The success of an organisation over time is closely tied to its capacity to respond to the needs and expectations of all stakeholders. Lasting growth is, in fact, built on trust generated through the satisfaction of customers and shareholders, the sense of belonging of collaborators, profitable relationships with partners, and interaction with local communities which is positive and mutually beneficial.
At Fiat Group, the integration of economic decisions with those of a social and environmental nature constitutes a commitment which is fundamental to the long term creation of value. This awareness is rooted in the Group’s history and corporate culture and has evolved and strengthened over the years, becoming an integral part of the strategic approach which guides the business. Fiat’s approach to business is, in fact, shaped by a culture of acting responsibly and with the conviction that industrial development only has value if it is also sustainable. The Group’s sustainability strategy has become an increasingly integral part of our business activities and is developed each year in a manner consistent with the principles contained in the Code of Conduct that, together with stakeholder expectations, represents the key reference guide.




Sustainability-focused entities

During 2009, the Sustainability Unit (SU), created within Group Control, continued to promote a process of improvement in support of sustainable development, contributing to the management of risks, optimization of costs while at the same time enhancing the perception of stakeholders. Continued benchmarking against best competitors and analysis of the assessments made by the principal sustainability rating agencies led to the identification of additional  areas for improvement and, in collaboration with the Sectors and/ or Corporate Functions, establishment of projects included in the Sustainability Plan. As further confirmation that sustainability is an approach endorsed at the highest level in the organisation, in 2009 the Board of Directors expanded the remit of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee to also cover sustainability related issues. In addition to evaluating proposals related to the strategic guidelines on sustainability, formulating opinions for the Board where necessary, the Nominating, Corporate Governance and Sustainability Committee also reviews the Sustainability Report.
The Cross-function Sustainability Committee (CSC) promotes and evaluates operational decisions and plays an advisory role for proposals submitted to the Group Executive Council (GEC) by the SU.
Members of the Committee are continuously consulted on an individual basis and, where necessary, collectively. The CSC is composed of representatives of Corporate Functions at both Group and Sector level: Business Development, Corporate Communications, Engineering & Design, GEC Coordinator, Group Control, Human Resources, Industrial Relations, Institutional Relations, Internal Audit, Manufacturing, Purchasing, Senior Counsel and Treasurer.
Group Executive Council, the decision making body headed by the Group Chief Executive Officer and composed of the CEOs of the operating Sectors and various heads of function, defines the strategic approach, approves the guidelines and evaluates the congruity of the Sustainability Plan with business objectives. GEC is periodically informed on the status of projects and the Group’s overall performance on sustainability issues.

Process for the Sustainability Plan

In collaboration with the Sectors and Corporate Functions, the Sustainability Unit identifies areas for improvement and establishes projects/targets, formulating a draft Sustainability Plan (planning phase).
The Plan is then submitted to the approval of GEC, which evaluates its consistency with Group strategy. In the final phase, the Plan is evaluated by the Nominating, Corporate Governance and Sustainability Committee, the sub-committee of the Board of Directors that gives the formal approval.
Responsibility for individual projects and achievement of the targets agreed in the Sustainability Plan rests with the various Sectors or Corporate Functions which have the resources, tools and knowhow necessary for their implementation (management phase). As a further guarantee of adherence to the commitments made, the Sustainability Unit is periodicaly updated on the status of porjects and, in turn, updates GEC (control phase).