As a global provider of open-standard communication products, systems and solutions, Aastra is a proud signatory to the UN Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate social responsibility (CSR) agreement.
The UN Global Compact is first and foremost concerned with exhibiting and building the social legitimacy of business and markets. Members of the UN Global Compact demonstrate leadership by advancing responsible corporate citizenship, developing practical solutions to problems related to globalization, sharing practices and learning.
The UN Global Compact is a framework for companies that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption.
Aastra’s commitment to these principles provides a strong framework on which to further develop its overall corporate social responsibility initiatives.
Aastra has already been demonstrating leadership by advancing responsible corporate citizenship through its launch of its ethical sourcing program – Aastra’s “EthoSourcing” program.
Aastra’s goal has always been to develop and market quality and competitively-priced communications products and systems for the business and residential markets. Core to this goal is our belief that our products must be manufactured in a manner that promotes our concern for the human condition. As such, Aastra has developed what it calls its “EthoSourcing” program to continuously monitor and improve, where needed, the working conditions and the environmental impact at the factories in which we manufacture our products.
Aastra’s “EthoSourcing” program covers a wide range of issues such as health and safety, wages and benefits, forced and child labour, harassment and abuse, and non-discrimination as well as good environmental practices. The standards associated with these issues are outlined in Aastra’s EthoSourcing Code of Conduct.
Our auditors are actively involved at the initial contract manufacturer (CM) selection stage when assessing and selecting new commercial partners. Once the candidate CM has been approved as a strategic partner, the auditors remain involved during the lifespan of the partnership by monitoring the factory conditions through regular factory audits.
In addition to these regular audits, all strategic CMs must meet global environmental management and quality assurance (QA) standards and as such are expected to be ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 registered.
As Aastra’s operations have expanded and the number of strategic partners located in emerging markets and transitional countries has grown, so has our demand on social responsibility risen. Aastra’s “EthoSourcing” program was created to meet that challenge. It was developed in recognition that business can advance human security by improving and monitoring the conditions in the factories in which we manufacture our products and by encouraging our partners to get actively involved in supporting social causes around the world.
Working together to promote communications among the world’s youth…
As a sign of their commitment to their global social responsibilities, a number of Aastra’s suppliers, contract manufacturers and service providers also actively support youth leadership programs around the world. Together with the support of Aastra and its staff, and in partnership with The Eagle Down Foundation,our strategic partners have brought together youth from various conflict-prone regions around the world to promote cross-cultural communications and to train future leaders.
As an example of Aastra employee involvement with The Eagle Down Foundation, over the past five years a group of Aastra employees have been involved in helping to raise awareness and funds for the foundation through the completion of an annual trek. The objective of this trek has been to leverage the donations of the corporation by seeking pledges from all employees and friends. This past year, the objective was to raise funds for a number of Eagle Down Peace Camps specifically addressing the needs of children and youth in conflict zones across the African continent. In order to raise these funds, the team accomplished its most challenging trek to date: a climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.
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