A Letter from the Sustainability Committee:On the surface, sustainability reporting starts and stops with numbers: How much? How many? How often? At PotashCorp, we recognize that the roots of sustainability run much deeper. The data we gather to track our performance – as a fertilizer producer, as an employer, as a member of our communities – has an impact on the lives of a broad range of stakeholders; people who depend on us to make decisions with consideration for their interests. We believe PotashCorp's vision and values are the ingredients that inject life into these numbers and our sustainability program. We not only review our performance, we explore how the insights we gain align with the long-term interests of our company and our stakeholders. This helps us set strategic directions and implement practices designed to make us a more valuable and sustainable company over the long term. Just as our fertilizer products enhance crop production around the world, our sustainability program has an integral role in PotashCorp's strategy for growth.
Our Sustainability PrioritiesOur company, under the guidance of our sustainability committee, has identified five key sustainability platforms that are important to PotashCorp's ongoing operational and financial success. We made important advances in each of these areas in 2006: |
Our Progress Towards Sustainability
James F. Dietz, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
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Our long-term performance is directly related to our ability to understand stakeholder expectations and make decisions that position us to meet the needs of the people who depend on us. In 2006, we continued our program of surveying key customer groups, investors and employees. We also surveyed community leaders at five communities where we operate. To further enhance the effectiveness of the annual customer satisfaction survey, a select group of customers from each product category was invited to participate as members of an advisory council. They also agreed to be surveyed for up to five years to facilitate long-term, year-over-year comparisons.
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AwardsOur sustainability initiatives received international recognition in 2006, with PotashCorp earning awards in all major performance categories, including safety, environmental and social performance, governance and reporting. While we believe our sustainability program brings rewards of its own, these awards provide external validation that our direction is appropriate for the interests of our stakeholders.
Advancing SustainabilityBy its nature, sustainability is not static. We continue to adapt, evolve and grow in our approaches to sustainable development. In 2006, we:
Involving our Business PartnersWe are also encouraging and involving our business partners in our sustainability discussion in an effort to extend the impact of our commitment. We believe we can achieve much more together than if we each act alone. This initiative now has three prongs that reach out to our suppliers, customers, and international peers:
Seeking Continuous ImprovementWe are proud of what our company and our people accomplished in 2006, and we are seeing clear evidence that the groundwork of the past few years is paying dividends in our performance. More than that, it will continue to shape our strategies and culture as we move forward. Each year, our library of data grows and gives people greater insight into our long-term performance trends. More importantly, the roots of sustainability are growing deeper into our operating practices. It's from this healthy base that our company – and our committee – can find new ways to improve our ability to enrich the lives of our many stakeholders.
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