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Fictional corporate responsibility report for Cirque du Soleil
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Long before Cirque du Soleil became the company you know today, we were a group of young entertainers and dreamers who presented our acts in the streets. As time passed, our dream to stimulate the imagination of audiences all over the world became a reality because people with means and influence took a chance on us in spite of our youth, our image and our profession as itinerant acrobats. Since Cirque du Soleil has acquired the means to make our dreams a reality that we have spread a little all over the world, we have chosen to join with communities and a growing number of individuals to work together to build a better world. Until very recently, we sought little publicity for our citizenship activities, preferring to take a back seat to the achievements of our partners in social and cultural action. We are now taking a more prominent public role in an effort to inspire other companies and individuals to make a similar commitment to citizenship. When we think of the world of tomorrow we want to put the inspiration and energy that drive our shows at the service of the pursuit of our dream to improve the living conditions of all human beings, no matter where they may be. With this in mind I have personally chosen to commit myself to the cause of access to water. My hope is that Cirque du Soleil will be a shining example of taking collective responsibility for the worldwide water crisis. The values underpinning the creation of the ONE DROP Foundation are the same values that have inspired me since the start of my adventure with Cirque du Soleil—namely, the desire to share and the conviction that life pays you back what you’ve given to it and that even the smallest gesture on our part can make a huge difference. Cirque du Soleil wants above all to take its place in society as a good citizen, with all the duties and responsibilities that go with citizenship. Beyond philanthropic gestures, good citizenship consists of an attitude of social responsibility at the very heart of all our business strategies and management. Cirque therefore pays particular attention to its relationships with its employees, its interactions with its audience, its relationships with business partners, suppliers and community neighbors, and the environmental impact of its activities. Cirque du Soleil is an international company from Quebec dedicated to the creation, production and distribution of artistic works. Our mission is to invoke the imagination, provoke the senses and evoke the emotions of people throughout the world. Cirque du Soleil is a generator of new experiences, a laboratory and platform for creators. We are constantly researching new artistic avenues and innovating within our organization – and we intend to carry on taking such risks and inventing with audacity. As we pursue our dreams and grow our business it is also our intention to position ourselves in the community as an agent of change. We will, as a matter of policy, treat our employees, clients, partners and neighbors with respect, and willingly operate our business according to the laws of every jurisdiction we work in. In all our relationships – internal and external – we will always go the extra mile as proof of our daring and creativity.
FOUNDERGUY LALIBERTÉ
P 42Creativity at WorkConnecting the Dots
P 6Our MissionCirque du MondeSocial CircusArtists of Tomorrow
TAB
LE O
F CO
NTE
NTS
CHAPTER
CREATING A GOOD WORKPLACE
CREATING POSSIBILITIES
CREATING OPPORTUNITIES
CREATING GOOD PARTNERSHIPS
CREATING CONNECTIONS
CREATING A GREENER WORLD
CREATING A GREENER WORLD
CREATING NEW CHALLENGES
CREATING NEW CHALLENGES
CREATING GOOD PARTNERSHIPS
CREATING CONNECTIONS
CREATING A GOOD WORKPLACE
P 32One Drop FoundationGreen Actions
P 54Partners and Suppliers
P 20The Touring CircusBuilding For The FutureWork in Las Vegas
P 60We Can Do Even More
Since 1989, Cirque has dedicated 1% of its yearly earnings to its outreach and cultural action programs, which reflect a social involvement extending far beyond the borders of its business markets. The figure for 2009 exceeded $7,500,000, and the total has now reached nearly $60 million. Rather than tackling a wide range of causes, Cirque du Soleil has chosen to commit itself to youth, particularly street kids. This cause lies very close to Cirque’s heart: the organization hopes to give these young people the opportunity to build new bridges with the community through their marginal status. Indeed, does Cirque du Soleil not owe its existence to the fact that one day, older people firmly believed in the potential of a group of young street performers, the original members of Cirque du Soleil? Now that it has the means to fulfill its dreams, it is Cirque’s turn to give back to young people. In tandem with its partners, Jeunesse du Monde, Oxfam International and many local youth organizations, Cirque du Soleil has developed programs designed to help young people in nearly 80 communities worldwide, in some 20 countries on five continents. The cause of youth at risk was a natural choice for Cirque du Soleil, given its origins, and the intervention approaches selected—like everything Cirque does—are equally innovative and original. We have chosen to use our artistic work as a means of helping young people. Because the circus arts require the participants to work together supportively, and pool their talents and strengths, they help young people develop a sense of belonging to a group. They also leave room for freedom and creativity, while demanding perseverance and discipline. The circus arts give at-risk youth a chance to spread their wings, to express themselves and use their marginal status as a tool to forge new links with a society that often excludes them. All of this explains how Cirque du Soleil came to develop expertise and leadership in the social circus field.
