Materiality assessment and stakeholder engagement
Engaging with our stakeholders is essential for understanding their expectations, needs and concerns. By embedding their feedback into our strategy and our daily business, we are able to address our common issues and develop long-term solutions. more
To ensure we have identified the topics that affect our stakeholders and that are particular relevant for our long-term success, we conducted a materiality analysis at the corporate level among our key stakeholders, in line with our strategy. more
STEP 1 |
Defining the materiality processPreparing our assessment
|
STEP 2 |
Collecting stakeholder feedbackViews from our stakeholders
|
STEP 3 |
Identifying and ranking material topicsOur 21 material topics
|
In a first step, we defined an integrated process, criteria for inclusion and main drivers for the materiality assessment. In a second step, we gathered stakeholder feedback through various internal and external sources, conferences, as well as regular interviews and one-on-one discussions conducted by Roche experts. This enabled us to include the topics from those stakeholder groups that we consider most important to our business and to the healthcare sector: patient organisations, employees, media, investors, payers, regulators and governments. We also identified key corporate business risks and opportunities through our internal risk framework that allowed us a tiered-based ranking. more
In a final step, in 2017 we combined and ranked those various insights and identified 21 materials topics that stood out as highly relevant to us and to our key stakeholders, and with a significant impact on our long-term success. These 21 material topics are reflected in our business priorities. We define goals, take concrete actions, and measure performance through defined indicators. The process and the results of our materiality analysis have been endorsed by the Roche Corporate Sustainability Committee and by our Chief Executive Officer.
Moving forward, we will maintain constant engagement with our key stakeholders at a global and local level and regularly update our materiality analysis.
Our 21 material topics
Tier 1 - Fundamental drivers of our ability to deliver on our core purpose in the long term
- R&D pipeline strategy and personalised healthcare
- Employee engagement and talent retention
- Growth strategy in emerging and developed markets
- Product portfolio strategy
- Patent policies
- Leadership Commitments
Tier 2 - Major influencing factors for our business success in the short and medium term
- Pricing
- Disease awareness and treatment education
- Compliance
- Drug efficacy, safety and counterfeiting
- Supply chain management
- Biosimilar safety
- Sustainable healthcare
Tier 3 - Additional material topics
-
Focus on patients
Material topic
Drug efficacy, safety and counterfeiting
Why is it material
Ensuring patient safety and the effectiveness of our medicinal products is our top priority. Counterfeiting medicines and diagnostic products is a criminal act which poses a significant risk to the safety of patients.
Our position on counterfeitingWhat we do
GRI Standard Reporting
Aspect boundaries:
- Patient organisations
- Policy makers
- Investors
- Media
Reporting:
- Customer Health and Safety (GRI 416-1)
- Marketing and Labeling (GRI 417-1)
Material topic
Biosimilar safety
Why is it material
Biosimilars are not exact copies of the innovator biological product. Our view is that biosimilars must meet rigorous regulatory and quality standards comparable to original medicines. To this end, Roche is working with regulators providing knowledge in order that approval standards are appropriately set.
Our position on biosimilarsWhat we do
GRI Standard Reporting
Aspect boundaries:
- Investors
Material topic
Disease awareness and treatment education
Why is it material
Awareness of disease and symptoms is essential for screening and early detection. If members of the public are aware of a disease and its symptoms, they are more likely to take action to prevent it happening to them, or go to healthcare providers for check-ups.
What we do
GRI Standard Reporting
Aspect boundaries:
- Investors
Material topic
Patient organisations support
Why is it material
Patient organisations are key partners for us. They provide a forum for patients and caregivers to share their stories and experiences and also help to shape the current and future healthcare environment by making their collective voices heard. They help us understand the human experience and personal challenges of a disease, providing us with invaluable insights to improve our product development and clinical trial programmes.
What we do
GRI Standard Reporting
Aspect boundaries:
- Patient organisations
-
Excellence in science
Material topic
Product portfolio strategy
Why is it material
Having a strong pipeline and ensuring a steady flow of compounds into late-stage development is critical for the sustainability of our business.
What we do
GRI Standard Reporting
Aspect boundaries:
- Investors
Material topic
Patent policies
Why is it material
Like all research-based companies, Roche needs patent protection to be able to recoup its long-term investments in research into new medical solutions and to pursue further innovations. Without patents and pricing that encourages real progress, innovation is impossible.
