GE CitizenshipGRI
GE is committed to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Guidelines, which have informed the development of this report. For this 2007–2008 report, we have used the GRI “G3” Guidelines and compiled the report according to GRI Application Level A.
The GRI Sustainability Reporting Guidelines provide a framework for organizations to report on their social, environmental and economic performance.
GE used the following GRI Reporting Principles to ensure the quality of this report:
Balance — Providing both favorable and unfavorable results and covering a range of controversial issues relating to the application or misuse of GE products and services.
Comparability — Providing metrics over a minimum of five years (less only when the information is not available) and by including a GRI Index.
Timeliness — Publishing our annual citizenship reports at the same time every year with updates to the web site as new issues arise.
Accuracy and Reliability — The internal Audit Staff has verified all of the metrics and claims made in the report. The report was reviewed and approved by GE senior management.
Below you’ll find a full GRI Index for the report.
For more information about these guidelines visit the GRI web site.
GRI Guidelines |
Matching Report Material - Online |
Matching Report Material - Book |
Full or Partial Reporting |
|---|---|---|---|
1. Strategy and Analysis |
|||
| 1.1 Statement from most senior decision-maker of the organization about relevance of sustainability to the organization and its strategy. |
|
Full | |
| 1.2 Description of key impacts, risks and opportunities |
|
Full | |
2. Organizational Profile |
|||
| 2.1–2.8 Organizational Profile |
|
Full | |
| 2.9 Significant changes during the reporting period regarding size, structure or ownership | Full | ||
| 2.10 Awards received in the reporting period |
|
Full | |
3. Report Parameters |
|||
| 3.1 Reporting period (e.g., fiscal/calendar year) for information provided |
|
Full | |
| 3.2 Date of most recent previous report (if any) |
|
Full | |
| 3.3 Reporting cycle (annual, biennial, etc.) |
|
Full | |
| 3.4 Contact point for questions regarding the report or its contents |
|
Full | |
| 3.5 Process for defining report content |
|
Full | |
| 3.6 Boundary of the report (e.g., countries, divisions, subsidiaries, leased facilities, joint ventures, suppliers) |
|
Full | |
| 3.7 State any specific limitations on the scope or boundary of the report. |
|
|
Full |
| 3.8 Basis for reporting on joint ventures, subsidiaries, leased facilities, outsourced operations and other entities that can significantly affect comparability from period to period and/or between organizations |
|
Partial | |
| 3.9 Data measurement techniques and the bases of calculations, including assumptions and techniques underlying estimations applied to the compilation of the Indicators and other information in the report. |
|
Partial | |
| 3.10 Explanation of the effect of any re-statements of information provided in earlier reports, and the reasons for such re-statement (e.g., mergers/acquisitions, change of base years/periods, nature of business, measurement methods) |
|
||
| 3.11 Significant changes from previous reporting periods in the scope, boundary or measurement methods applied in the report | |||
| 3.12 Table identifying the location of the Standard Disclosures in the report |
|
Full | |
| 3.13 Policy and current practice with regard to seeking external assurance for the report. If not included in the assurance report accompanying the sustainability report, explain the scope and basis of any external assurance provided. Also explain the relationship between the reporting organization and the assurance provider(s). |
|
Partial | |
4. Governance, Commitments & Engagement |
|||
| 4.1 Governance structure of the organization, including committees under the highest governance body responsible for specific tasks, such as setting strategy or organizational oversight |
|
Partial | |
| 4.2 Indicate whether the Chair of the highest governance body is also an executive officer (and, if so, their function within the organization’s management and the reasons for this arrangement). |
|
Partial | |
| 4.3 For organizations that have a unitary board structure, state the number of members of the highest governance body that are independent and/or non-executive members. | Partial | ||
| 4.4 Mechanisms for shareholders and employees to provide recommendations or direction to the highest governance body |
|
Partial | |
| 4.5 Linkage between compensation for members of the highest governance body, senior managers and executives (including departure arrangements), and the organization’s performance (including social and environmental performance) | Partial | ||
| 4.6 Processes in place for the highest governance body to ensure conflicts of interest are avoided |
|
