Dialogue with society
Rabobank is a socially responsible bank that actively enters into dialogues
with stakeholders on social trends and issues. These dialogues lead to
outcomes that are incorporated into the sustainability policy and
communicated to employees, enabling them to deal responsibly and
professionally with the dilemmas they face when providing services.
Rabobank takes the view that engaging with stakeholders is an ongoing
process in which it gains experience from which it can learn.
Dialogue about issues that matter
The materiality principle forms the starting point for our dialogue with stakeholders. What this
means is that Rabobank wants to enter into a dialogue concerning issues that have a major
impact on the bank, its stakeholders and society at large. Rabobank's aims in this area are
based on the issues that stakeholders believe are important as well as the Group's own
expectations for the future. The groups of stakeholders that have been identified for this
purpose are clients, employees, client interest groups, government agencies and civil society
organisations.
In some cases, departments responsible for commercial matters conduct dialogues with
stakeholders made up of clients and interest groups representing clients. In addition,
Rabobank has entered into dialogue with a number of civil society organisations to discuss
various social issues and the Group's social policy.
Active involvement in services
Stakeholders such as member councils and youth councils of local Rabobanks are actively
involved in the bank's policy-making and provision of services. In addition, CSR policy is
discussed with employee representative bodies, and civil society organisations are involved in
the development of policy in areas such as human rights and biodiversity. Rabobank is also
actively involved in international, multilateral stakeholder dialogues on creating more
sustainable value chains in the food and agri sector. Examples include the UN Global Compact,
the UN Environmental Programme Finance Initiative, the Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative
(IDH), and the various Round Tables on sustainable production chains in the food and agri
sector, such as RSPO (palm oil), the RTRS (soy), Bonsucro (sugar) and BCI (cotton).
Dialogue, issues and policy development
When developing policy and conducting dialogues with stakeholders, extra attention is paid
to topical social issues that are of the greatest relevance for Rabobank.
The issues shown in the chart on the next page were selected on the basis of a review of
relevant literature and an analysis of social trends and issues in recent years, as part of which
a dialogue was conducted with stakeholders. In 2010, issues including socio-economic,
political and financial issues unrelated to CSR were identified and defined, and the way in
which such issues are monitored and coordinated within Rabobank was analysed. Efforts will
be made in 2011 to enhance synergy in issue and stakeholder management in the areas that
have been identified.
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Annual Report 2010 Rabobank Group