OURMISSION
P 10
CREATING POSSIBILITIES
EVER SINCE IT HAS HAD THE RESOURCES TO FOLLOW ITS DREAMS AND TO PRESENT SHOWS
AROUND THE WORLD,C IRQUE DU SOLEIL HAS
CHOSEN TO BE INVOLV ED IN COMMUNITIES, AND MORE PARTICULAR LY WITH YOUTH AT RISK.
IN COOPERATION W ITH ITS PARTNERS,
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL IS INVOLVED IN NEARLY 80 COMMUNITIES WO RLDWIDE, IN SOME 20
COUNTRIES SPANNIN G FIVE CONTINENTS.
EVER SINCE IT HAS HAD THE RESOURCES TO FOLLOW ITS DREAMS AND TO PRESENT SHOWS
AROUND THE WORLD,C IRQUE DU SOLEIL HAS
CHOSEN TO BE INVOLV ED IN COMMUNITIES, AND MORE PARTICULAR LY WITH YOUTH AT RISK.
IN COOPERATION W ITH ITS PARTNERS,
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL IS INVOLVED IN NEARLY 80 COMMUNITIES WO RLDWIDE, IN SOME 20
COUNTRIES SPANNIN G FIVE CONTINENTS.
Cirq
ue d
u M
ond
e is
one
of
the
grea
test
sou
rces
of
prid
e fo
r Cir
que
du
Sole
il. S
et in
mot
ion
in 1
995,
thi
s pr
ogra
mm
e is
now
ope
rati
ng in
mor
e th
an
50 c
omm
unit
ies
thro
ugho
ut t
he w
orld
in p
art
ners
hip
wit
h Je
unes
se d
u M
ond
e, O
xfa
m In
tern
ati
ona
l and
ma
ny c
omm
unit
y or
gani
zati
ons
reco
gniz
ed
in t
heir
mili
eu f
or t
he q
ualit
y of
the
ir w
ork
wit
h yo
ung
peop
le. C
irq
ue d
u M
ond
e d
oes
not
cla
im t
o be
a p
ana
cea
for
all
soci
al p
robl
ems.
Nor
is it
an
ente
rta
inm
ent
des
igne
d t
o m
ake
you
ng p
eopl
e fo
rget
the
dif
ficu
ltie
s of
the
ir s
itua
tion
for
the
dur
ati
on o
f a
wor
ksho
p. C
irq
ue d
u M
ond
e en
abl
es y
oung
pe
ople
to
ach
ieve
the
ir f
ull p
oten
tia
l. It
is a
n op
port
unit
y fo
r its
pa
rtic
ipa
nts
to e
xper
ienc
e po
siti
ve p
erso
nal g
row
th a
nd c
an
be a
ca
taly
st in
boo
stin
g th
eir s
elf-
confi
den
ce a
nd t
heir
sen
se o
f pe
rson
al i
den
tity
. The
ped
ago
gica
l app
roa
ch o
f Ci
rque
du
Mon
de
is f
ound
ed o
n th
e cr
ossr
oad
s of
cir
cus
art
s a
nd s
ocia
l int
erve
ntio
n. A
t th
at
nexu
s w
e cr
eate
a t
rain
ing
curr
icul
um c
ente
red
on
resp
ect,
sa
fety
and
ple
asu
re. A
t th
e sa
me
tim
e w
e se
t in
crem
enta
l,
prop
orti
oned
cha
lleng
es in
cir
cus
tra
inin
g te
chni
que
s fo
r you
ng p
eopl
e. T
his
dev
elop
s be
tter
phy
sica
l con
dit
ioni
ng a
nd o
pens
up
ave
nues
of
expr
essi
on
and
per
sona
l gro
wth
. The
impa
ct o
f Ci
rque
du
Mon
de
goes
bey
ond
ind
ivid
ual b
enefi
ts. W
orki
ng a
s a
gro
up t
he p
art
icip
ant
s le
arn
abo
ut c
ohes
ion,
te
am
wor
k a
nd re
spec
t fo
r pee
rs. I
ts e
ffec
ts a
re a
lso
visi
ble
at
the
com
mun
ity
leve
l thr
ough
reco
ncili
ati
on b
etw
een
oppo
sing
gro
ups
of y
oung
peo
ple,
ch
ang
e in
the
per
cept
ion
of t
he c
omm
unit
y to
wa
rd y
outh
at
risk
and
the
impl
emen
tati
on o
f a
dia
logu
e be
twee
n th
e co
mm
unit
y a
nd it
s yo
ung
peop
le.