Our position on patents and intellectual propertyWhat we do
GRI Standard Reporting
Aspect boundaries:
- Governments
- Media
Material topic
Data transparency on clinical trials
Why is it material
We are committed to sharing data from clinical trials while ensuring that patient confidentiality and commercially confidential information is protected.
At Roche, we agree that high quality analysis of clinical trial data by scientific researchers can broaden knowledge about our medicines and benefit patients and public health.
Our commitment to data sharingWhat we do
GRI Standard Reporting
Aspect boundaries:
- Patient organisations
- Governments
- Media
-
Personalised Healthcare
Material topic
R&D pipeline strategy and Personalised Healthcare
Why is it material
Personalised Healthcare means fitting the treatment to the patients, allowing doctors to pinpoint those patients most likely to benefit from a drug and thus enabling healthcare systems to allocate their resources more effectively.
With our combined strengths in both Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics and proven expertise in molecular biology, we are uniquely positioned to deliver Personalised Healthcare.
More about personalized healthcare at RocheWhat we do
GRI Standard Reporting
Aspect boundaries:
- Investors
-
Access to healthcare
Material topic
Sustainable healthcare
Why is it material
For over 110 years, Roche’s primary contribution to improving global healthcare has been researching and developing new medicines and diagnostic tests that deliver significantly better treatment than those currently available. Our aim is to provide sustainable value by improving people’s health and by bringing clear medical and economic benefit to healthcare systems and society.
Our approach to sustainabilityWhat we do
GRI Standard Reporting
Aspect boundaries:
- Patient organisations
- Payers
- Governments
- Media
Material topic
Growth strategy in emerging and developed markets
Why is it material
Ageing populations, rising healthcare costs, access to healthcare challenges, unmet medical need and new opportunities in emerging markets are driving rapid change in the healthcare market. Roche is responding to market challenges by developing innovative products that provide not only significant medical benefits for patients and doctors, but also efficiency gains for laboratories and health economic benefits for payers.
More about how we are improving access to healthcareWhat we do
Further examples of how we are making innovation accessible around the world
GRI Standard Reporting
Aspect boundaries:
- Patient organisations
- Payers
- Investors
- Governments
- Media
Reporting:
- Economic Performance (GRI 201-1)
- Indirect Economic Impacts (GRI 203-2)
Material topic
Pricing
Why is it material
The pricing of medicines is an important topic and we understand that we are a part of this debate.
As a developer of medicines, we realise that we have a responsibility to work with other key parties to ensure that patients can benefit from these medicines.
Our position on pricing
Our position on assessing the value of Roche products and servicesWhat we do
GRI Standard Reporting
Aspect boundaries:
- Patient organisations
- Payers
- Investors
- Governments
- Media
-
Great workplace
Material topic
Employee engagement and talent retention
Why is it material
Engagement is directly linked to our business success. Research shows that the level of engagement is a strong long-term predictor for organisational performance.
Great companies are defined by people who embrace a shared sense of purpose, put extra energy and passion into their jobs and identify with common goals. That is the kind of engagement we aim for at Roche.
Our employment policyWhat we do
GRI Standard Reporting
Aspect boundaries:
- Employees
- Governments
- Media
Reporting:
- Employment (GRI 401-1)
- Labor/Management Relations (GRI 402-1)
- Training and Education (GRI 404-2)
- Diversity and Equal Opportunity (GRI 405-1)
- Diversity and Equal Opportunity (GRI 405-2)
- Non-discrimination (GRI 406-1)
- Security Practices (GRI 410-1)
Material topic
Executive compensation
Why is it material
We strive to create innovative products of benefit to patients. This requires outstanding performance by all our employees. It takes continuous innovation to help patients, sustain revenues and create long-term value.
One of the primary aims of our remuneration policy is thus to encourage a long-term focus and align management’s interests with the interests of Roche’s shareholders and holders of Roche’s non-voting equity securities.What we do
GRI Standard Reporting
Aspect boundaries:
- Media
Reporting:
- Market presence (GRI 202-1)
Material topic
Compensation/ benefits
Why is it material
We try to strike a balance between a highly competitive base salary and performance-linked rewards. In addition to bonuses linked to individual achievements, Roche offers rewards linked to the overall success of the company.
Our remuneration policyWhat we do
More about rewarding our employees GRI Standard Reporting
Aspect boundaries:
- Employees
Material topic
Leadership commitments
Why is it material
We believe that every Roche employee deserves a great leader, someone who inspires and engages the team with every interaction and who provides his or her employees with opportunities to discover, learn, develop and contribute continuously.
