20. Chapter 1: The company (continued) The Code of Whistle Blowing In December 2004, The Executive Board approved the Heineken Code of Whistle Blowing; a measure designed to allow employees to report any incidence of serious wrongdoing or mismanagement (including infringements of the Code of Business Conduct) without fear of reprisal or any other detrimental consequences. The Code outlines three ways in which employees can report an incident: to the line manager with direct responsibility for the incident; to a locally appointed Trusted Representative; via an external help line, allowing them to safeguard their anonymity should they wish to do so. Cases with an international dimension, or which involve senior management, are referred to the Integrity Committee, based at our Corporate Head Office. The Integrity Committee consists of the Directors of Group Control Accounting, Group Human Resources and Group Legal Affairs and the Manager Group Internal Audit. It is chaired by the Head of Corporate Affairs. The Committee advises the Executive Board on any actions to be taken, following the issue of an internal report. Members of the Executive Board are accountable to the Chairman of the Supervisory Board for their adherence to the Code. In 2005, the Integrity Committee drew up its Terms of Reference outlining the procedures for dealing with internal reports. All operating companies were required to fully implement the whistle blowing procedure together with their transposition of the Code of Business Conduct in 2005. Parallel to the Code of Business Conduct transposition, not all our operating companies have met this obligation yet. Due to anticipated sensitivities, a general exception was granted to our operations in the Sub-Saharan region. A pilot project initiated in Burundi will provide further insights into the best way to implement the whistle blowing procedure in this part of the world. The project will be concluded in the first half of 2006. Sustainability Indexes Member of Dow Jones The Dow Jones Sustainability Index Launched in 1999, the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes track the financial performance of the leading sustainability- driven companies worldwide. Based on the cooperation of Dow Jones Indexes, STOXX Limited and SAM Group the indexes provide asset managers with reliable and objective benchmarks to manage sustainability portfolios. The Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) covers the top 10% of the biggest 2,500 companies in the Dow Jones World Index in terms of economic, environmental and social criteria. As a benchmark for European sustainability investments, the Dow Jones STOXX Sustainability Index (DJSI STOXX) covers the leading 20% in terms of sustainability of the companies in the Dow Jones STOXX SM 600 Index. The Dow Jones EURO STOXX Sustainability Index (DJSI EURO STOXX) is the Eurozone subset of the DJSI STOXX and, thus, tracks the financial performance of sustainability leaders in this particular region. Source: www.sustinability-index.com Heineken N.V. - 2004/2005 Sustainability Report

Jaarverslagen en Personeelsbladen Heineken

Heineken - Milieuverslag | 2004 | | pagina 22