CIR
QU
ED
U M
ON
DE
CREA
TIN
G P
OSS
IBIL
ITIE
S
In 2
000
Cirq
ue d
u So
leil,
in a
ssoc
iati
on w
ith
circ
us s
choo
ls a
nd o
ther
inte
rest
ed p
art
ners
, set
up
an
inte
rna
tion
al t
rain
ing
prog
ram
me
aim
ed a
t d
evel
opin
g th
e te
ach
ing
skill
s of
inst
ruct
ors
in y
outh
-ori
ente
d s
ocia
l cir
cus
init
iati
ves.
The
dif
ficu
lty
of fi
ndin
g ci
rcus
inst
ruct
ors
abl
e to
wor
k in
a
soci
al c
onte
xt a
nd t
he n
eed
for
incr
easi
ng t
he s
kills
of
thos
e a
lrea
dy
invo
lved
wa
s th
e d
rivi
ng f
orce
of
this
pro
ject
. The
inst
alla
tion
of
a s
ocia
l cir
cus
tra
inin
g pr
ogra
mm
e se
emed
to
us t
he n
ext
logi
cal s
tep
to e
nsur
e th
e co
ntin
uity
of
the
Cirq
ue d
u M
ond
e pr
ogra
mm
e a
nd t
o su
ppor
t th
e d
evel
opm
ent
of s
ocia
l cir
cus
thro
ugh
othe
r net
wor
ks. W
ith
this
in m
ind
, a s
et o
f co
nta
cts
calle
d t
he In
tern
ati
ona
l Net
wor
k fo
r Soc
ial C
ircu
s Tr
ain
ing
(IN
SCT)
w
as
init
iate
d t
o d
isse
min
ate
the
the
ory
and
pra
ctic
e of
soc
ial c
ircu
s –
firs
t a
nd f
orem
ost
to s
uppo
rt t
he d
evel
opm
ent
of c
hild
ren,
you
ng p
eopl
e,
teen
age
rs a
nd o
ther
s w
ho a
re a
t ri
sk o
r exc
lud
ed f
rom
soc
iety
. IN
SCT
brin
gs t
oget
her t
en o
rga
niza
tion
s fr
om B
razi
l, C
hile
, Col
ombi
a, C
ana
da
, Bur
kina
Fa
so, A
ustr
alia
and
Sou
th A
fric
a. I
n a
dd
itio
n to
Cir
que
du
Sole
il a
nd Je
unes
se d
u M
ond
e, a
n in
tern
ati
ona
l coo
pera
tion
NG
O, i
ts m
embe
rs c
ome
from
pr
ofes
sion
al a
nd s
ocia
l cir
cus
scho
ols.
SOCI
AL
CIR
CUS
P 1
5
TICKETS GRACIOUSLY OFFERED TO ORGANIZATIONS WORKING WITH TROUBLED YOUTH ENABLING THEM TO ORGANIZE BENEFIT SHOWS
TICKETS DONATED TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS ENABLING THEIR BENEFICIARIES TO ENJOY OUR SHOWS
SOCIAL CIRCUS TRAINING SESSIONS
LATIN AMERICA
LATI
N A
MER
ICA
LATIN
AM
ERICA
2
8
1150
2800
25 organizations5 countries
LATINAMERICA
LATIN AMERICA
LATI
N A
MER
ICA
LATIN AMERICA
28
4
TOURING SHOWS UNDER BIG TOPS
CIRQUE DU MONDE SITES ACTIVE
CITIES VISITED IN 2009
IN 2009
QuidamAlegría
Mexico CholutecaSantiago 25 Brazilian communities
Cirque du Soleil has always fostered a relationship with the communities in which it operates. But we should not forget that the true global citizenship of Cirque du Soleil is first and foremost that of a creator and a producer of artistic content. Cirque is, and it probably always has been, a place for creators and performers to go beyond their wildest dreams. During the year, nearly $170,000 was donated to support innovative art projects, emerging artists and artistic companies in Montreal. In partnership with the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, an art project was developed in 2008 with Yoshi Cooper, a rising artist from Las Vegas. Via amentoring approach, Cirque du Soleil has helped this young man create a work inspired by KÀ, assemble a portfolio and compose a brief artistic bio. In addition, Cirque du Soleil seeks to support creativity through its Access to the Arts programme, which buys works of art and other cultural expressions, and encourages the performing arts and visual arts milieu by purchasing tickets for events, exhibitions and performances. Our goal is therefore to support artists and arts companies that offer new, surprising, avant-garde or bold creative works. As part of this programme we have given more than $20,000 in support, through the purchase of tickets and cultural products provided to employees of Cirque du Soleil free of charge. Cirque du Soleil offers financial support to new and innovative works by emerging artists and arts companies. In 2009, 64 artists and arts companies benefited from such support. These artists and companies represent nine major artistic disciplines: the visual arts, film, circus arts, dance, literature, multimedia, music, theatre and variety. In all, 41 arts centres, organizations and venues also obtained support from the Cirque du Soleil cultural support program. Several prior agreements were renewed in 2009 and new ones established. Among these are new agreements with the Centre des auteurs dramatiques, a panel of playwrights who award the Gratien-Gélinas prize for budding dramatists, the Orford Arts Centre, for creative and instructional digital arts workshops, and Studio 303, which helps stage works created in the course of artistic apprenticeships.
