British Airways (BA) has produced its first social and environmental report.
The airline, which is the biggest in the world, has published standalone environment reports for ten years, but has now incorporated information on its social performance in the 48-page document.
The report includes a small section on the company’s economic performance during the financial year 1999/2000.
BA chief executive Rod Eddington said the report was a ‘first attempt to cover the huge range of relevant social issues,’ but warned it was ‘only a start’ and added: ‘we still have a long way to go, in particular in the area of measuring trends in performance and setting targets for the future’.
The document includes an updated environmental and social policy which commits the company, among other things, to ‘working constructively with organizations concerned for communities, society and the environment’, and also to ‘provide support, advice and training to staff on matters relating to our environmental and social performance’.
Mark Line, director of csr network, which verified the report, said: ‘This goes much further than previous British Airways reporting of community activities, including reporting on ethics and a thorough consideration of staff and customers.’ But he added: ‘There is clearly a long way to go.’
Line said the airline should now consider producing measures that link social and environmental impacts, such as work within communities affected by aircraft noise.