Partial | |
| 4.7 Process for determining the qualifications and expertise of the members of the highest governance body for guiding the organization’s strategy on economic, environmental and social topics |
|
Partial | |
| 4.8 Internally developed statements of mission or values, codes of conduct, and principles relevant to economic, environmental and social performance, and the status of their implementation |
|
Full | |
| 4.9 Procedures of the highest governance body for overseeing the organization’s identification and management of economic, environmental and social performance, including relevant risks and opportunities, and adherence or compliance with internationally agreed standards, codes of conduct and principles |
|
Full | |
| 4.10 Processes for evaluating the highest governance body’s own performance, particularly with respect to economic, environmental and social performance |
|
Full | |
| 4.11 Explanation of whether and how the precautionary approach or principle is addressed by the organization |
|
Full | |
| 4.12 Externally developed economic, environmental and social charters, principles or other initiatives to which the organization subscribes or endorses |
|
Full | |
| 4.13 Memberships in associations (such as industry associations) and/or national/international advocacy organizations |
|
Full | |
| 4.14 List of stakeholder groups engaged by the organization |
|
Full | |
| 4.15 Basis for identification and selection of stakeholders with whom to engage |
|
Full | |
| 4.16 Approaches to stakeholder engagement, including frequency of engagement by type and by stakeholder group |
|
Full | |
| 4.17 Key topics and concerns that have been raised through stakeholder engagement, and how the organization has responded to those key topics and concerns, including through its reporting |
|
Full | |
5. Management Approach and Performance IndicatorsEconomic Disclosures |
|||
| Disclosure on Management Approach |
|
Full | |
| EC1 Direct economic value generated and distributed, including revenues, operating costs, employee compensation, donations and other community investments, retained earnings, and payments to capital providers and governments |
|
Partial | |
| EC2 Financial implications and other risks and opportunities for the organization’s activities due to climate change |
|
Full | |
| EC3 Coverage of the organization’s defined benefit plan obligations | Full | ||
| EC4 Significant financial assistance received from government |
|
Full | |
| EC6 Policy, practices and proportion of spending on locally based suppliers at significant locations of operation |
|
Partial | |
| EC7 Procedures for local hiring and proportion of senior management hired from the local community at locations of significant operation |
|
Full | |
| EC8 Development and impact of infrastructure investments and services provided primarily for public benefit through commercial, in-kind or pro bono engagement |
|
Full | |
| EC9 Understanding and describing significant indirect economic impacts, including the extent of impacts |
|
Full | |
Environmental Disclosures |
|||
| Disclosure on Management Approach |
|
Full | |
| EN1 Materials used by weight or volume |
|
||
| EN2 Percentage of materials used that are recycled input materials |
|
||
| EN3 Direct energy consumption by primary energy source |
|
Full | |
| EN4 Indirect energy consumption by primary source |
|
Full | |
| EN5 Energy saved due to conservation and efficiency improvements |
|
Full | |
| EN6 Initiatives to provide energy-efficient or renewable energy-based products and services, and reductions in energy requirements as a result of these initiatives |
|
Full | |
| EN7 Initiatives to reduce indirect energy consumption and reductions achieved |
|
Full | |
| EN8 Total water withdrawal by source |
|
Full | |
| EN11 Location and size of land owned, leased, managed in or adjacent to protected areas and areas of high biodiversity value outside protected areas |
|
||
| EN12 Description of significant impacts of activities, products and services on biodiversity in protected areas and areas of high biodiversity value outside protected areas | Partial | ||
| EN13 Habitats protected or restored | Partial | ||
| EN14 Strategies, current actions and future plans for managing impacts on biodiversity | Partial | ||
| EN16 Total direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions by weight |
|
Full | |
| EN17 Other relevant indirect greenhouse gas emissions by weight |
|
Full | |
| EN18 Initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reductions achieved |
|
Full | |
| EN19 Emissions of ozone-depleting substances by weight |
|
||
| EN20 NO, SO and other significant air emissions by type and weight |
|
Full | |
| EN21 Total water discharge by quality and destination |
|
Partial | |
| EN22 Total weight of waste by type and disposal method |
|
Full Partial |
|
| EN23 Total number and volume of significant spills |
|
Full | |
| EN26 Initiatives to mitigate environmental impacts of products and services, and extent of impact mitigation |
|
Full | |
| EN27 Percentage of products sold and their packaging materials that are reclaimed by category |
|
||
| EN28 Monetary value of significant fines and total number of non-monetary sanctions for non-compliance with environmental laws and regulations |
|
Full | |
Labor Practices and Decent Work |
|||
| Disclosure on Management Approach |
|
Full | |
| LA1 Total workforce by employment type, employment contract and region |
|
Full | |
| LA2 Total number and rate of employee turnover by age group, gender and region |
|
Full | |
| LA4 Percentage of employees covered by collective bargaining agreements | Full | ||
| LA5 Minimum notice period(s) regarding operational changes, including whether it is specified in collective agreements |
|
||
| LA6 Percentage of total workforce represented in formal joint management-worker health and safety committees that help monitor and advise on occupational health and safety programs | Partial | ||
| LA7 Rates of injury, occupational diseases, lost days and absenteeism, and number of work-related fatalities by region |
|
Full | |
| LA8 Education, training, counseling, prevention and risk-control programs in place to assist workforce members, their families or community members regarding serious diseases |
|
Partial | |
| LA10 Average hours of training per year per employee by employee category |
|
Full | |
| LA11 Programs for skills management and lifelong learning that support the continued employability of employees and assist them in managing career endings | Full | ||
| LA12 Percentage of employees receiving regular performance and career development reviews | Partial | ||
| LA13 Composition of governance bodies and breakdown of employees per category according to gender, age group, minority group membership and other indicators of diversity |
|
Full | |
| LA14 Ratio of basic salary of men to women by employee category |
|
||
Human Rights |
|||
| Disclosure on Management Approach |
|
Full | |
| HR1 Percentage and total number of significant investment agreements that include human rights clauses or that have undergone human rights screening |
|
Partial | |
| HR2 Percentage of significant suppliers and contractors that have undergone screening on human rights and actions taken | Full | ||
| HR3 Total hours of employee training on policies and procedures concerning aspects of human rights that are relevant to operations, including the percentage of employees trained | Full | ||
| HR4 Total number of incidents of discrimination and actions taken |
|
Full | |
| HR5 Operations identified in which the right to exercise freedom of association and collective bargaining may be at significant risk, and actions taken to support these rights |
|
Partial | |
| HR6 Operations identified as having significant risk for incidents of child labor, and measures taken to contribute to the elimination of child labor |
|
Partial | |
| HR7 Operations identified as having significant risk for incidents of forced or compulsory labor, and measures to contribute to the elimination of forced or compulsory labor |
|
Partial | |
Society |
|||
| Disclosure on Management Approach |
|
Full | |
| SO1 Nature, scope and effectiveness of any programs and practices that assess and manage the impacts of operations on communities, including entering, operating and exiting |
|
Full | |
| SO2 Percentage and total number of business units analyzed for risks related to corruption |
|
Full | |
| SO3 Percentage of employees trained in organization’s anti-corruption policies and procedures |
|
Full | |
| SO4 Actions taken in response to incidents of corruption |
|
Full | |
| SO5 Public policy positions and participation in public policy development and lobbying |
|
Full | |
| SO8 Monetary value of significant fines and total number of non-monetary sanctions for non-compliance with laws and regulations |
|
||
Product Responsibility |
|||
| Disclosure on Management Approach |
|
Full | |
| PR1 Life cycle stages in which health and safety impacts of products and services are assessed for improvement, and percentage of significant products and services categories subject to such procedures | Partial | ||
| PR3 Type of product and service information required by procedures, and percentage of significant products and services subject to such information requirements |
|
||
| PR6 Programs for adherence to laws, standards and voluntary codes related to marketing communications, including advertising, promotion and sponsorship |
|
Partial | |
| PR9 Monetary value of significant fines for non-compliance with laws and regulations concerning the provision and use of products and services |
|
||
For more information about these guidelines visit the GRI web site.