ARTISTSOF TOMORROW
P 1
8
THE PRÉLUDE PROJECT IN THE SAINT-MICHEL DISTRICT: Prélude is a mentoring project for young creative spirits attempting to turn their passion into a profession as well as an artistic support initiative carried out in partnership with the TOHU and the Montreal Arts Council. Prélude’s primary goals are to: • enrich the career course of young artists through a personalized approach aimed at helping them develop, crystallize and fine-tune their creative work • foster open-mindedness among the young to a range of creators and disciplines • help artists secure the tools they need to fully develop their creative projects • urge young artists to attend at least two professional artistic performances on the Montreal scene • bridge the gap between young creators and Montreal’s artistic community • expose up-and-coming artists to professional works and creators. The mentoring takes place over a period of ten weeks. LA TABLÉE CIRQUE DU MONDE: As part of Quebec City’s 400th anniversary celebrations, close to 200 participants in the Cirque du Monde program ranging from 12 to 30 years of age came to the Old Capital from French-speaking countries around the world to take part in a three-week artistic and cultural jamboree. This gathering, organized by and for marginalized young people, concluded with a giant dinner show collectively prepared and presented by these same youths. This was an excellent opportunity to raise public awareness regarding the issues and difficulties facing at-risk youth, the positive impacts of outreach programs involving social circus, and the need to bring out all the talent and potential of these individuals who may have strayed from the beaten path. In the course of the gathering, these participants had the chance to talk about their common experiences, to develop and showcase their creative and artistic potential and, for many, to enjoy a first international experience—all in a spirit of discovery with respect to the culture, atmosphere and history of Quebec. La tablée Cirque du Monde gathered young people from Quebec, and from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Lebanon, Côte d’Ivoire and Haiti, as well as two Atikamekw communities (Manawan and Wemotaci).
CREATING POSSIBILITIES
The week preceding the tear-down of Alegría in Rio de Janeiro, the crew heard some troubling news about Crescer e Viver (growing and living), an organization belonging to the Circo do Mundo Brasil network that takes in some 300 underprivileged kids from the favelas of Rio every day: the tropical rains and strong winds of the season had played havoc with their tent, which had already seen better days to begin with. Since the tent was
located close to the Sambódromo stadium, best known for hosting Rio’s Carnival, Crescer e Viver had intended to rent it out to one of the many samba schools taking part in the carnival for costume and equipment storage. Ironically, the rental revenue was earmarked for buying a new tent. This dark cloud had a silver lining because there happened to be a team of Cirque du Soleil specialists on hand at the time. A quickly assembled crew of eleven technicians volunteered to make the necessary repairs. They took the opportunity to enlist the other partners from the Circo do Mundo Brasil network to work under the tent as well, in order to take advantage of the displayed expertise and observe the work, thus acquiring some useful knowledge.
Employees of Cirque du Soleil who were posted in Macau in 2008 got together during the Holidays to help out local aid agencies, particularly the Cradle of Hope and Fountain of Hope foster homes, which are home to approximately sixty abandoned infants and children. These homes receive only partial funding from the Macau government and rely heavily on charitable donations. With the money raised by the ZAIA team, by the staff at the Asia-Pacific Resident Shows Division and of the Cirque du Soleil Macau costume workshop, enough money was raised to purchase several outfits and new shoes for every baby and child in both homes! A group of ZAIA volunteers took 20 of the older children (10 years of age or older) shopping in Macau’s market district so they could pick out their own clothes. Not many of them could speak English, but when it comes to teenagers shopping, it seems language is no barrier! To round out the day, the kids were treated to a hearty lunch. Also, since some of the older children at Fountain of Hope had started a band as part of their music studies, the ZAIA team was also able to donate two electric guitars and a bass guitar to the cause.
