GRI table

The content of this report is prepared in accordance with the core option of the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) G4 guidelines.

We have also referred to the GRI Media Sector Supplement and include disclosures for the indicators relevant to our business. These are marked (M). However, the Media Sector Supplement has been developed primarily for content-generating organisations such as broadcasters and newspapers, and issues such as editorial independence and freedom of expression are not material for our business. This means the majority of the indicators in the Media Sector Supplement are not relevant to our reporting and are not included in this Index.

General Standard Disclosures

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures

Strategy and Analysis

General Standard Disclosures

G4-1 Statement from most senior decision maker.

Comment

Location in document

From our CEO

General Standard Disclosures

G4-2 Key impacts, risks and opportunities.

Comment

Location in document

Organisational profile

General Standard Disclosures: G4-3 Name of the organization.
Comment
Location in document: WPP plc

General Standard Disclosures: G4-4 Primary brands, products and services.
Comment
Location in document: WPP – What we do

General Standard Disclosures: G4-5 Location of the organization‘s headquarters.
Comment
Location in document: WPP – Where we are

General Standard Disclosures

G4-6 Number of countries where the organization operates, and names of countries where either the organization has significant operations or that are specifically relevant to the sustainability topics covered in the report.

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures: G4-7 Nature of ownership and legal form.
Comment
Location in document: WPP Annual Report and Accounts 2015

General Standard Disclosures

G4-8 Markets served (including geographic breakdown, sectors served, and types of customers and beneficiaries).

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures: G4-9 Scale of organization.
Comment
Location in document: WPP – At a glance

General Standard Disclosures

G4-10 (M) Total workforce by employment contract and gender.

Comment

We do not report employee numbers by contract type.

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures: G4-11 Percentage of total employees covered by collective bargaining agreements.
Comment
Location in document: Employment/Monitoring progress/ Labour relations

General Standard Disclosures: G4-12 Describe the organization’s supply chain.
Comment
Location in document: Supply chain

General Standard Disclosures: G4-13 Significant changes during the reporting period regarding the organization’s size, structure, ownership, or its supply chain.
Comment: No major changes during the year.
Location in document: About this report

General Standard Disclosures

G4-14 Whether and how the precautionary approach or principle is addressed by the organization.

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures

G4-15 Externally developed economic, environmental and social charters, principles, or other initiatives to which the organization subscribes or which it endorses.

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures

G4-16 Memberships in associations (such as industry associations) and/or national/international advocacy organizations in which the organization:

Has positions in governance bodies
Participates in projects or committees
Provides substantive funding beyond routine membership dues; or
Views membership as strategic.

Comment

Location in document

Identified material aspects and boundaries

General Standard Disclosures

G4-17 All entities included in the organization’s consolidated financial statements or equivalent documents and whether any of these entities is not covered by the report.

Comment

The data in our Sustainability Report covers all subsidiaries of the Group. A subsidiary is an entity which we control and/or have a majority shareholding. Associates and joint ventures, where the Group may have influence or joint control, but not outright control, are not included. Data in our financial reporting will include associate companies not covered in our Sustainability Report.

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures

G4-18 Explain the process for defining the report content and the Aspect Boundaries and how the organization has implemented the Reporting Principles for Defining Report Content.

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures: G4-19 All the material Aspects identified in the process for defining report content.
Comment
Location in document: Our sustainability priorities

General Standard Disclosures

G4-20 The Aspect Boundary within the organization for each material Aspect.

Comment

All material Aspects selected in this report apply equally to all of our operations and entities as listed in G4-17, unless otherwise noted.

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures: G4-21 The Aspect Boundary outside the organization for each material Aspect.
Comment: Our materiality assessment diagram indicates the relative importance of each of our material issues to stakeholders. The material Aspects apply equally across stakeholder groups and geographies unless otherwise noted.
Location in document: Our sustainability priorities

General Standard Disclosures: G4-22 The effect of any restatements of information provided in previous reports, and the reasons for such restatements.
Comment
Location in document: About this report

General Standard Disclosures: G4-23 Significant changes from previous reporting periods in the Scope and Aspect Boundaries.
Comment: There have been no significant changes from previous reporting periods.
Location in document

Stakeholder engagement

General Standard Disclosures: G4-24 A list of stakeholder groups engaged by the organization.
Comment
Location in document: Governance and management/Stakeholder engagement

General Standard Disclosures: G4-25 The basis for identification and selection of stakeholders with whom to engage.
Comment
Location in document: Governance and management/Stakeholder engagement

General Standard Disclosures

G4-26 The organization’s approach to stakeholder engagement, including frequency of engagement by type and by stakeholder group, and an indication of whether any of the engagement was undertaken specifically as part of the report preparation process.

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures

G4-27 Key topics and concerns that have been raised through stakeholder engagement, and how the organization has responded to those key topics and concerns, including through its reporting. The stakeholder groups that raised each of the key topics and concerns.

Comment

The topics raised by our stakeholders are included on our materiality matrix and the issues of high importance to our stakeholders are all addressed in our Sustainability Report. The issues covered in our reporting are all topics that are of interest to our two most important external stakeholder groups – clients and investors. We do not report on the specific points raised by individual stakeholders.

