Milestones and Mission Statement

With the signing of a social charter in 2001, Wienerberger management formally confirmed its intention to comply with the recommendations of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Geneva and to support the principles of social progress. As a logical consequence of this action, Wienerberger also joined the UN Global Compact in 2003. This initiative was started in 1999 by the United Nations to promote good corporate citizenship and now encompasses ten guiding principles from the areas of human rights, labor standards, environmental protection and measures to combat corruption. Companies that join the program agree to voluntarily comply with the principles that are published on the UN Global Compact website at www.unglobalcompact.org.

In 2004 Wienerberger management carried out an intensive dialogue on the subject of sustainability with the support of external consultants. The conclusion was that sustainability does not represent a short-term trend at Wienerberger, but has actually formed an integral part of business processes for decades. The result of this discussion was the drafting of a mission statement, which was presented to all employees in 2005 and is available today in 18 languages. In order to ensure a sustainable future, Wienerberger has made sustainability its top priority. The most important principles in the mission statement are:

• We regard the economy as an integral part of society. Its duty is to serve people and generate benefits for all.
• We create sustainable values with natural products and through the consistent implementation of our strategy.
• We take our role as a responsibly minded member of society seriously and act in accordance with economic, ecological, and social principles, in order to remain successful in the future.

As an international company, Wienerberger deliberately focuses on the three pillars of sustainable business activity – economic, ecological and social criteria – in order to build value for a sustainable future.