Last
spr
ing
in S
ão
Paul
o, t
he a
nnua
l mee
ting
of
the
Circ
o d
o M
und
o Br
asi
l net
wor
k w
as
als
o th
e st
age
for
a s
peci
al t
rain
ing
sess
ion
for s
ocia
l cir
cus
inst
ruct
ors.
Thi
s se
ssio
n to
ok p
lace
un
der
the
aeg
is o
f th
e In
stit
uto
Cria
nça
e C
ida
da
nia
(ch
ildre
n a
nd c
itiz
ensh
ip in
stit
ute)
, whi
ch b
elon
gs t
o th
e ne
twor
k. T
hree
A
legr
ía a
rtis
ts t
ook
part
in t
his
tra
inin
g, w
hich
ha
s be
en h
eld
in
Bra
zil e
very
yea
r sin
ce 2
003.
Thr
ough
the
ir v
alu
ed p
art
icip
ati
on,
they
ha
ve t
rans
ferr
ed t
heir
tec
hnic
al a
nd s
tage
exp
erie
nce
to 3
0 in
stru
ctor
s w
orki
ng o
n 22
dif
fere
nt p
roje
cts
nati
onw
ide.
Th
eir e
xper
tise
ad
ded
a p
ract
ica
l dim
ensi
on t
o th
e th
eore
tica
l tr
ain
ing
the
part
icip
ant
s re
ceiv
ed b
efor
e tr
ans
mit
ting
the
ir
acq
uire
d k
now
led
ge t
o ot
her i
nstr
ucto
rs a
nd y
oung
min
ds.
Th
eir e
xper
tise
ad
ded
a p
ract
ica
l dim
ensi
on t
o th
e th
eore
tica
l tr
ain
ing
the
part
icip
ant
s kn
owle
dge
in t
urn
to y
oung
min
ds.
The very first nationally available training program for circus instructors from various Colombian organizations took place in Cali in February 2008. Organized jointly with Circo Para Todos (circus for everyone), this training enabled twenty participants from Cali, Medellín and Bogotá to improve their teaching practices and talk about their experiences. The Circo Para Todos school is a member of the International Network for Social Circus Training (INSCT). The social contribution of this school consists in offering circus workshops to young people from the underprivileged neighborhoods of Cali in a bid to improve quality of life in that community.
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL WANTS ABOVE ALL TO TAKE ITS PLACE IN SOCIETY AS A GOOD CITIZEN, WITH ALL THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES THAT GO WITH CITIZENSHIP. BEYOND PHILANTHROPIC GESTURES, GOOD CITIZENSHIP CONSISTS OF AN ATTITUDE OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AT THE VERY HEART OF ALL OUR BUSINESS STRATEGIES AND MANAGEMENT. CIRQUE THEREFORE PAYS PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO ITS RELATIONSHIPS WITH ITS EMPLOYEES, ITS INTERACTIONS WITH ITS AUDIENCE, ITS RELATIONSHIPS WITH BUSINESS PARTNERS, SUPPLIERS AND COMMUNITY NEIGHBORS, AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF ITS ACTIVITIES.
MACAU, CHINA
CALI, COLOMBIA SÃO
PA
ULO
, BR
AZI
L
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
In the fall of 2008, the Dralion troupe played host to a group of teens in the course of an activity organized in partnership with Street Work, a Sydney centre that provides assistance to young people struggling with drugs or alcohol. This visit gave the kids a chance to discover all of the inner workings of Dralion, from the costume workshop to what goes on backstage. They took a turn on the trampoline and the drums, and tried their hands at juggling and improv.
At the various parties held on the occasion of the premiere of Varekai in Antwerp, London, Amsterdam and Berlin, guests were able to appreciate the public performances by dance and circus arts students of CODARTS, a university specializing in the performing arts based in Rotterdam. The result of close cooperation between the European Commercial Office of Cirque du Soleil and CODARTS, the students’ performances provided them not only with some extra tuition money but also with a unique opportunity to learn and develop within the circus community. This reflects the Cirque du Soleil commitment to new generations of performers.