Location in document

Report Profile

General Standard Disclosures: G4-28 Reporting period for information provided.
Comment
Location in document: About this report

General Standard Disclosures: G4-29 Date of most recent previous report (if any).
Comment
Location in document: Sustainability Report Archive

General Standard Disclosures: G4-30 Reporting cycle.
Comment
Location in document: About this report

General Standard Disclosures: G4-31 The contact point for questions regarding the report or its contents.
Comment
Location in document: Get in touch

General Standard Disclosures

G4-32 Report the ‘in accordance’ option the organization has chosen; the GRI Content Index for the chosen option and the reference to the External Assurance Report, if the report has been externally assured.

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures

G4-33 The organization’s policy and current practice with regard to seeking external assurance for the report.

Comment

Location in document

Governance

General Standard Disclosures

G4-34 (M) The governance structure of the organization, including committees of the highest governance body. Identify any committees responsible for decision-making on economic, environmental and social impacts.

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures

G4-36 Whether the organization has appointed an executive-level position or positions with responsibility for economic, environmental and social topics, and whether post holders report directly to the highest governance body.

Comment

Location in document

Ethics and integrity

General Standard Disclosures

G4-56 (M) The organization’s values, principles, standards and norms of behaviour such as codes of conduct and codes of ethics.

Comment

Location in document

Specific Standard Disclosures

General Standard Disclosures

G4-DMA Disclosures on Management Approach
a. Why the Aspect is material, and the impacts that make this Aspect material. b. How the organization manages the material Aspect or its impacts.
c. The evaluation of the management approach, including:

The mechanisms for evaluating the effectiveness of the management approach; *The results of the evaluation of the management approach; *Any related adjustments to the management approach.

Comment

Location in document

Indicators by aspects

Category: Economic

Economic Performance

General Standard Disclosures

G4-DMA

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures: G4-EC1 a. The direct economic value generated and distributed (EVG&D) on an accruals basis including the basic components for the organization’s global operations as listed below. If data is presented on a cash basis. b. EVG&D separately at country, regional, or market levels, where significant, and the criteria used for defining significance.
Comment
Location in document: WPP Annual Report 2015 – Our financial statements

General Standard Disclosures

G4-EC2 Risks and opportunities posed by climate change that have the potential to generate substantive changes in operations, revenue or expenditure.

Comment

Location in document

Market Presence

General Standard Disclosures

G4-DMA

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures: G4-EC6 Portion of senior management hired from the local community at significant locations of operation.
Comment: We report data for nationalities represented on the WPP Board.
Location in document: Employment/Diversity and inclusion

Indirect Economic Impacts

General Standard Disclosures

G4-DMA

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures: G4-EC8 Significant indirect economic impacts, including the extent of impacts.
Comment
Location in document: Valuing our impacts

CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENTAL

General Standard Disclosures

G4-DMA for all material environmental aspects

Comment

Location in document

Energy

General Standard Disclosures

G4-EN3 Energy consumption within the organization.

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures

G4-EN4 Energy consumption outside of the organization.

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures

G4-EN6 Reduction of energy consumption.

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures: G4-EN7 Reduction in energy requirements of products and services.
Comment
Location in document: Environment/Our wider carbon impact.

Water

General Standard Disclosures: G4-EN8 Total water withdrawal by source.
Comment
Location in document: Environment/Resource use and waste/Water

Emissions

General Standard Disclosures

G4-EN15 Direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (Scope 1).

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures

G4-EN16 Energy indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (Scope 2).

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures

G4-EN17 Other indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (Scope 3).

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures

G4-EN18 Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity.

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures

G4-EN19 Reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Comment

Location in document

Effluents and Waste

General Standard Disclosures: G4-EN23 Total weight of waste by type and disposal method.
Comment
Location in document: Environment/Resource use and waste/Waste

Products and Services

General Standard Disclosures: G4-EN27 Extent of impact mitigation of environmental impacts of products and services.
Comment
Location in document: Environment/Our carbon strategy/Air travel, videoconferencing and offsetting

Transport

General Standard Disclosures: G4-EN30 Significant environmental impacts of transporting products and other goods and materials used for the organization’s operations, and transporting members of the workforce.
Comment
Location in document: Environment/Our carbon strategy/Air travel, videoconferencing and offsetting

Supplier Environmental Assessment

General Standard Disclosures: G4-EN32 Percentage of new suppliers that were screened using environmental criteria.
Comment
Location in document: Supply chain/How we select suppliers

General Standard Disclosures: G4-EN33 Significant actual and potential negative environmental impacts in the supply chain and actions taken.
Comment
Location in document: Environment/Our wider carbon impact

CATEGORY: SOCIAL

LABOUR PRACTICES AND DECENT WORK

Employment

General Standard Disclosures

G4-DMA

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures: G4-LA1 Total number and rates of new employee hires and employee turnover by age group, gender, and region.
Comment: We do not currently have the data to report turnover rates by category.
Location in document: Employment/Monitoring progress/Labour relations

General Standard Disclosures: G4-LA3 Return to work and retention rates after parental leave, by gender.
Comment: We hope to report on this next year.
Location in document: Employment/Monitoring progress/Labour relations

