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Glossary
AA1000 Accountability principles standards (AA1000APS)
An International framework for an organisation to identify, prioritise and respond to its sustainability challenges.
The variability among living organisms from all sources, i.e. terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are a part
Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)
An independent non-governmental organization which holds the largest database of corporate climate change information in the world. Since its formation in 2000, CDP has become the gold standard for carbon disclosure methodology and process, providing primary climate change data to the global market place.
Corporate Sustainability
Managing a long-term profitable business while taking into account all the positive and negative environmental, social and economic effects we have on society.
Dow Jones Sustainability Index
A global investment index which tracks the financial performance of leading global sustainability-driven companies
Employee
Any individual who is formally contracted by an employer to fulfill a specified job role for which the individual receives remuneration
Equator Principles
A voluntary set of standards for determining, assessing and managing social and environmental risk in project financing
Forest Stewardship Certification (FSC)
A certification system established in 1993 that provides internationally recognized standard-setting, trademark assurance and accreditation services to companies, organizations, and communities interested in responsible forestry.
FTE
Full time equivalent employee
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
A multi-stakeholder process and independent institution whose mission is to develop and disseminate globally applicable Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. The GRI incorporates the active participation business, accountancy, investment, environmental, human rights, and research and labor organizations from around the world and is an official collaborating centre of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) that works in cooperation with UN Global Compact
Green IT
Group-wide and local IT initiatives aimed at minimizing our environmental footprint through the responsible purchase, provisioning, use, maintenance and disposal of computers, servers and associated equipment across our operations
Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)
Gases which alter the thermal properties of the atmosphere. The main greenhouse gases are considered to be water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons, halons and ozone
Human Rights
A set of principles defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and based on the recognition of the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
A non-governmental organization and the world’s largest developer and publisher of International Standards. It is a network of the national standards institutes of 161 countries, one member per country, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland.
International Labor Organization (ILO)
An International organization located in Geneva, Switzerland, whose goal is to promote decent work for all men and women. There are 178 member countries of the ILO, represented by workers, employers and governments.
ISO14001
An international environmental management standard
Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
A quantitative or qualitative measure which helps an organisation to define and evaluate its performance, typically used to track progress against organizational goals.
Laboratory
An SGS-owned building with laboratory and storage area representing 50%or more of total floor space.
Lean
Lean is a philosophy, an approach, and a set of tools designed to optimize processes minimize waste and achieve world-class responsiveness.
Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)
A process of evaluating the effects that a product has on the environment over the entire period of its life thereby increasing resource-use efficiency and decreasing liabilities
Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR)
The number of lost time incidents and fatalities occurring per 200,000 hours worked
Management System
The Company structure, responsibilities, practices, procedures, processes and resources for implementing the management of a policy or group of policies
Manager
Employee with people management responsibility, income statement responsibility and/or reporting to an Operations Council member, Managing Director or Business Manager.
Materiality (Sustainability)
Relevant topics and indicators that may reasonably be considered important for reflecting an organization’s economic, environmental, and social impacts, or influencing the decisions of stakeholders. It is the threshold at which an issue or indicator becomes sufficiently important that it should be reported
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
Eight goals to be achieved by 2015 that respond to the world's main development challenges.Drawn from the actions and targets contained in the Millennium Declaration that was adopted by 189 nations-and signed by 147 heads of state and governments during the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000
Natural Turnover
The number of employees who leave the Company of their own will. Excludes employees who leave due to dismissal, retirement or death in service
Near-Miss
An event, situation or physical environment which had the potential to cause injury, damage or loss to people, property and the environment, but which was avoided by circumstance.
Office
An SGS-owned building with office area representing 50% or more of total floor space.
OHSAS 18001
An international standard for occupational health and safety management system
Stakeholder
An individual, community or organization that affects or is affected by some aspect of an organization’s products, operations, markets, industries, and outcomes
Subcontractor
Personnel working on behalf of the Company but not on its payroll.
Sustainable Development
Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Sustainable report assurance (SRA)
Structured process to collect and evaluate evidence to confirm reliability, a completeness, and meaningfulness of disclosed information.
The Plan
Unveiled in 2010, The Plan defines the strategic lines SGS will pursue in order to strengthen its dominant position in the testing, inspection and certification industry, delivering strong organic growth and relying on acquisitions to expand certain areas of its service offering and geographical coverage. With The Plan SGS aims to achieve revenues of CHF 8 billion, operating income of CHF 1.6 billion (20% operating margin) and earnings per share of approximately CHF 140 by 2014 while maintaining strong operating cash flows of 15% to 17% of revenues.
Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR)
The number lost time, restricted duty, medical treatment incidents and fatalities per 200,000 hours worked
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)
Created in 1972, UNEP promotes leadership and encourages partnerships in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.
United Nations Global Compact (UNGC)
A strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption.
World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
A CEO-led coalition of 170 international companies united by a shared commitment to sustainable development using the three pillars of economic growth, ecological balance and social progress.