When Quidam was presented in Lisbon in the spring of 2008, it was the first time Cirque du Soleil performed on Portuguese soil. In order to pay homage to Portugal’s rich circus tradition, Cirque du Soleil organized an event jointly with Chapitô, a circus school based in Lisbon. Some 25 Portuguese circus artists and members of circus families gathered festively to see what the fuss was about with the new visitor, Cirque du Soleil, which they greeted very warmly indeed. Just the act of “gathering” was a rare enough occasion, given the very heavy touring schedules in the circus community.
Cirque du Soleil has collaborated with Circus Cabuwazi for a few years, often organizing Cirque du Monde workshops when touring shows visit Berlin. This year, in addition to a clowning and juggling workshop given by Varekai artists to 24 youths from Cabuwazi, Cirque du Soleil graciously gave the organization some tickets enabling them to hold a benefit show, which in turn generated close to ¤20,000 in donations. Also, at a meeting organized with the Cirque du Soleil tent master, Cabuwazi’s management team benefitted from valuable technical tips and advice on how to properly waterproof their own tents and deal with all the leaks and other issues associated with rainy weather.
On the occasion of World AIDS Day, 37 youths undergoing anti-retroviral treatment and participating in Cirque du Monde workshops in collaboration with Zip Zap Circus staged a variety show before 2,000 spectators in the Oliver Tambo Community Centre in Khayelitsha, Cape Town’s biggest township. In the audience were a hundred or so youths from various homes and centres in the region.
Am
ong
the
dif
fere
nt s
ocia
l cir
cus
tra
inin
g se
ssio
ns g
iven
in
Eur
ope
dur
ing
the
yea
r, o
ne p
art
icul
arl
y st
ood
out
. O
rga
nize
d jo
intl
y w
ith
the
CAR
AVA
N n
etw
ork,
thi
s on
e-w
eek
tra
inin
g se
ssio
n he
ld in
Am
ster
da
m in
Ma
rch
2008
br
ough
t to
geth
er 2
4 ci
rcus
inst
ruct
ors
from
all
over
Eur
ope
(Ger
ma
ny, E
ngla
nd, B
elgi
um, F
inla
nd, F
ranc
e, N
orth
ern
Irel
and
, Ita
ly, L
uxem
bour
g, N
ethe
rla
nds
and
Pol
and
) a
s w
ell
as
two
Cirq
ue d
u So
leil
tra
iner
s. T
his
cons
titu
ted
a g
rea
t op
port
unit
y fo
r Cir
que
du
Sole
il to
for
ge s
ome
stro
ng t
ies
wit
h th
e CA
RA
VAN
net
wor
k, w
hich
is c
urre
ntly
ma
de
up o
f se
ven
orga
niza
tion
s re
pres
enti
ng s
ome
of t
he b
est-
know
n ci
rcus
sch
ools
in E
urop
e w
ith
a s
ocia
l and
ed
uca
tion
al f
ocus
.
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL WANTS ABOVE ALL TO TAKE ITS PLACE IN SOCIETY AS A GOOD CITIZEN, WITH ALL THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES THAT GO WITH CITIZENSHIP. BEYOND PHILANTHROPIC GESTURES, GOOD CITIZENSHIP CONSISTS OF AN ATTITUDE OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AT THE VERY HEART OF ALL OUR BUSINESS STRATEGIES AND MANAGEMENT. CIRQUE THEREFORE PAYS PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO ITS RELATIONSHIPS WITH ITS EMPLOYEES, ITS INTERACTIONS WITH ITS AUDIENCE, ITS RELATIONSHIPS WITH BUSINESS PARTNERS, SUPPLIERS AND COMMUNITY NEIGHBORS, AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF ITS ACTIVITIES.
