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We understand that to become a purpose-driven organisation that creates sustainable, long-term value for all stakeholders we must prioritise people, planet and profit. We are increasing our investment in sustainable integrated ESG practices across our operations as a strategic pillar and which underpin our industry, market and country legitimacy and reputation as a trusted partner.
Imperial’s strategy, sustainability and social responsibility unquestionably impacts human lives. In addition to our role in the supply of essential services and products, our extensive experience in safety practices and quality control measures, enables us to quickly adapt our practices to safeguard our employees, stakeholders and business.
Beyond our day-to-day operations, the initiatives in which we invest and actively partner are chosen based on their ability to tangibly improve access to healthcare and better education, and to drive equality and community development, producing sustainable benefits for communities in our regions of operation.
Should you have a query related to Corporate Social Investment (CSI), please send an email to: csi@imperiallogistics.com.
Our primary duty and responsibility during COVID-19 is to lead and act in the best interest of our stakeholders. First and foremost, our focus is on protecting our people, operations, clients and suppliers from infection, and fulfilling the critical role we play in ensuring the continued supply of the essential products and services needed to respond to the pandemic.
Healthcare is one of Africa’s critical developmental needs. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the continent carries 25% of the world’s disease burden, but its share of global health expenditures is less than 1%. In addition, Africa manufactures less than 2% of the medicines it consumes. Inadequate resource allocation, funding, customs gridlock and counterfeit pharmaceuticals are major challenges to healthcare delivery on the continent. Adding to the constrains, Africa lacks surveillance and delivery systems at all levels (community, district, provincial and national) supported by high-quality laboratory services and logistical systems.
For this reason, our investment in healthcare programmes is a priority.
The Unjani Clinics initiative, founded by Imperial Holdings, empowers black women professional nurses to own their own primary healthcare container clinic in their township or rural community. The clinics offer an alternative quality healthcare service to the employed but uninsured population (estimated between 10 and 12 million people in South Africa), who are able to pay a small fee towards their healthcare needs. The initiative relieves some of the pressure on government facilities which are stretched and under-resourced. The clinics provide access to essential medicines and primary healthcare at the point of need, reducing the significant amounts of time and travel costs patients incur to receive attention at a state facility.
As a moral and commercial imperative, we strive to continually improve our transformation credentials in line with the requirements of the amended DTI codes. Our B-BBEE rating provides significant benefits for our clients and enhances our ability to compete for new business and retain existing clients – particularly in the mining, chemical and energy sectors, which are under increasing pressure to achieve transformation targets. It also strengthens our employer brand and ability to attract and retain talent.
We are committed to making an active and sustainable contribution towards strengthening the communities in which we live and work. Our strategic CSI projects are aimed at delivering a visible and sustainable positive impact and are rolled out across all regions of operation. Projects are selected based on our strategic objective to effectively deliver meaningful value creation for Imperial and its beneficiaries. This commitment to the wellbeing of the communities in which we operate not only bolsters stakeholder trust but also boosts employee morale and attracts talent.
Road fatalities are a major contributor to unnatural deaths. Around 3 200 people are killed every day on roads around the world, with most being in low and middle-income countries. South Africa’s road mortality rate per 100 000 citizens is one of the worst in the world and road crashes account for the largest unnatural killer of children.
The Imperial Be safe, Be smart campaign is a direct response to the devastating lack of road safety awareness among children and supports government, which has identified road safety education in schools as a need. We partner with Active Education, the Department of Basic Education and the Department of Transport to ensure the success of the campaign. Every activation is supported by a community safety member or member of the traffic department. Based on our social media engagement, the campaign is well received by communities, teachers and learners.
