, we will take a precautionary, risk-based approach.
19. We will support the polluter-pays principle, working with our partners in the aviation industry, Government and other stakeholders to meet aviation's directly-attributable external costs, through measures which are effective in reducing impacts.
20. We will use resources as efficiently as possible and, in the context of further development, will make the most efficient use of existing airports, invest in the quality and capacity of facilities and design them for maximum flexibility and longevity of use.
21. We will ensure sustainability appraisals are undertaken in addition to statutory impact assessments for all major developments at our airports.
22. We will continue to seek to ensure our airports are part of integrated transport networks.

Scope
This policy applies to the management and operation of BAA, our functions and wholly-owned subsidiary companies.
 
Our UK airports account for over 85% of our business and the activities of our subsidiary companies – World Duty Free, Heathrow Express and BAA Lynton – are also closely linked to airport activities. In addition to adhering to the commitments in this policy, these subsidiary businesses will also support our airports in delivering on priority aspects of performance.
 
In many cases, we need to work with others, using our influence to lead changes. This includes working with our suppliers; pursuing a partnership approach to airlines and other companies operating at our airports; and engaging with other players in the wider aviation industry (such as air traffic controllers or aircraft manufacturers). It also includes working in joint ventures, for example in our international operations. In all of those cases, we will seek to influence our partners to adopt an approach that matches the commitments made in this policy. 
 
Implementation
This policy is an integral part of our core business strategy and is supported by a range of further detailed policies on specific issues (see our on-line report www.baa.com/corporateresponsibility).

Responsibility for delivery of these commitments rests with our individual operating units and is overseen by our Corporate Responsibility Board, a sub-committee of our Executive Committee.  Many issues also fall under the governance of the sub-committees of the Board, in particular, the Health, Safety, Security and Environment Committee, the Ethics Committee and the Remuneration Committee.  The chair of our Corporate Responsibility Board sits on both our Executive Committee and our main Board, and is the Director responsible for corporate responsibility in both of those groups.

These commitments are designed to guide and inform the decisions of all BAA staff. Training programmes have been developed to help them to understand what this means for their roles.
 
BAA reports annually on performance in our Annual Report and Accounts and in dedicated corporate responsibility reporting at a group and airport level.

This policy is reviewed annually and updated as necessary.