SIDNEY, AUSTRALIAROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
LISBON, PORTUGAL
BERLIN, GERMANY
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
AM
STER
DA
M, N
ETH
ERLA
ND
S
Nearly 15 years ago, when it was time for Cirque du Soleil to set up a permanent infrastructure, we wanted to pick a location where we could have maximal positive impact. By choosing one of Canada’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods, the Saint-Michel sector of northern Montreal, we set ourselves a challenge to meet through meaningful action in the community. It is against this background that Cirque du Soleil became a founding member of TOHU, la Cité des arts du cirque, an NPO founded in 2003 with the threefold mission of making Montreal a world circus arts capital, participating actively in the rehabilitation of one of the biggest urban landfills in North America, and contributing to the development of the Saint-Michel neighborhood.In 2006, Cirque du Soleil sat on the board of directors of the trans-sectoral umbrella movement Vivre Saint-Michel en Santé, within which residents, community groups, and business people from across the Saint-Michel neighborhood work together to define and promote action priorities aimed at improving the quality of life in the neighborhood, and aiding the social and economic development of its residents. These action priorities gave Cirque a role in the work of the Club des Partenaires Culturels de Saint-Michel, the Club des Partenaires sports et Loisirs de Saint-Michel, the Groupe Action Jeunesse and Oser Jarry. From June to September, Cirque du Soleil took part in the “Classes Affaires” project run by Fonds Ville-Marie, an NPO supported by the City of Montreal. In this project, designed to fight the dropout phenomenon, 18 students aged 14 to 16 from high schools in the Saint-Michel neighborhood came to Cirque for internships varying in length from one to five weeks, under the guidance of employees from 12 different divisions of the organization. The Arts Nomades project, a Cirque du Soleil initiative, gives schoolchildren and preschoolers a chance to attend art workshops and cultural activities conducted by artist-teachers. Some 360 preschool- and school-aged children took part in Arts Nomades in 2008. The positive effects on the social and educational development of the students from the Bienville and Saint-Mathieu schools, not to mention their arts and cultural enrichment, encouraged Cirque du Soleil and its partners to extend the pilot phase of this project, which had been scheduled to end in June 2008. Thanks to the mobilization of players from educational, health care and community organizations, a new financial partnership was secured under which the Commission Scolaire de Montréal (the French-language school board) joined Cirque du Soleil as the principal financial backer of the Arts Nomades project. At the close of 2009, Cirque du Soleil, the school board and their partners decided to set a new course for Arts Nomades in order to reach a maximum number of elementary schools in the Saint-Michel district with an arts and culture component in their curriculum. Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil employees truly mobilized during the course of the year to organize team outings in aid of community organizations. These included serving meals at the Old Brewery Mission homeless shelter, sorting food donations at Moisson Montréal (HarvestMontreal), and helping to clean and renovate the premises of a number of organizations working with underprivileged populations— the Maison des Enfants de Montréal, the Colonie des Grèves and the Colonie Sainte-Jeanne d’Arc—as well as the Relais des Jeunes Familles, a non-profit agency in the Saint-Michel district which offers a nurturing, supportive environment for fourteen young families.
BUILDINGFOR THE FUTURE
IT USED TO BE THAT W HEN THE CIRCUS CAME TO TOWN, RESIDENTS WOULD FLOCK TO HELP
THE TROUPE SET UP THE BIG TOP IN A SPIRIT OF
CELEBRATION. BY THE V ERY NATURE OF THEIR
ART, STREET PERFORME RS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN
DRIVEN BY A PROFOUN D NEED TO FORGE TIES WITH OTHERS. WHILE EX EMPLIFYING MODERNITY, CIRQUE DU SOLEIL REM AINS FIRMLY ROOTED IN
THIS AGE-OLD CI RCUS TRADITION.
IT USED TO BE THAT W HEN THE CIRCUS CAME TO TOWN, RESIDENTS WOULD FLOCK TO HELP
THE TROUPE SET UP THE BIG TOP IN A SPIRIT OF
CELEBRATION. BY THE V ERY NATURE OF THEIR
ART, STREET PERFORME RS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN
DRIVEN BY A PROFOUN D NEED TO FORGE TIES WITH OTHERS. WHILE EX EMPLIFYING MODERNITY, CIRQUE DU SOLEIL REM AINS FIRMLY ROOTED IN
THIS AGE-OLD CI RCUS TRADITION.
For t
he la
st f
ew y
ears
, Cir
que
du
Sole
il ha
s be
en o
rga
nizi
ng t
he R
un A
wa
y w
ith
Cirq
ue d
u So
leil
even
t, w
here
eve
ryon
e in
the
com
mun
ity
is in
vite
d t
o ta
ke p
art
in a
5 k
ilom
eter
s ru
n or
one
-mile
wa
lk in
sup
port
of
Cirq
ue’s
pa
rtne
rs in
the
com
mun
ity
wor
king
wit
h a
t-ri
sk y
outh
. In
2008
, the
eve
nt t
ook
on
a w
hole
new
gui
se t
hank
s to
a n
ew p
art
ners
hip
wit
h th
e Sp
ring
s Pr
eser
ve, a
cul
tura
l, h
isto
rica
l and
env
iron
men
tal a
ttra
ctio
n a
t th
e or
igin
al o
asi
s of
La
s Ve
gas.
