GRI INDEX AND UNITED NATIONS' GLOBAL COMPACT

BCE's 2005 Corporate Responsibility Report addresses the United Nations' Global Compact principles and was prepared based on the 2002 Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines. Global Compact reference numbers are in the left-hand column of this index. In compliance with the GRI, this index also identifies the location of each GRI element within our report. The index sections entitled Vision and Strategy, Governance Structure and Management Systems, Profile, Economic Performance Indicators, Environmental Performance Indicators and Social Performance Indicators address core GRI indicators. These indicators and their corresponding GRI reference numbers can be found in the middle columns of this table. The last section of this index covers telecommunications specific indicators.

To view BCE's response to each indicator, please click on the corresponding link in the right hand column. Some of the information required by GRI can be found in other sections of our site. Relevant links are provided below.

Global Compact Principle GRI # GRI Indicator Description BCE's Response
Vision and Strategy
8 1.1 Statement of the organization's vision and strategy regarding its contribution to sustainable development Vision and Strategy
- 1.2 Statement from the CEO (or equivalent senior manager) describing key elements of the report.
Profile
- 2.1 Name of reporting organization. BCE Inc.
- 2.2 Major products and/or services, including brands if appropriate. Our Business
- 2.3 Operational structure of the organization. Our Business
- 2.4 Description of major divisions, operating companies, subsidiaries, and joint ventures. Our Business
- 2.5 Countries in which the organization's operations are located. Canada
- 2.6 Nature of ownership; legal form. Ownership
- 2.7 Nature of markets served. Our Business
- 2.8 Scale of the reporting organization:
  • number of employees;
  • products produced and services offered (quantity or volume);
  • net sales;
  • and total capitalization broken down in terms of debt and equity;
 Employees: Net sales and total capitalization:
Governance Structure and Management Systems
- 3.1 Governance structure of the organization, including major committees under the board of directors that are responsible for setting strategy and for oversight of the organization. Describe the scope of responsibility of any major committees and indicate any direct responsibility for economic, social, and environmental performance. Governance Structure
- 3.2 Percentage of the board of directors that are independent, non-executive directors. State how the board determines "independence". Governance Structure
- 3.3 Process for determining the expertise board members need to guide the strategic direction of the organization, including issues related to environmental and social risks and opportunities. Governance Structure
- 3.4 Board-level processes for overseeing the organization's identification and management of economic, environmental, and social risks and opportunities. Governance Structure
- 3.5 Linkage between executive compensation and achievement of the organization's financial and non-financial goals (e.g., environmental performance, labour practices). Governance Structure
- 3.6 Organizational structure and key individuals responsible for oversight, implementation, and audit of economic, environmental, social, and related policies. Include identification of the highest level of management below the board level directly responsible for setting and implementing environmental and social policies, as well as general organizational structure below the board level. Governance Structure
- 3.7 Mission and values statements, internally developed codes of conduct or principles, and polices relevant to economic, environmental, and social performance and the status of implementation. Describe the status of implementation in terms of degree to which the code is applied across the organization in different regions and departments/units. "Policies" refers to those that apply to the organization as a whole, but may not necessarily provide substantial detail on the specific aspects listed under the performance indicators in Part C, Section 5 of the Guidelines. Ethics, Conduct & Policies
- 3.8 Mechanisms for shareholders to provide recommendations or direction to the board of directors. Include reference to any policies or processes regarding the use of shareholder resolutions or other mechanisms for enabling minority shareholders to express opinions to management. Governance Structure
- 3.9 Basis for identification and selection of major stakeholders. This includes the processes for defining an organization's stakeholders and for determining which groups to engage. Stakeholder Engagement
- 3.10 Approaches to stakeholder consultation reported in terms of frequency of consultations by type and by stakeholder group. This could include surveys, focus groups, community panels, corporate advisory panels, written communication, management/union structures, and other vehicles. Stakeholder Engagement
- 3.11 Type of information generated by stakeholder consultations. Include a list of key issues and concerns raised by stakeholders and identify any indicators specifically developed as a result of stakeholder consultation. Stakeholder Engagement
- 3.12 Use of information resulting from stakeholder engagements. For example, this could include selecting performance benchmarks or influencing specific decisions on policy or operations. Stakeholder Engagement
7 3.13 Explanation of whether and how the precautionary approach or principle is addressed by the organization. This could include an example that illustrates the organization's approach to risk management in the operational planning or the development and introduction of new products. For reference, see the glossary for text of Article 15 of the Rio Principles on the precautionary approach. The precautionary approach is part of the Global Compact principles that are endorsed by BCE.
