The 2010 business year, a record year in the history of our operation, recently received another valuable contribution, its third consecutive JGL Sustainable Development Report for 2010. Along the lines of the two previous SDRs, encompassing systematic indicators of corporate citizenship based on the collected data, listed by their economic, social and environmental impact, the new report deals with the annual business cycle for the first time, in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines, while also consolidating reporting according to the principles of the Croatian UN Global Compact network.
In the introduction to the Report, Director Ivo Usmiani emphasized that in comparison to 2009, when the company felt the consequences of the strong impact that the recession had on the economy and the purchasing power of the population, JGL achieved a sales growth of 36% and export growth of 67% in the previous business year.
It was also marked by significant steps in the segments of internationalization, production and quality system. However, the fulfillment of defined business plans is not our only, exclusive target this year either - numerous activities in 2010 were focused on efforts to comply with sustainable development principles. This was mirrored primarily in the successful implementation of the corporate citizenship program, both towards employees and their needs, desires and potentials, and towards the social community, environment, buyers and partners.
The Management Board committee of the Croatian Business Council for Sustainable Development has again issued its opinion about the report, expressing its satisfaction with JGL's decision to begin its annual reporting practice in this manner.
- We believe it to be a consequence of understanding the importance of measuring and evaluating the company's non-financial impact, and that the annual practice will result in more intense efforts to continually reduce negative business effects on social and environmental factors. JGL Sustainability Report, even though on the C level, presents carefully chosen indicators which provide an overview of key non-financial effects in the reporting year, thus offering a concise presentation, informing the reader about key impacts in the most important fields of sustainability in a concise manner. Special credit goes to the report section dealing with the education of employees, as well as to the JGL practice described here. In fact, the company's commitment to continuously invest in its personnel is obvious, as it shows that JGL is fully aware of how much long-term competitiveness of a company depends on a motivated, loyal and educated work force. It seems that in JGL several years of investing into personnel is yielding positive results, if judged by the extraordinary business results, for which we definitely want to congratulate the personnel, states the opinion focused on the necessary, detailed development and measurements of impact indicators in the field of social and environmental indicators.
The company reported its results in the fields of work relations, as well as indicators of the environmental impact and the impact on the community through corporate citizenship indicators. The very end of the Report stated that the company intends to continue building its future on sustainable growth, which does not endanger profitability and efficiency, as well as on the balance between investments and income. In addition to strengthening its position on the existing market, by conquering new markets, developing sales and marketing/branding competencies, as well as by strengthening international partner cooperation networks, the future of JGL is based on satisfied employees, permanent cooperation with the community and on proactive preservation of the environment.
- In the contemporary business world, the awareness of socially responsible business keeps growing, with no alternative to the acceptance of the Global Compact principles. In JGL, we invest efforts to provide an example to others through our policies regarding employees and the environment. By appreciating everything we inherited from our ancestors, within the area of our influence, we are careful to leave enough resources in the legacy of our successors, in order to enable them to lead a happy life, the manager concluded.