United Nations Global Compact
Communication on Progress
1 March 2008 through 7 April 2009
Dear Valuable Stakeholders:
The past twelve months have been very exciting for us. As a proud continuing member of the United Nations
Global Compact, we have spent considerable effort to adhere to its principles so we can to improve our market place and the societies in which we serve.
As a company with head offices in the United States, we abide by the applicable human rights, labor and
environmental laws. However, our sales extend into 50 countries where we appreciate the melting pot of our
diverse network of offices and local installation partners. This enhances our ability to respect and take responsibility for the needs of all the markets we serve. This also allows us to recognize the need to go beyond the laws in many countries. The Global Compact is of tremendous value in these efforts as we strive to be role models in our synthetic turf industry and communities around the world.
We appreciate the positive responses from our customers, partners and government agencies concerning our commitment to the Global Compact and its principles. This feedback and the positive impact we make continue to reinforce that the goals of good corporate stewardship and profits are not separate paths. In fact, good business principles and integrity is our foundation for long-term stability and profitability.
Finally, we invite and encourage all other participants in the synthetic turf industry to review the United Nations Global Compact’s principles. In turn, we hope they will also execute such practices to aid in our common wellbeing. From our side, we will continue to implement even newer strategies that will continue to guide us as strong proponents of the Global Compact.
Best Regards,
/s/ John Baize
Managing Director
Promoting the United Nations Global Compact
As proud members of the United Nations Global Compact, we have promoted our participation in 50 countries throughout the world. We feature the United Nations Global Compact logo and information on our websites, brochures, banners and most of our external documentation. We promote our participation on a grassroots level through international presentations, meetings and seminars with both internal and external audiences. Our objective is not only to explain our own business activity but encourage the numerous participants in our industry to implement the principles in the Global Compact. Through education and communication, we are able to continue developing our own strategies and also influence the private and governmental groups we meet.
Communication on Progress Report Card
Human Rights
Principles 1 and 2
Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights and make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses
Actions and Achievements:
ACT Global Sports considers our worldwide employees to be our most valuable asset. Without them there would be no business. We offer support to each individual and promote human rights both locally and internationally. We continue to train our employees on the proper code of business and implement procedures that comply with international standards. ACT Global Sports promotes an open relationship with our employees to discuss issues in a welcoming and professional manner. This form of action creates a tight-knit community within our organization even though our offices are widespread. As a result, our employees feel more comfortable in their working environment and are more focused on striving to do a better job.
ACT Global Sports extends this open communication and awareness of human right to our suppliers andprofessional partners. We instruct our external suppliers and customers that we expect them to operate in the same manner in this regard.
Labor Standards
Principle 3
Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
Actions and Achievements:
We continue support to uphold the freedom of association and effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining. Such practices are outlined in our employment policies. There is no discrimination on grounds of membership in a labor organization.
ACT Global Sports we implement this philosophy by welcoming meetings where active input and discussion concerning key issues regarding pay, employee relations, working, conditions, and workspace are reviewed. Such requests are considered without discrimination or conjecture. We then work as a team to resolve any issues.
Principle 4
Businesses should uphold the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labor
Actions and Achievements:
ACT Global Sports recognizes and agrees with the laws regarding forced and compulsory labor. The company will not tolerate nor accept the exploitation of labor. It is not only illegal, but cruel and immoral as well. We allow our employees to make any complaints or suggestions regarding their work surroundings and receive adequate pay for their efforts.
We value our employees and the work that they do, therefore their well being is one of our biggest concerns. This ensures constant workflow and effective team effort. We outline clearly each employee’s work expectations, expected hours, rate of pay and do not allow any violation of rights. We take pride in our external partners and strive to work with the best in the industry. If any association or partner is in violation of forced and compulsory labor, we will immediately terminate our relationship with them.