Strategic Approach
- 3.14 Externally developed, voluntary economic, environmental, and social charters, sets of principles, or other initiatives to which the organization subscribes or which it endorses. Include date of adoption and countries/operations where applied. Standards
- 3.15 Principal memberships in industry and business associations, and/or national/international advocacy organizations. Affiliations and Advocacy
- 3.16 Policies and/or systems for managing upstream and downstream impacts, including:
  • supply chain management as it pertains to outsourcing and supplier environmental and social performance;
  • and product and service stewardship initiatives.
Stewardship initiatives include efforts to improve product design to minimize negative impacts associated with manufacturing, use, and final disposal.
- 3.17 Reporting organization's approach to managing indirect economic, environmental, and social impacts resulting from its activities. Strategic Approach
- 3.18 Major decisions during the reporting period regarding the location of, or changes in, operations. Explain major decisions such as facility or plant openings, closings, expansions, and contractions. None
- 3.19 Programs and procedures pertaining to economic, environmental, and social performance. Include discussion of:
  • priority and target setting;
  • major programs to improve performance;
  • internal communication and training;
  • performance monitoring;
  • internal and external auditing;
  • and senior management review.
 Management systems
Programs and procedures are further discussed in each section of the report
- 3.20 Status of certification pertaining to economic, environmental, and social management systems. Include adherence to environmental management standards, labour, or social accountability management systems, or other management systems for which formal certification is available. Management systems
Economic Performance Indicators
- EC1 Net sales. As listed in the profile section under 2.8. Direct Impact
- EC2 Geographic breakdown of markets.
For each product or product range, disclose national market share by country where this is 25% or more. Disclose market share and sales for each country where national sales represent 5% or more of GDP.		 Market Share - n/a
Sales - Direct Impact
- EC3 Cost of all goods, materials and services purchased. Direct Impact
- EC4 Percentage of all contracts that were paid in accordance with agreed terms, excluding agreed penalty arrangements. Terms may include conditions such as scheduling of payments, form of payment, or other conditions. This indicator is the percent of contracts that were paid according to terms, regardless of the details of the terms. Not specified
- EC5 Total Payroll and benefits (including wages, pension, other benefits, redundancy payments) broken down by country or region. This remuneration should refer to current payments and not include future commitments. (Note: Indicator LA9 on training also offers information on one aspect of the organization's investment in human capital.) Direct Impact
- EC6 Distributions to providers of capital broken down by interest on debt and borrowings, and dividends on all classes of shares, with any arrears of preferred dividends to be disclosed. Direct Impact
- EC7 Increase/decrease in retained earnings at end of period. Direct Impact
- EC8 Total sum of taxes of all types paid broken down by country. Direct Impact
- EC9 Subsidies received broken down by country or region. Not specified
- EC10 Donations to community, civil society and other groups broken down in terms of cash and in-kind donations per type of group.
- EC13 The organization's indirect economic impact. Identify major externalities associated with the reporting organization's products and services. Indirect Impact
Environmental Performance Indicators
8 EN1 Total materials used other than water, by type.
8 EN2 Percentage of materials used that are wastes (processed or unprocessed) from sources external to the reporting organization.
