Our Community
As an employer, neighbour, customer and supplier in 42 countries, Amcor strives to have a positive impact in the communities in which we operate. Investing our packaging expertise and capabilities, time, talent or funds in our local communities allows Amcor co-workers to live the Company’s core value of Social Responsibility.
We focus on:
- conducting open and constructive dialogue in our communities;
- supporting local community projects that create mutually-beneficial outcomes;
- utilising our packaging expertise to benefit the wider community.
The photo above was taken by Simon Berry
Community engagement
Our approach
We aim to be responsive to our stakeholders, responding to enquiries or feedback from our local communities regarding the ownership or use of sites and the resultant impacts on communities, including concerns about odours, noise and employee behaviour or our transport operations, requests for support from local community groups and enquiries about employment opportunities. Most of these enquiries/complaints are submitted via our website, via telephone or sometimes via regulatory bodies. Our response to these community enquiries is made directly, either face to face or by telephone or email or in other appropriate forums.
This approach is formalised in our Environment Policy, which states that we will ‘communicate openly with co-workers and the community about our performance’.
At many of our larger sites, stakeholder engagement is a requirement of their ISO 14001 certified environmental management systems. Many sites also include stakeholder communications as part of crisis response within their business continuity plans.
We have established multiple opportunities for engagement and dialogue with the communities in which we operate. We receive communications from the general community via telephone and our website, and we engage with local regulatory bodies. We also host community engagement activities at many of our sites.
Communication opportunities are also available via our website, at the open days held by some of our sites and through the community partnerships we have around the world. Members of the community are also able to use our Whistleblower Service to notify us of any concerns they may have. We also broadcast communications via media channels.
Community complaints are recorded and responded to by management at the appropriate Amcor site. Concerns about noise, odours and other disturbances are investigated and responded to by the appropriate site or departmental function.
How we are doing
During FY2011/12 many local community engagement activities were conducted at Amcor sites around the world. For example, our Flexibles site in Lodz, Poland hosted 27 local university students for a tour of the printing process. Company presentations were organised and the students were given the opportunity to ask the site's production managers and leaders about packaging production. Employees and their families at Amcor Reflex in Lodz were invited to a Family Day together with children in need from a local orphanage.
Our Australian paper mills have developed long-term relationships with their local communities and regulators and have regular community consultation meetings.
In celebration of its 100th anniversary, Amcor Flexibles Singen (Germany) hosted a special day for co-workers and their families on Sunday 29th April 2012. Around 8000 guests attended and were given the opportunity to tour some of the production areas.
In FY2011/12 the sites conducted the following engagement activities:
Botany (New South Wales)
The construction of the B9 paper mill dominated the consultations with the local community around the Botany site. The website http://www.amcor.com/botany, details those communications.
Fairfield (Victoria)
Four Neighbourhood Consultative Committee meetings were held during FY2011/12.
The main concerns raised were the mill’s odour, noise, and the mill closure process. Four community newsletters were also distributed to local residents during the year.
In response to complaints about odours, a number of changes were made to the waste treatment process at the Fairfield site and operational procedures. This has further reduced the number of complaints.
In response to noise concerns, extensive testing and engineering works were carried out on the Heidelberg Road building. There have been no further community complaints from this noise source since.
Petrie (Queensland)
Our Petrie site had ongoing interactions with various local organisations, including wildlife protection groups and other community groups.
Supporting our local communities
Our approach
Supporting our local communities allows Amcor co-workers to live the Company’s core value of Social Responsibility. We encourage Amcor co-workers to determine the best way for Amcor to contribute to the community in which they live and work. Community requests for support, (e.g. from sporting clubs and special interest groups) are managed at the local site level within each Amcor business group. This support usually takes the form of volunteerism, financial support, contributions of packaging products (often donated in partnership with our customers), and other contributions to meet specific community needs.
Amcor also provides global, centrally-managed programs, including our Earthwatch partnership. This partnership provides co-workers with the opportunity to participate in scientific field-based research.
Amcor’s eTree Initiative is designed to encourage Amcor shareholders to receive Company communications electronically instead of using paper. For every shareholder choosing this option a donation is made to Landcare Australia to support reforestation projects across Australia and New Zealand.
How we are doing
Our approach to community investment means that only a small number of our community partnerships and programs are reported on a consolidated basis. For the FY2011/12 year, our centrally reported investment in community partnerships and support (in monetary value) was approximately $404,000 and we continue to explore ways to improve how we measure and quantify the impact of our community programs throughout our geographically diverse operations.
The examples below, and those detailed in the case study in this section, demonstrate the types of community activities and investments undertaken during FY2011/12.
Global programs
Earthwatch
During FY2011/12, 15 Amcor co-workers participated in Earthwatch fellowships at locations in China, Costa Rica and Britain . During our 11-year history, over 100 co-workers have participated in 47 scientific expeditions around the world.
Five Amcor co-workers participated in Earthwatch's 'Scientist for a Day' program. Working at North Stradbroke Island, one of the world's largest sand islands in Queensland Australia, they helped Earthwatch research scientists monitor the impact of plastic waste on marine turtles. The six species of marine turtles that occur off the Queensland coast are all listed as endangered or vulnerable to extinction by IUCN Red List. Urgent measures are required to address the problems of marine pollution, particularly since the impact of human rubbish has spread far beyond our immediate shores. Data collected will assist ground breaking research on the impact of the ingestion of marine debris on turtles found in Australian waters and have global ramifications for the manufacturing and materials science of plastics.