In a
dd
itio
n to
dis
cove
ring
a g
em o
f a
new
sit
e, e
vent
pa
rtic
ipa
nts—
bols
tere
d a
nd e
ncou
rage
d b
y Ci
rque
du
Sole
il a
rtis
ts a
nd v
olun
teer
s— h
elpe
d
colle
ct m
ore
tha
n $4
5,00
0 fo
r the
Cen
ter f
or In
dep
end
ent
Livi
ng, W
est
Care
and
the
And
re A
gass
i Cha
rita
ble
Foun
da
tion
. For
a s
econ
d c
onse
cuti
ve y
ear,
th
e N
eva
da
Ba
llet
Thea
tre
and
Cir
que
du
Sole
il ha
ve jo
ined
for
ces
to p
rese
nt t
he C
hore
ogra
pher
s’ S
how
case
, a p
roje
ct t
o st
imul
ate
and
enc
oura
ge
art
isti
c gr
owth
. Thi
s un
ique
col
labo
rati
on p
rem
iere
d t
en o
rigi
nal w
orks
cre
ate
d a
nd p
erfo
rmed
by
da
ncer
s fr
om t
he N
eva
da
Ba
llet
Thea
tre
and
Cir
que
d
u So
leil.
Aft
er t
he re
soun
din
g su
cces
s of
thi
s ev
ent
in 2
007,
an
ad
dit
iona
l per
form
anc
e w
as
ad
ded
in 2
008,
for
a t
ota
l of
two
publ
ic p
erfo
rma
nces
. In
ad
dit
ion,
as
in t
he p
revi
ous
yea
r, s
ome
1,10
0 st
uden
ts f
rom
14
scho
ols
in t
he C
lark
Cou
nty
scho
ol d
istr
ict
att
end
ed t
he f
ull d
ress
rehe
ars
al.
Som
e of
the
m b
elon
ged
to
the
Nev
ad
a B
alle
t Th
eatr
e’s
Futu
re D
anc
e pr
ogra
m, w
hich
rais
es a
wa
rene
ss in
sch
ools
to
brin
g th
e a
rt o
f d
anc
e to
chi
ldre
n fr
om
und
erpr
ivile
ged
nei
ghbo
rhoo
ds.
The
ma
in o
bjec
tive
of
this
eve
nt, w
hich
wa
s pr
iced
at
$20
or $
40, w
as
to m
ake
cul
ture
acc
essi
ble
to a
ll m
embe
rs o
f so
ciet
y. T
he m
ore
expe
nsiv
e ti
cket
s se
rved
to
subs
idiz
e th
e pr
ice
of t
icke
ts f
or s
tud
ents
att
end
ing
the
full
dre
ss re
hea
rsa
l. A
tot
al o
f ov
er 2
,600
tic
kets
w
ere
sold
for
the
eve
nt, w
hich
wa
s he
ld f
or a
sec
ond
yea
r in
the
Mys
tère
the
atr
e. A
ll of
the
pro
fits
fro
m t
he e
vent
—to
talli
ng m
ore
tha
n $3
0,00
0—w
ere
then
don
ate
d in
sup
port
of
the
Nev
ad
a B
alle
t Th
eatr
e.
WO
RK
INLA
S V
EGA
SP
31
CREATING CONNECTIONS
2
1
23500
7
RESIDENT SHOWS
CITIES VISITED IN 2009
KÀOMystèreLa NoubaThe Beatles LOVE ZoomanityCriss Angel BeLIEve
NORTHAMERICA
NORTH AMERICA
NORTH AMERICA
NO
RTH
AM
ERICA
NORTH AMERICA
NO
RTH
AM
ERIC
A
IN 2009
CIRQUE DU MONDE SITES ACTIVE
Manawan WemotaciDrummondville Baie-Saint-PaulMontrealQuebec CitySherbrookeVictoriavilleAtlantaLas VegasLos AngelesNew YorkOrlando
7500
1
1
57 5
TOURING SHOWS UNDER BIG TOPS
INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS
REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS
OvoKooza
In Montreal
In Las Vegas
NORTH AMERICA
SEASONAL SHOW
Wintuk
TICKETS GRACIOUSLY OFFERED TO ORGANIZATIONS WORKING WITH TROUBLED YOUTH ENABLING THEM TO ORGANIZE BENEFIT SHOWS
TICKETS DONATED TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS ENABLING THEIR BENEFICIARIES TO ENJOY OUR SHOWS
SOCIAL CIRCUS TRAINING SESSIONS
20 organizations in Canada and the US
13
As
soon
as
Cirq
ue re
turn
ed s
ome
profi
t, w
e se
t ou
t to
giv
e ba
ck a
litt
le o
f w
hat
life
had
giv
en m
e. T
hat
wa
s ho
w C
irq
ue d
u M
ond
e w
as
born
. