Corporate Responsibility
V&S is one of the ten biggest players in the global alcoholic beverage market. This means that responsibility over and above legal and regulatory requirements is more important than ever. We welcome heightened demands relating to health, the environment and social responsibility – they go hand in glove with V&S’s values.
The principles of the Global Compact, along with the OECD’s Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, shall be the foundation for decisions that V&S personnel make in their day-to-day work, and which affect the environment, people and society at large.
Consumers
Alcohol is part of our culture, and responsible consumption of alcoholic beverages is socially acceptable. However, wrongful use can have adverse consequences, both for the individual user and for society at large. We therefore aim to promote responsible consumption of alcoholic beverages.
Personnel
Each V&S co-worker is a unique individual, and differences in sex, age, origin and nationality are assets. Competent, dedicated co-workers are absolutely essential if we are to achieve our set goals both as a company and as individuals. We feel responsible for our employees, and focus on the whole person. All employees are given the opportunity to learn and develop.
Suppliers and customers
Our relationships with customers, suppliers and other business partners shall be characterized by professionalism, respect and good ethics. V&S Group has developed a method for evaluating suppliers from a Corporate Responsibility perspective. Our main aims with the CR supplier evaluation are:
- to make it easier to choose suppliers that conduct serious, long-term work regarding the environment, ethics and human relations. This also means that V&S must phase out suppliers that neglect these issues.
- to help our suppliers and partners develop within these areas.
The environment
Care for the environment is a guiding principle, and we are constantly striving to reduce our environmental impact. One of V&S’s environmental goals is to reduce energy use, and thereby also to reduce carbon dioxide impact. Overall, energy use per liter of sold product in the production and transport phases has decreased in recent years. This is due to a higher proportion of wine in relation to more energy-demanding spirits production, as well as continued energy rationalization in production.
In order to reduce the quantity of chemical additives in agriculture, V&S is striving to steadily increase the proportion of raw materials produced by alternative methods.
Society
Our operation is run in accordance with the laws and regulations applicable to each market. We strive to achieve good relations with the world around us.
More and more V&S customers are demanding information about our work on the environment, health and social responsibility. We see this as a very positive development.
Responsibility ambitions
V&S’s future work on the environment, health and social responsibility shall be characterized by proactivity, far-sightedness and a systematic approach. This means that we shall initiate a dialogue with more stakeholders, and be receptive to the way the outside world views our operation. We will also raise our demands on increased responsibility towards the environment and employees among suppliers. We will continue to work to ensure that our products are consumed in a safe and healthy manner. Our own personnel and employees of suppliers shall work in a safe environment, and be offered good opportunities for development. Moreover, V&S will actively contribute to development that promotes the sustainable use of shared natural resources.