Principle 5
Businesses should uphold the effective abolition of child labor
Actions and Achievements:
ACT Global Sports does not support child labor in any shape or form. We continue to support World Vision in the aid of children worldwide. World Vision is a humanitarian organization that supports children with food, education, medicine, and well as moral support. We understand that child labor is a huge issue worldwide in both developing as well as industrialized countries. This is horrible practice. Children are our future and should be treasured and raised properly. We also understand that there are harsh economic and survival realities and businesses must also work together to address these underlying conditions. We strongly encourage others to review this issue and do whatever they can to stop child labor.
Principle 6
Businesses should eliminate discrimination in respect of employment and occupation
Actions and Achievements:
ACT Global Sports’ offices and partners are located worldwide. Our global network is exposed to a wide diversity of cultures and beliefs in society as well as the workplace. Such exposure allows us to become well-rounded in our understanding and appreciation of diversity. ACT Global Sports values our multicultural existence. Not only does this support our workforce but it helps us expand our business worldwide. We do not discriminate against race, colour, gender, religion, political opinion, national origin, social origin, age, disability, HIV/AIDS status, trade union membership, or sexual orientation. Our employees and contractors are hired based on their skills and ability to do the job at hand.
In efforts to empower women we continue donations to CARE, a humanitarian organization that fights global poverty in part by providing economic opportunities. We place special focus on working alongside poor women. Equipped with the proper resources, these women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty.
Environment
Principle 7
Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges
Actions and Achievements:
ACT Global Sports is proud to being committed to environmentally friendly products and manufacturing. We also hold an ISO 14001 environmental certification and discussed environmental stewardship in a recent article published by ISO Focus. We have also conducted strict environmental testing to measure lead, mercury, zinc, cadmium, chromium, tin, toxicity, EOX, and DOC. Such testing ensures our products are safe and not hazardous to the environment. Our artificial turf and synthetic turf products are environmentally friendly as they reduce water consumption and eliminate the use of pesticides.
ACT Global Sports encourages our employees, professional partners, and competitors to implement the best practices in energy and resource efficiency, waste reduction, renewable resources, and the use of cleaner production. Together we can increase awareness and exercise greater environmental responsibility.
Principle 8
Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility
Actions taken & Achievements:
ACT Global Sports continuously seeks to improve our practices and promote greater environmental responsibility. As an ongoing initiative, we continue to support Conservation International and the U.S. Greenscapes program. Their mission is to conserve the Earth’s living heritage, our global biodiversity, and to demonstrate that human societies are able to live harmoniously with nature. We strive to stimulate the greater well being of the environment, society, and the economy.
We have implemented production recycling efforts and also a carbon offset program. We work to minimize our carbon footprint and then have invested in reforestation projects in the United States, Nicaragua and China. Our customers can also purchase carbon credits to offset the carbon footprint related to the production, transportation and installation activities of their purchase. This latest initiative is relatively new and we look forward to continuing its development.
Principle 9
Businesses should encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies
Actions and Achievements:
Our synthetic turf industry helps to support the environment through the savings of water and the use of pesticides. We are also a large user of recycled rubber materials that would otherwise be sitting in landfills throughout the world.
We have identified additional opportunities to implement environmentally friendly technologies. These opportunities are part of our long-term product development and manufacturing plans.
Anti-Corruption
Principle 10
Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery
Actions and Achievements:
As outlined in our mission statement, “Our focus is to enhance our market value through integrity, product value and customer satisfaction.” Our solid relationships with employees, partners, and clients are built on honesty and integrity.
In order to avoid extortion and bribery, our company policy strictly limits the amount of gifts that can be given or received by an employee or professional partner. Any policy or ethical violation that is detected by an employee must be immediately reported to upper management without fear of reprisals. We do not tolerate corruption or bribery in any shape or form.
About ACT Global Sports
Act Global Sports is an international manufacturer of artificial turf and synthetic grass systems for football,
soccer, baseball, synthetic lawn landscaping or other sport field turf uses. Our Xtreme Turf or ACTurf synthetic turf and artificial grass systems can be found in 50 countries around the world. For more information, please visit www.actglobalsports.com.
