Csrnetwork assures Kesko's 2007 corporate responsibility report

Csrnetwork has provided the independent assurance statement for the 2007 Corporate Responsibility Report of Finnish retailer Kesko. Launched this week, this is Kesko’s eighth report, and the second to be assured by Csrnetwork. The full report can be viewed on-line at www.kesko.fi

The 2007 Corporate Responsibility Report outlines Kesko’s achievements in economic, social and environmental responsibility. It has included a number of case studies illustrating its practical activities in the area of sustainability:

• The company offers a selection of about 500 organic products and 550 products with environmental labelling.

• Its selection of Fairtrade products is the widest in Finland, with sales of these increasing by 300% in one year.

• Over 90% of the sales of Kesko Food’s own label coffee come through independently monitored certification programmes.

• Certified timber accounts for over 90% of sawn goods sold by Kesko.

• Kesko has introduced biodegradable shopping bags.

Csrnetwork assured the 2007 Report, which has been prepared in accordance with the GRI G3 framework, based on the principles of the AA1000 Assurance Standard, and provided comment against the principles of materiality, completeness and responsiveness.

The assurance process involved extensive interviews with senior managers accountable for issues covered in the report, as well as staff responsible for collecting performance data. Csrnetwork also carried out a systematic check of the accuracy of data and claims in the report.

Kesko, which has 2,000 stores throughout the Nordic and Baltic countries, and Russia, has been listed for five consecutive years in the Dow Jones Sustainable Development index, and was included in the World Economic Forum list of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations. Kesko has participated for the first time in the Carbon Disclosure Project and was ranked 5th in the Carbon Disclosure Leader Index of low carbon intensive Nordic listed companies. Kesko aims to offer quality to the daily lives of consumers through valued products and services at competitive prices.

As part of the assurance engagement, Csrnetwork has also helped Kesko develop its approaches to determining material issues for management and reporting, and to embedding CSR in purchasing.

For further information, contact: Mark Line, director, Csrnetwork: mark.line@csrnetwork.com