8 EN3 Direct energy use segmented by primary source Energy Consumption
8 EN4 Indirect energy use Energy Consumption
8 EN5 Total water use. Water Consumption
8 EN6 Location and size of land owned, leased, or managed in biodiversity-rich habitats Properties
8 EN7 Description of the major impacts on biodiversity associated with activities and/or products and services in terrestrial, fresh-water and marine environments. Network Installations
8 EN8 Greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse Gases
8 EN9 Use and emissions of ozone-depleting substances. Ozone Depleting Substances
8 EN10 NOx, SOx, and other significant air emissions by type. Greenhouse Gases
8 EN11 Total amount of waste by type and destination. Residual Materials
8 EN12 Significant discharges to water by type. Manhole Effluents
8 EN13 Significant spills of chemicals, oils and fuels in terms of total number and total volume. Incidents
7-8 EN14 Significant environmental impacts of principal products and services. E-Solutions
8 EN15 Percentage of the weight of products sold that is reclaimable at the end of the products' useful life and percentage that is actually reclaimed. Product Responsibility
Social Performance Indicators
Labour Practices and Decent Work
- LA1 Breakdown of workforce, where possible, by region/country, status (employee/non-employee), employment type (full time/part time) and by employment contract (indefinite or permanent/fixed term or temporary).

Also identify workforce retained in conjunction with other employers (temporary agency workers or workers in co-employment relationships), segmented by region/country.		 Employment
- LA2 Net employment creation and average turnover segmented by region/country. Employment
3 LA3 Percentage of employees represented by independent trade union organizations or other bona fide employee representatives broken down geographically OR percentage of employees covered by collective bargaining agreements broken down by region/country. Industrial Relations
3 LA4 Policy and procedures involving information, consultation, and negotiation with employees over changes in the reporting organizations operations (e.g., restructuring). Workplace Practices
3 LA5 Practices on recording and notification of occupational accidents and diseases, and how they relate to the ILO Code of Practice on Recording and Notification of Occupational Accidents and Diseases. Health, Safety and Wellness
3 LA6 Description of formal joint health and safety committees comprising management and worker representatives and proportion of workforce covered by any such committees. Health, Safety and Wellness
- LA7 Standard injury, lost day and absentee rates and number of work-related fatalities (including subcontracted workers). Health, Safety and Wellness
- LA8 Description of policies or programs (for the workplace and beyond) on HIV/AIDS. Not specified
- LA9 Average hours of training per year per employee by category of employee (e.g., senior management, middle management, professional, technical, administrative, production and maintenance). Training and Development
6 LA10 Description of equal opportunity policies or programs, as well as monitoring systems to ensure compliance and results of monitoring. Diversity
6 LA11 Composition of senior management and corporate governance bodies (including the board of directors), including female /male ratio and other indicators of diversity as culturally appropriate. Diversity
Human Rights
1 HR1 Description of policies, guidelines, corporate structure, and procedures to deal with all aspects of human rights relevant to operations, including monitoring mechanisms and results.
2 HR2 Evidence of consideration of human rights impacts as part of investment and procurement decisions, including selection of suppliers/contractors. Suppliers
2 HR3 Description of policies and procedures to evaluate and address human rights performance within the supply chain and contractors, including monitoring systems and results of monitoring. Suppliers
6 HR4 Description of global policy and procedures/programs preventing all forms of discrimination in operations, including monitoring systems and results of monitoring. Ethics, Conduct & policies
3 HR5 Description of freedom of association policy and extent to which this policy is universally applied independent of local laws, as well as description of procedures/programs to address this issue. Industrial Relations
5 HR6 Description of policy excluding child labour as defined by the ILO Convention 138 and extent to which this policy is visibly stated and applied, as well as description of procedures/programs to address this issue, including monitoring systems and results of monitoring. Suppliers
4 HR7 Description of policy to prevent forced and compulsory labour and extent to which this policy is visibly stated and applied as well as description of procedures/programs to address this issue, including monitoring systems and results of monitoring. Suppliers
Society
- SO1 Description of policies to manage impacts on communities in areas affected by activities, as well as description of procedures/programs to address this issue, including monitoring systems and results of monitoring. Community Investments
10 SO2 Description of the policy, procedures/ management systems, and compliance mechanisms for organizations and employees addressing bribery and corruption. Ethics, Conduct & policies
10 SO3 Description of policy, procedures/management systems, and compliance mechanisms for managing political lobbying and contributions. Ethics, Conduct & policies
Product Responsibility
