Ambuja Cement - Annual Report 2021-22

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

Understanding our stakeholders

Strong stakeholder relationships help us to communicate our business decisions, activities and performance to our stakeholders and provide us the opportunity to co-create effective and lasting solutions for our business and other challenges.

IDENTIFICATION AND PRIORITISATION OF STAKEHOLDERS

The following factors helped in identification and prioritisation of key stakeholders:

Stakeholders directly/ indirectly impacted or influenced by business activities
Stakeholder inclusivity
Business dependency and criticality of the stakeholder
Identification by senior management from different functional areas
Peer companies’ stakeholders

STAKEHOLDERS	HOW WE ENGAGE	FREQUENCY	COMPANY RESPONSE
Shareholders/ investors	Through our investor relations arm and various communication channels including annual report, quarterly releases and investor calls, we engage with our shareholders and investors. Key concerns are shared with the Board	One-on-one shareholder interaction when requested	Collaborated with different stakeholders to promote sustainable products Positive vibrations in the Indian economy and government initiatives driving cement demand Deployed innovative approaches to encourage cost savings
Dealers/Channel partners	We engage with our dealers through channel satisfaction surveys, annual conferences, meetings and marketing meets	Once in two years (survey) Annual/continuous process	Various engagement activities and feedback mechanisms are conducted to measure and monitor channel partner satisfaction [Net Promoter Score (NPS) and Satmetrix, among others]
Suppliers	We hold regular supplier meets, periodic assessments and interactions to ensure a transparent procurement system, address suppliers’ grievances, expand network and reduce their risks	Spread across the year	Systematic efforts are made to build and maintain long-term relations Regular focused group approach is followed to strengthen supplier relationships, listen to and address transporters’ concerns Handholding is provided for vendor development through our supplier assessment practice
Customers	We engage with our customers through technical services team camps, workshops, seminars and site visits	Spread across the year	Developing sustainable products and services that reduce energy and other resource consumptions for the customer. This will also lead to increased customer satisfaction and retention, alongside enhanced brand image Create great value for our customers and end-users through knowledge sharing initiatives
Employees	We regularly undertake employee engagement surveys, hold function specific meetings, and engage with our employees through internal newsletters and magazines, townhalls and events	Once in two years (survey) Continuous process/ quarterly/monthly	Various safety awareness programmes Training programmes conducted to nurture leadership at all levels Transformational initiatives like ‘I Can’ drives the right mindset in the Company’s leadership
Community	Through the Ambuja Cement Foundation, the Community Advisory Panel continues the positive engagement with communities for sustainable mining, water conservation, land reclamation, and health and safety of stakeholders in operations and logistics	Continuous process	Our Skill & Entrepreneurship Development Institutes (SEDIs) foster self-employment and livelihood development Water conservation projects, land reclamation and biodiversity action plans An Social Return on Investment (SROI) study of development interventions was conducted in core villages of Bhatapara, Chhattisgarh by Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development with the overall SROI revealed at `9.7 for every `1 spent
Government and regulatory agencies	We hold periodic meetings with respective regulatory agencies and communications on proposed legislations	Continuous process	Ensured compliance in all areas New emission control equipment is installed to comply with standards for the cement sector in India Product innovation and BIS certification are proactively followed
Construction professionals	We engage with construction professionals through Ambuja Knowledge Centres for right product selection, knowledge dissemination on good construction, product quality and applicability	Continuous process	Providing regular training to construction professionals Staying connected through our digital platforms with construction professionals to discuss various technical and practical upgrades in the sector
Industry associations	We interact with industry associations through meetings, policy papers, conferences to highlight issues faced by the Company/ industry, need for policy interventions, policy advocacy on sustainable development practices in the value chain	Need-based	Through industry associations, we discussed various sector-specific issues on sustainability topics like carbon emission reduction, new groundwater guidelines, and other environmental regulations. We also submitted our representations to government authorities through these associations

Operating
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Materiality
assessment