This sentiment is captured in our leadership commitments which were developed in 2012 with input from many managers at different levels. They set clear expectations for all our people leaders at Roche and represent our leadership promise to our employees.
Our leadership commitmentsWhat we do
GRI Standard Reporting
Aspect boundaries:
- Employees
Material topic
Organisational effectiveness
Why is it material
The pharmaceutical industry is changing constantly. It regularly faces mergers and acquisitions and pressures from governments, payers and regulators.
As a company, we must respond to these changes while also ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of our operations.What we do
GRI Standard Reporting
Aspect boundaries:
- Employees
-
Sustainable value
Material topic
Compliance
Why is it material
Compliance is our license to operate. It is fully embedded in our corporate strategy.
We want to maintain high ethical and social standards in our business dealings, in our approach to medical science, in our efforts to protect the environment and ensure good citizenship. We will maintain these standards by adhering to local, national and international laws and cooperating with authorities and in proactively communicating with the public. We support and respect the human rights within the sphere of our influence. We recognize the need to work in partnership with our stakeholders, regularly seeking their views and taking them into account.
Our Code of Conduct
More about how we maintain compliance
Our guidelines on behaviour in business
Our guidelines on behavior in competitionWhat we do
GRI Standard Reporting
Aspect boundaries:
- Investors
- Payers
- Employees
- Governments
- Media
Reporting:
- Environmental Compliance (GRI 307-1)
- Socioeconomic Compliance (GRI 419-1)
- Management Approach (GRI 103-2)
- Rights of Indigenous Peoples (GRI 411-1)
- Human Rights Assessment (GRI 412-1)
- Anti-corruption (GRI 205-1)
- Anti-competitive Behavior (GRI 206-1)
- General Disclosures (GRI 102-2)
- Customer Privacy (GRI 418-1)
Material topic
Environmental responsibility
Why is it material
Protecting the environment isn’t just a legal or social obligation, it’s integral to our strategy to run our business in a way that is ethical and aims to create long-term value for all stakeholders.
We are committed to bringing more innovative medicines to more people around the world and to reducing our environmental impact as we do so.
Our aim is to minimise our ecological footprint and to increase the use of renewable resources whilst continuing to expand our global business.
More about our commitment to environmental sustainability
Our position on Greenhouse Gases / Climate Change
Our Safety, Health and Environmental Protection policy
Our policy on Pollution, Prevention and Reduction
Our position on Pharmaceuticals in the Environment
Our position on waste management
Our position on energy conservationGRI Standard Reporting
Aspect boundaries:
- Governments
Reporting:
- Materials (GRI 301-1)
- Energy (GRI 302-3)
- Water (GRI 303-1)
- Biodiversity (GRI 303-3)
- Emissions (GRI 305-4)
- Effluents and Waste (GRI 306-1)
Material topic
Occupational accidents
Why is it material
Absences from work due to occupational accidents and occupational diseases (including unhealthy stress) has a negative impact on the company. Providing a safe and healthy workplace for our employees is therefore a priority.
Our Safety, Health and Environmental Protection policyGRI Standard Reporting
Aspect boundaries:
- Employees
Reporting:
- Occupational Health and Safety (GRI 403-1)
Material topic
Community engagement
Why is it material
Roche is committed to sustainable philanthropic activities, which span community involvement, humanitarian projects, science, education, art and culture. Our goal is to establish long-term partnerships by focusing on projects that add lasting value to society.
Our Philanthropic Donations and non-commercial Sponsorship PolicyWhat we do
GRI Standard Reporting
Aspect boundaries:
- Employees
Reporting:
- Human Rights Assessment (GRI 412-39
- Local Communities (GRI 413-1)
- Public Policy (GRI 415-1)
Material topic
Supply chain management
Why is it material
We integrate sustainable thinking and practices throughout our supply chain.
The goal is to respond quickly to market developments and ensure reliable product supplies, while reducing our environmental footprint and ensuring high social standards.What we do
GRI Standard Reporting
Aspect boundaries:
- Suppliers and service providers
Reporting:
- Procurement Practices (GRI 204-1)
- Supplier Environmental Assessment (GRI 308-2)
- Supplier Social Assessment (GRI 414-2)
- Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining (GRI 407-1)
- Child Labor (GRI 408-1)
- Forced or Compulsory Labor (GRI 409-1)
- Supplier Social Assessment (GRI 414-1)