Labour/Management Relations

Occupational Health and Safety

General Standard Disclosures

G4-DMA

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures: G4-LA5 Percentage of total workforce represented in formal joint management-worker health and safety committees that help monitor and advise on occupational health and safety programs.
Comment
Location in document: Employment/Health, safety and well-being

General Standard Disclosures: G4-LA6 Type of injury and rates of injury, occupational diseases, lost days, and absenteeism, and total number of work-related fatalities, by region and by gender.
Comment
Location in document: Employment/Health, safety and well-being

Training and Education

General Standard Disclosures

G4-DMA

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures: G4-LA9 (M) Average hours of training per year per employee by gender, and by employee category.
Comment: We report training spend per employee rather than training hours.
Location in document: Employment/Training and development

General Standard Disclosures: G4-LA10 Programs for skills management and lifelong learning that support the continued employability of employees and assist them in managing career endings.
Comment
Location in document: Employment/Training and development

General Standard Disclosures: G4-LA11 Percentage of employees receiving regular performance and career development reviews, by gender and by employment category.
Comment
Location in document: Employment/Training and development/Appraisals and performance development

Diversity and Equal Opportunity

General Standard Disclosures

G4-DMA

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures: G4-LA12 Composition of governance bodies and breakdown of employees per employee category according to gender, age group, minority group membership, and other indicators of diversity.
Comment
Location in document: Employment/Diversity and inclusion

Supplier Assessment for Labour Practices

General Standard Disclosures: G4-DMA
Comment
Location in document: Our management approach for material issues relating to our supply chain – Supply chain/Management approach

General Standard Disclosures

G4-LA14 Percentage of new suppliers that were screened using labour practices criteria.

Comment

Location in document

Labour Practices Grievance Mechanisms

General Standard Disclosures

G4-DMA

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures: G4-LA16 Number of grievances about labour practices filed, addressed, and resolved through formal grievance mechanisms.
Comment
Location in document: Employment/Monitoring progress/Employment infringements

HUMAN RIGHTS

General Standard Disclosures

G4-DMA for all material human rights related aspects

Comment

Location in document

Investment

General Standard Disclosures: G4-HR1 Total number and percentage of significant investment agreements and contracts that include human rights clauses or that underwent human rights screening.
Comment: Human rights issues are covered in our Code of Business Conduct – Supplier Version, which suppliers are asked to sign.
Location in document: Supply chain

General Standard Disclosures: G4-HR2 Total hours of employee training on policies and procedures concerning aspects of human rights that are relevant to operations, including the percentage of employees trained.
Comment
Location in document: Our client work/Human rights

Non-discrimination

General Standard Disclosures: G4-HR3 Total number of incidents of discrimination and corrective actions taken.
Comment: We do not report separate data on this. Any cases involving allegations of discrimination against employees are included in the data on employment infringements.
Location in document: Employment/Monitoring progress/Employment infringements

Forced or Compulsory Labour

General Standard Disclosures: G4-HR6 Operations and suppliers identified as having significant risk for incidents of forced or compulsory labour, and measures to contribute to the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour.
Comment: There is a low risk of forced or compulsory labour in our workforce but we issued guidance to our operating companies on this topic during the year.
Location in document: Our client work/Human rights/Anti-trafficking and slavery

Assessment

General Standard Disclosures

G4-HR9 Total number and percentage of operations that have been subject to human rights reviews or impact assessments.

Comment

Location in document

Supplier Human Rights Assessment

General Standard Disclosures

G4-HR10 Percentage of new suppliers that were screened using human rights criteria.

Comment

Location in document

SOCIETY

Anti-corruption

General Standard Disclosures

G4-DMA

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures: G4-SO3 Total number and percentage of operations assessed for risks related to corruption and the significant risks identified.
Comment: We do not currently report data in this area.
Location in document: Our client work/Our ethical standards.

General Standard Disclosures: G4-SO4 Communication and training on anti-corruption policies and procedures.
Comment: Our client work/Our ethical standards.

Public Policy

General Standard Disclosures

G4-DMA

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures: G4-SO6 Total value of political contributions by country and recipient/beneficiary.
Comment: We do not currently report data in this area
Location in document: Our client work/Public policy and lobbying

Supplier Assessment for Impacts on Society

General Standard Disclosures

G4-DMA

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures

G4-SO9 Percentage of new suppliers that were screened using criteria for impacts on society.

Comment

Location in document

PRODUCT RESPONSIBILITY

General Standard Disclosures

G4-DMA

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures: G4-PR7 (M) Total number of incidents of non-compliance with regulations and voluntary codes concerning marketing communications, including advertising, promotion, and sponsorship by type of outcomes.
Comment: We do not currently report data in this area.
Location in document: Our client work/Our ethical standards/Compliance with marketing standards

Customer Privacy

General Standard Disclosures

G4-DMA

Comment

Location in document

General Standard Disclosures: G4-PR8 Total number of substantiated complaints regarding breaches of customer privacy and losses of customer data.
Comment: We do not currently report data in this area.
Location in document: Our client work/Privacy and data security