Local programs
Workplace Giving Program
Since 2007, the Amcor Workplace Giving Program in Australia has enabled Amcor co-workers to make a pre-tax donation to our partner charities and make a difference to the lives of less-fortunate people and communities.
In FY2011/12, more than $35,000 was donated by Australian co-workers and matched by the Company to total more than $70,000.
Our partner charities were World Vision, Australian Red Cross, Earthwatch, and the Australian Cancer Council.
North America
During FY2011/12 our co-workers in North America donated over 1000 hours of their time participating in many organised fund-raising events for various causes.
For example, co-workers at the plant in Chino, California, organised a Bake Sale, Chili Cook-off and raffles for the Relay for Life Cancer Walk.
Co-workers also participated in the walk. Co-workers at the site in Franklin, Indiana donated over 20,000 items to their local food pantry, which distributes the food to the needy. They also raised money to buy presents for under-privileged children at Christmas.
At our Ann Arbour, Michigan site, over USD29,000 was raised to ‘adopt a family’ in need at Christmas.
South & Central America
Our Rigid Plastic plants in Central and South America invest in their local communities by donating time and money to causes such as children’s charities, hospitals, orphanages and environmental programs such as beach clean ups. For example, co-workers from our Jundiai site in Brazil organized a Christmas event for 200 under-privileged children. The group of co-workers volunteered to assemble "Christmas Kits" for the children containing toys, chocolate, clothing and footwear donated by Amcor co-workers and their friends. The group also organised a small party for the children with rides, clowns and toys .
Europe
Our Tobacco Packaging site in Poland sponsors Polish artists, opening up the Amcor facility as an art gallery to promote the artists’ work and make it available for viewing by the community. In 2011, the plant sponsored four different artists, whose work included print, photography, drawings, and paintings. Some of the artists sponsored are early in their careers and others are well established with works appearing in museums.
As part of their sponsorship, the site prints a catalog of each artist’s work and hosts a gallery opening where the public and potential collectors can meet the artist.
At the St Petersburg site in Russia, co-workers contributed to the city’s Charity for Orphans program by raising funds to purchase toiletries for the Vsevolozhsk Children’s Home, where 110 orphans aged 4-months to 4-years-old live. Co-workers also raised money to send chocolates and sweets to five local children’s homes at Christmas.
Asia
AFAP Volunteer Day is a regional social responsibility program across Amcor Flexibles Asia Pacific sites in seven countries. This year our co-workers participated in a range of local activities. Australian and New Zealand co-workers donated clothing, household items and clothes and collected donations for local charities. Indian co-workers donated blood and visited a local shelter home for prosy patients to give blankets and medicine. Indonesian co-workers helped to repair a local mosque, built toilets and garbage tanks and donated educational toys and rice supplies to local schools. Chinese co-workers repaired to homes of local elderly residents, donated blood, visited elders and families in need of assistance. Singapore co-workers participated in a craft day, making 35 beautiful bowls for auction, with all proceeds supporting co-workers affected by flooding in Thailand.
When devastating floods hit Thailand, Amcor’s Flexibles Asia Pacific business also organized a “Flood of Care” campaign, allowing Amcor co-workers globally to help the people and communities impacted by the flood.
The funds primarily assisted the 64 AFAP co-workers affected by the flood, as well as other local flood victims. The funds went toward necessary items such as food, drinking water, hygiene supplies, survival supplies, sand bags, as well as post-crisis recovery assistance. In collaboration with The Rotary Club of Bangrak, Amcor co-workers visited severely flood affected arts and crafts villagers in Bang Pra Hun, Ayutthaya. AFAP donated 80 medical first-aid kits and 30 sewing machines to families in the region. In addition to funds contributed by AFAP co-workers, Amcor Limited donated $25,000 to the relief effort. The winner of Amcor’s CEO Outperformance Award, Nestle KAM Thailand team, also donated their $5000 charity prize to the “A Flood of Care” campaign.
Utilising our packaging expertise
Our approach
Due to the scale, scope and geographic spread of the markets Amcor serve, Amcor has the opportunity to contribute its packaging expertise and products to initiatives that address social needs. These range from advocating the role of packaging in reducing food waste to collaborating with our customers and supply chain partners to address specific health concerns.
How we are doing
During the 2011/12 year, Amcor contributed its packaging expertise and packaging products to the wider community in various ways, including:
- Amcor Australasia’s corrugated business continued its relationship with Foodbank Australia, providing boxes for fresh produce being donated to people in need. 25,000 boxes were donated to enable Foodbank to collect, transport and store potatoes, carrots, onions and noodles for the winter period. 5000 specially-designed Christmas hamper cartons were also donated to deliver food to Victorian families in need. Amcor’s Australasian business also worked with customers and suppliers to help supply more than 140,000 jars of Leggo’s Pasta Sauce to welfare agencies throughout Australia. Amcor donated multiple packaging formats, including fibre packaging, metal closures and flexible shrink wrap.
- Amcor’s flexible packaging site in Ledbury, UK supplied Amcor P-Plus perforated peelable film to seal the ColaLife AidPod, an innovative way of delivering anti-diarrhoea kits to remote communities in the developing world – read more about this initiative in the case study.
