2011 2012Corporate Responsibility Report

This is the first time we have brought together

in one document a statement of Specsavers’

responsibility as a business to the communities

we serve. But that does not mean that corporate

responsibility is something new for us.

On the contrary, it has been an integral part of

our values since we founded Specsavers from

our home in Guernsey in 1984 with the vision of

providing best value eyecare to everyone. We are,

and have always been, passionate about giving

back to and working with our local communities.

Nevertheless, as our business has grown and

become more complex – with over 30,000

people in the Specsavers family, over 1,900 stores

in 10 countries, and manufacturing and distribution

operations around the world – we thought it was

the right time to state our position, our progress

and our plans for what we see as the three pillars

of our corporate responsibility:

• Supporting our local communities

• Trading ethically

• Protecting our environment

We hope you find the report useful

and we would welcome feedback.

Please email us at gg.cr@specsavers.com

Introduction

Dame Mary Perkins Doug Perkins

Co-founder Chairman and co-founder

SMALL CHANGESCHANGES

can make a

Contents

Supportingour local communities

Tradingethically

Protectingourenvironment

1624

04Our position

Our progress

Our plans

Our position

Our progress

Our plans

The Specsavers code of practice

Case study one: factory in Penang

Case study two: factory in China

Our position

Our progress

Case study one: Netherlands

Case study two: Vision Aid Overseas

Our plans

EvenEven

Our position

At Specsavers we are

passionate about giving back

to and working with our local

communities, wherever we

operate in the world, as a

supporter of local and national

causes and as an employer.

We are also committed to

supporting eyecare and hearcare

projects in developing countries.

Each Specsavers store is

structured as an independent

local business, an active

member of its local community

and a local taxpayer. Our stores

provide employment for over

30,000 local people, in whom we

invest with regular training and

development, enabling them to

progress through Specsavers on

their chosen career path.

The same is true of our various

offices and manufacturing

and distribution sites around

the world.

In the past 12 months, we have

donated over £3 million across

the world to charities and

good causes.

04 / 05

Supportingour localcommunities

Supporting our local communitiesOur progress

In 2011/12 we:

•Launched the UK ‘Giving back to our local

communities’ policy which makes it clear that

all our support office staff are encouraged to

spend one work day a year on community or

charitable work, as many were already doing

•Launched the first Irish Sound Barrier Star

Awards to celebrate the achievements of the

deaf and hard of hearing community. Specsavers

pledges to donate €5 for every entry received

to international hearing charity Sound Seekers

to help deaf children in Kenya

•Signed a three-year agreement with The

Fred Hollows Foundation in Australia. Our aim

is to raise over $500,000 during the life of the

agreement. Meanwhile, we aim to raise $150,000

in New Zealand over the next three years. This

will help with the Foundation’s aim to restore

sight to some of the world’s poorest people

blinded by cataracts

•Set up Optikere Uden Grænser (Opticians

Without Borders) in Denmark to provide eyecare

in Tanzania. From a mobile optician centre

we have carried out around 4,500 sight tests,

and used some of the 40,000 recycled frames

collected by our Danish stores. A feature of the

project is a frames-tracking system, allowing our

Danish customers to know who their donated

frames go to in Tanzania: tanzania.louisnielsen.dk

• Raised funds for Lions Club of Sweden

lions.se to support its work in developing

countries where people cannot afford proper

eyecare and collected thousands of used frames

to send to those countries. We have also raised

funds for Stadsmissionen stadsmissionen.se which provides glasses for the homeless

in Sweden

Specsavers Children’s Charitable Foundation (SCCF) was started in Guernsey in 2000. All money raised stays locally for the benefi t of disadvantaged children.

06 / 07

In the UK, we support four optical and hearing charities: Guide Dogs, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, Vision Aid Overseas and Sound Seekers. Locally, our stores support a huge range of good causes in their community, such as hospices, libraries, schools, sports teams and youth groups.

In addition:

•Norwegian customers have been donating

used frames in store which the charity Vision

For All (VFA) takes to Peru each autumn where

they are given to locals who have also had

their eyes tested free. This year VFA has been

accompanied by our Norwegian Specsavers

Head of Product, Arne Aasrud. He reported

on the hundreds of sight tests carried out,

bringing a better quality of life to those who

had previously struggled with poor eyesight

• Finland donated clip-on sunshades to care

homes for the elderly in over 10 Finnish cities

to help them cope with the short but intense

summer sunshine when they go outside

•We supported Plymouth University in the

development of its optometry course

and provided work-experience placements

for its students

Our Dutch charity, Specsavers Stichting Steunt (SSS), was set up in 2010: stichtingspecsaverssteunt.nl

In Denmark our charity is called Optikere Uden Grænser (Opticians Without Borders) and was set up in 2010: tanzania.louisnielsen.dk

Stichting Specsavers Steunt

was set up in May 2010 to raise

money for local charities and

activities. For every pair of frames

or hearing aids sold, Specsavers

makes a donation to the Stichting,

raising over €250,000 for good

causes in the first year.

We are supporting over 200

local charities, nominated on

our website by our customers.

The two local charities which

receive the most votes are being

supported by each specific

Specsavers store for one year.

Case study oneThe Netherlands

In addition to donating money,

we organise volunteering days,

or ‘meet and greet days’ when

our store partners and staff help

or just find out more about the

activities at the different local

initiatives we are supporting.

These include a children’s animal

farm, football organisations,

a 50+ heart-support fitness

club, animal rescue ambulances

and music clubs.

that our charity has been going

PEOPLE HAVE VISITED

12MONTHS

In the

08 / 09

We have been working with VAO for more

than 10 years. Our stores collect unwanted

glasses which are recycled and sent for

use in developing countries. Since 2008,

the stores have raised £250,000 to open

an optometry school in Zambia, as well as

two outreach clinics. Opened in September

2011 by Dame Mary Perkins, the school, in

the capital Lusaka, is now training students

to become qualified optometrists.

Work continues to raise a further

£300,000 to give everyone access to

eyecare through six more outreach

clinics so that eyecare is available in

each of the nine Zambian provinces.

Dame Mary Perkins – co-founder of Specsavers

Case study twoVision Aid Overseas

I

10 /11

EYECARE BY

GUARANTEE

In 2012/13 we will:

•Continue with our fund-raising

of £300,000 for outreach

centres in all nine provinces

in Zambia

•Raise at least another €200,000

for the Stichting Specsavers

Steunt in the Netherlands

•Encourage people in the UK to

have a free hearing test during

2012 to ‘sound check the nation’

via our touring hearing booth

•Support and encourage as

many staff as possible to

become involved in good

causes through our ‘Giving back

to our local communities’ policy

Co-founder of Specsavers Dame Mary Perkins was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2007 in recognition of her extensive support for various charities.

Supporting our local communitiesOur plans

•Aim to raise $250,000 for

The Fred Hollows Foundation

in Australia and New Zealand

•Continue with all the great

fund-raising support in each

of our communities

In the UK:

Action Aid UK

Cardiff University Research Equipment

Changing Faces

Christian Blind Mission

Concern

Duke of Edinburgh Awards

Fight for Sight

Homeless World Cup

Kidscape

Sightsavers

St Dunstan’s (now Blind Veterans UK)

Vision Aid Overseas

In Guernsey:

Barracudas Swimming Club

Dyslexia Day Centre

Les Bourgs Hospice

Liberation Tea Dance and ball

Guernsey Age Concern

Guernsey Community Foundation

Guernsey MIND (mental health)

Guernsey MND (Motor Neurone Disease)

Guernsey Sports Commission

Guernsey Women’s Refuge

Guernsey Youth Games

St John Ambulance training

Teenage Cancer Trust

12 / 13

30,000101,900

OVER

OVER

people in theSPECSAVERS FAMILY

STORES

countries

14 / 15

Our position

We work to ensure safe and

healthy workplaces for the

people who make our products,

where human and civil rights are

respected. We also require our

suppliers to take the

necessary steps to protect

the environment. We are

committed to our global

ethical trading policy and

ensure regular, independent

audits of all our major

suppliers outside Europe.

Tradingethically

All those in Europe already

operate within globally

recognised regulatory

environments. Wherever

possible we develop

meaningful, long-term

relationships with our

suppliers so that we can

work together towards

our vision of providing best

value eyecare to everyone.

16 / 17

In 2011/12:

•We continued with our programme of ensuring

all our major non-European suppliers signed

up to our global ethical trading policy. As a first

step, each supplier completes a self-assessment

form: on employment issues such as working

hours, wages, child labour and employee

representation; on its facilities; on health and

safety; and on environmental policies. By signing

up to our policy, each also agrees to our code of

practice (see page 21)

Trading ethicallyOur progress

•Our independent and internationally recognised

auditors carried out visits to 25 factories in Asia to

review compliance against all the issues covered

in the self-assessment form. On average, our

suppliers scored 92% on the first audit. They were

then given time to provide further evidence to

show they were fully meeting our standards and

scored 97% on a re-audit

•Since August 2008, 123 of our major suppliers

have been audited. During that time we have

taken immediate action to terminate our

relationship with 13 suppliers which either did not

meet or did not report against the high standards

we have set

Trading ethicallyOur plans

In 2012/13 we will:

•Continue to audit all new

non-European suppliers

•Begin a re-audit of all major

non-European suppliers

•Extend our audit programme to

principal sub-contractors of our

major suppliers where appropriate

•Give feedback to our suppliers to

help them improve and develop

• Continue to take immediate action

wherever we find that a supplier

does not meet our standards

•Raise awareness among our staff

of our global ethical trading

policy and of our anti-bribery and

corruption policy which sets out

their responsibilities when dealing

with suppliers

We work to ensure safe and healthy workplaces for the people who make our products, where human and civil rights are respected.

18 / 19

WE BELIEVE A GooD ethiCAl AND

FOUNDATIONof good manufacturing

Specsavers continually strives to develop and promote high standards of

social and environmental responsibility. Since 2008 Specsavers suppliers

and their subcontractors have been required to operate in accordance with

our code of practice:

Obey all applicable laws

Commit to act in accordance with all the relevant laws, regulations

and industry standards in the countries in which suppliers operate.

Treat people with dignity and respect

Adopt the following best practices that promote healthy and safe

workplaces, where human and civil rights are respected.

1 Employment is freely chosen

2 Freedom of association and the right to collective

bargaining are respected

3 Working conditions are safe and hygienic

4 Child labour is not used

5 Living wages are paid

6 Working hours are not excessive

7 No discrimination is practised

8 Regular employment is provided

9 No harsh or inhumane treatment is allowed

Protect the environment

Recognise global and environmental responsibilities and take all

commercially reasonable steps to safeguard the environment.

Specsavers suppliers must be prepared to work towards:

1 Complying with environmental legislation and regulations and

with standards such as ISO 14000

2 Committing to actions to restore and preserve the environment

3 Committing to reducing waste and pollutants, conserving resources

and recycling materials at every stage of the product life cycle

whenever possible

4 Developing and apply technologies for minimizing pollutant emissions

5 Continually assessing the impact of their products on the environment

and the communities in which each lives and operates

Trading ethicallyThe Specsavers supplier code of practice

20 / 21

enViRonMentAl poliCY

Specsavers

IS THE

At

Ethics in practice with Specsavers suppliers

As a family-run business with family values,

at Specsavers we believe in treating others as

we would like to be treated ourselves and our

relationship with our suppliers is no different.

Factory in Penang, Malaysia, which supplies

optical equipment

At least once a month someone from Specsavers

calls in to talk about research and development,

quality control, pricing negotiations and for

ethical audits. Working with our auditors we

take seriously any problems that may be

highlighted to us and take the recommended

actions. Implementation of the recommended

actions is key.