7 PR1 Description of policy for preserving customer health and safety during use of products and services, and extent to which this policy is visibly stated and applied, as well as description of procedures/programs to address this issue, including monitoring systems and results of monitoring. Product Responsibility
- PR2 Description of policy, procedures/ management systems, and compliance mechanisms related to product information and labeling. Promotion and Practices
1 PR3 Description of policy, procedures/ management systems, and compliance mechanisms for consumer privacy. Promotion and Practices
Telecommunications Sector Specific Indicators
Global Compact Principle GRI # GRI Indicator Description BCE's Response
Internal Operations
- IO1 Capital investment in telecommunication network infrastructure broken down by country/region. Economy Indirect Impact
- IO2 Net costs for service providers under the Universal Service Obligation when extending service to geographic locations and low-income groups, which are not profitable. Describes relevant legislative and regulatory mechanisms. In Canada, CRTC requirement. Bell's response = Service Improvement Plan described in Product Access
- IO3 Practices to ensure health and safety of field personnel involved in the installation, operation and maintenance of masts, base stations, laying cables and other outside plant. Related health and safety issues include working at heights, electric shock, exposure to EMF and radio frequency (RF) fields, and exposure to hazardous chemicals. Health, Safety and Wellness
- IO4 Compliance with ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) standards on exposure to RF emissions from handsets. Not applicable
- IO5 Compliance with ICNIRP guidelines on exposure to RF emissions from base stations. Product Responsibility
- IO6 Policies and practices with respect to Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) of handsets. Not applicable
- IO7 Policies and practices on the siting of masts and transmission sites including stakeholder consultation, site sharing, and initiatives to reduce visual impacts. Describe approach to evaluate consultations and quantify where possible. Network Installations
- IO8 Number and percentage of stand-alone sites, shared sites, and sites on existing structures. Not specified
Providing Access
- PA1 Polices and practices to enable the deployment of telecommunications infrastructure and access to telecommunications products and services in remote and low population density areas.
- PA2 Policies and practices to overcome barriers for access and use of telecommunication products and services, including: language, culture, illiteracy and lack of education, low income, disabilities and age. Include an explanation of business models applied. Product Access
- PA3 Policies and practices to ensure availability and reliability of telecommunications products and services and quantify, where possible, for specified time periods and locations of down time. Economy Indirect Impact
- PA4 Quantify the level of availability of telecommunications products and services in areas where the organization operates. Economy Indirect Impact
- PA5 Number and types of telecommunication products and services provided to and used by low- and no-income sectors of the population. Provide definitions selected. Product Access
- PA6 Programs to provide and maintain telecommunications products and services in emergency situations and for disaster relief. Emergency Management
- PA7 Polices and practices to manage human rights issues relating to access and use of telecommunications products and services. For example:
  • Participation in industry initiatives or individual initiatives related to Freedom of Expression.
  • Legislation in different markets on registration, censorship, limiting access.
  • Interaction with governments on security issues for surveillance purposes.
  • Interaction with national and local authorities and own initiatives to restrict criminal or potentially unethical content.
  • Protecting vulnerable groups such as children. Explain how such policies and practices are adapted and applied in different countries.
 Cyber-safety and anti-SPAM initiatives-
Product responsibility
- PA8 Policies and practices to publicly communicate on EMF related issues. Product Responsibility
- PA9 Total amount invested in programs and activities in electromagnetic field research. Product Responsibility
- PA10 Initiatives to ensure clarity of charges and tariffs. Promotion and Practices
- PA11 Initiatives to inform customers about product features and applications that will promote responsible, efficient, cost effective, and environmentally preferable use.
Technology Applications
9 TA1 Provide examples of the resource efficiency of telecommunication products and services delivered. E-solutions
9 TA2 Provide examples of telecommunication products, services and applications that have the potential to replace physical objects (e.g, a telephone book by a database on the web or travel by videoconferencing). E-solutions
- TA3 Disclose any measures of transport and/or resource changes of customer use of the telecommunication products and services listed above. Provide some indication of scale, market size, or potential savings. E-solutions
- TA4 Disclose any estimates of the rebound effect (indirect consequences) of customer use of the products and services listed above, and lessons learned for future development. This may include social consequences as well as environmental. E-solutions
- TA5 Description of practices relating to intellectual property rights and open source technologies. Economy Indirect Impact
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