We recognise that the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Guidelines are the international benchmark for sustainability reporting. For our 2010 Social and Environmental Report we have used the GRI to inform our sustainability reporting and, in accordance with the GRI, we present a content index highlighting where we have and have not covered the GRI indicators in our reporting.
We have also referred to the draft GRI Apparel and Footwear Sector Supplement. While this remains a draft, it does go some way to address concerns we have expressed in the past about the relevance of the GRI to a sporting goods company such as ours where our principal social and environmental impacts lie not under our direct control but are within our supply chain.
In each section of the 2010 Report we make reference to the applicable standards of the G3 Guidelines.
The GRI has comprehensively captured stakeholders' views in an internationally consistent format that guides business on how to report about their sustainability performance. Its reporting guidelines help us to identify structure, prioritise, evaluate and present key issues that are relevant and meaningful to stakeholders.
With the launch of the GRI G3 Guidelines an application scheme was introduced that allows companies to communicate how much of the reporting framework has been used in their reporting process. We used the GRI G3 Application Level table to assess what information the adidas Group could report. For the 2010 Report we have chosen Level B reporting after we have gone through a careful and rigorous self-critical process of analysis of where our report completely meets the relevant indicators.
We acknowledge that there are still gaps in our reporting; however, it is part of our approach to transparency and credible communication not to hide these gaps to our stakeholders by superficially addressing issues in the report, which are not backed by effective policies and programmes.
For more information about the Global Reporting Initiative, please see www.globalreporting.org