Factory in China which supplies retail displays and furniture

The same principles apply to our relationship with another of our

suppliers in Jiangsu Province. Here, in a factory of over 500 workers,

all our store displays and furniture are produced. As with all our

suppliers, the factory is required to adhere to our global ethical trading

policy and, along with all our suppliers, is regularly checked and

audited to make sure it is following our policy. Specsavers staff visit

the factory monthly and staff from the UK visit quarterly. The owner

and the key management team visit our head office and stores in the

UK annually to get feedback and develop a better understanding of

customer needs. This has also included contributing to and sponsoring

Specsavers charitable events.

Case study oneFactory in Penang, Malaysia

Case study twoFactory in China

22 / 23

‘Many of our suppliers have been with us since the early days of Specsavers when I recruited them. I believe this is because we share the same business values, which have contributed signifi cantly to the success of our respective businesses.’Dame Mary Perkins – co-founder of Specsavers

Our position

We are committed to taking steps

to ensure that we operate our

business in a sustainable way,

understanding the impact that

we have on our environment.

As a successful and growing

business, this means making our

business efficient in the resources

we consume and minimising the

waste that we produce wherever

practical. This needs to be done

in a way that is consistent with

our values, the responsibilities

we have to our customers and

our people and our obligations

in the various countries in which

we do business. Every part of our

business consumes energy and

in recognising the importance of

the climate-change debate we

are making it our primary goal

to reduce the CO2 emissions

relating to our energy use across

all our business.

Water is used in our supply-

chain processes and we have

recognised the need to more fully

understand our impact in this

area. As part of this initiative, we

are trialling water-recycling units

in our in-store labs and have

shown that 200,000 litres can be

saved in a typical store each year.

It is anticipated that the units

will start to be rolled out in 2012

in all our UK stores where most

in-store labs are based, saving

potentially over 120 million

litres per year which is equal

to the contents of 50 Olympic-

sized swimming pools.

Fortunately we are not a

large producer of waste, with

minimal packaging associated

with our products and services

in our stores, and while we

continue to look for ways in

which waste can be reduced,

this is not an area where we

can make a big difference.

Protectingourenvironment

24 / 25

In 2011/12 we:

• Identified our energy use in

our entire UK operations

•Established processes to

continue to measure our

energy use

•Reviewed the way we use

energy in our stores, offices

and manufacturing operations

•Started to make changes to the

way we work to reduce energy

consumption and associated

carbon emissions

•Changed our procurement

practice to source energy on

green tariffs. We have switched

43% of our UK consumption

to renewable and cleaner

energy supplies which are

100% exempt from the climate

change levy

• Identified and introduced

technologies that can help us

manage and reduce energy use

• Improved awareness among

our staff and partners of the

actions they can take to support

our goals

EnvironmentOur progress

We hAVe

43%oF oUR UK ConSUMption to

renewable & cleaner ENERGY SUPPLIES

Switched

26 / 27

In 2012/13 we will:

• Increase the percentage of our UK

energy sourced from renewable and

cleaner energy supplies

• Identify the energy use for all our

international operations and extend

our reporting globally

•Review our energy use at major locations

and our store network internationally

•Extend the use of technologies

successfully implemented in the UK

to all our businesses globally

•Understand and track the way that we use

water in our operations

EnvironmentOur plans

• Identify other areas of environmental impact for

attention. Of course, it is not just the big issues

where we can take action. In all our offices we

actively encourage recycling by all staff so that

everyone who works for us can play their part

Even small changes can make a difference. Making

minor changes to our building management system

in one of our major offices reduced the energy

consumed by 8%, reducing associated CO2 output

by 50 tonnes a year.

Fitting time switches to water heaters and coolers

in another office saved the equivalent carbon of

driving two-thirds of the way around the world.

It is our long-term goal to improve energy effi ciency in our UK businesses and reduce carbon emissions associated with our energy use by fi ve per cent year-on-year for every pair of frames sold, achieving a greater than 20% reduction within fi ve years.

Specsavers

La Villiaze

St Andrew’s

Guernsey

Channel Islands

GY6 8YP

Tel +44 (0)207 2020 241

specsavers.com

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