logo, site utilities and search utilities

skip to navigation

Corporate and Social Responsibility Report 2006

main content

Todd Stitzer, CEO – performance driven; values led

Responsible business is underpinned by strong values and has a clear and compelling vision of where it is going. Over many years Cadbury Schweppes has earned success on the strength of its distinctive values and clear vision. This report sets out the steps we are taking to ensure that in our present and future business, as in the past, we continue to live our values.

The world is changing around us. The past decade has seen an ever more lively debate about the role and responsibility of companies. Times change, our values are constant. Our primary contribution at Cadbury Schweppes is, quite simply, to be in business. Responsible wealth creation is the most fundamental social contribution that any business can make. At Cadbury Schweppes we believe that business should and can be a force for good in the world. It is a prerequisite for business to prosper in the long term and create wealth on which future generations will depend.

Our heritage and values provide the structure as we seek to grow our business responsibly. From our early beginnings in 19th century England, we have lived out our values through our actions. Tea and cocoa were a social response to alcohol for our Quaker forefathers; creation of the Ghana cocoa industry a response to forced labour practices elsewhere. We established schools, colleges, and early works councils, and supplied emergency chocolate rations during World War II. These were not isolated acts of philanthropy. They improved the performance of the Company. They established a firm link between responsible business and long-term value creation.

The early Cadburys strove to be ‘an asset to the neighbourhood’. I too believe that it is possible to pursue commercial goals, and care about our communities at the same time. Around the time I joined Cadbury Schweppes in 1983 our then Chairman, Sir Adrian Cadbury, published his statement of purpose and values, The Character of the Company. In it he wrote, ‘Cadbury Schweppes earns its living in the competitive world. It needs to do so successfully to meet its obligations to all those with a stake in the enterprise and to make the Company one to which people are proud to belong. I find no conflict between the values and characteristics we have inherited from the past and the actions we have to take to ensure a successful and independent future for Cadbury Schweppes.’

Now, 20 years later, that twin perspective of performance and stewardship is one which our new generation of business leaders is embracing, and building into our business strategy across all our regions. The ideas, ingenuity and creativity of our people will be the basis of our commercial success. Their values and their commitment inform both our strategic decision making and our day-to-day activities; providing imaginative, but practical solutions for sustainable business growth.

Our products have brought pleasure and refreshment to millions over many generations. People's needs and tastes will change, and we will be there as a welcome and trusted part of their lives for generations to come. A relationship based on informed choice and trust… sustainably.

We make quality products – chocolate, candy, chewing gum and soft drinks. They must always be enjoyed safely by consumers. In the summer of 2006, certain aspects of the quality assurance process we followed in the UK created concern in the eyes of the public and consumers, for which we apologise. The valuable lessons learned from this experience will help drive process improvement right across our business to help ensure this does not happen again.

Ultimately our goals and those of our shareowners are similar; a responsible and well-run company that delivers consistently superior profits over the long-term. Performance driven, values led. Good business and strong values go hand in hand. For our long term future, and that of all our stakeholders, it is in our mutual interests that we create a world in which our business will grow and thrive.

This report explains the progress we have made on our continuing journey, including progress on what we regard as our ‘Big Issues’. It lays out our road map for the future and a new set of Goals and Commitments on Sustainability between now and 2010.

Change often brings with it a degree of uncertainty, but one thing we can be sure. At Cadbury Schweppes we will live out our values in the way we do business. That was true yesterday. It is true today. It will be true tomorrow.

back to top