Reed Elsevier’s commitment to CSR
I am pleased to present our second annual report on our progress in the areas of Corporate Social Responsibility. In 2001, we laid out the following goals, all of which were successfully delivered:

Employees
• Launch our Reed Elsevier Values programme, communicating to every employee the values which guide the way we do business

• Introduce a Personal Development Programme for every employee

• Carry out a global survey of all employees to ascertain their views on Reed Elsevier’s strengths and weaknesses

• Upgrade our internal communications by launching a group-wide intranet to enable regular senior management communications to all employees

Community
• Review our policy of community involvement, building on local initiatives and focusing on educational programmes

• Appoint a senior manager to implement and co-ordinate the policy across all our businesses

Environment
• Initiate a more robust system of data collection, measuring energy and water consumption and waste and packaging.

In 2002 we have built on these foundations by:
• Introducing our community programme, RE Cares, across Reed Elsevier

• Introducing measurements tracking the amount we give to charities through our programmes for the first time

• Improving communications with our employees

• Continuing to embed our values in the way in which we do business

• Improving the quality and coverage of our data on environmental performance

• Participating in the first Business in the Community Corporate Social Responsibility Index

• Signing the UN Global Compact, an initiative which encourages the alignment of corporate policies with international values and goals, covering human rights, labour practices and the environment, to help achieve a more stable and inclusive global market

We believe we have a responsibility to all those with whom we work: our employees, our customers and the communities and environments in which our businesses operate. We discharge this responsibility by seeking to measure and improve upon our performance in corporate social responsibility.

2003 update on progress
• We have established targets to be met over the next five years to help us reduce our environmental impact

• Some of these goals are set out later in this report and we will regularly report on our environmental performance against them

• We will be introducing a global environmental management system which will be in place by the end of the year

• We have introduced a Code of Conduct for our key suppliers, requiring them to meet minimum standards on human rights, labour practices and environmental performance

• We are engaging with local schools in our communities to help improve the educational performance of under privileged children

We continue to be guided in everything we do by the Reed Elsevier values and the newly revised Reed Elsevier Code of Ethics and Business Conduct. This ethos is supported by specific policies such as those for our environment and community.

The revised Code of Ethics now sets out clearly a procedure to enable employees at all levels within Reed Elsevier to raise any suspected financial or other business irregularities, anonymously with the audit committee.

As the Chief Executive Officer of one of the world’s largest media companies, I hold myself responsible for ensuring that we implement and comply with our values and our standards and policies throughout our operations, assisted by the global CEOs of our four business divisions. All four of them are also members of our board of directors and they are all responsible to our shareholders and staff for upholding the highest possible standards in corporate social responsibility.

The corporate social responsibility agenda matters to us and I will ensure that Reed Elsevier meets its obligations as a leading member of the global business community.

Crispin Davis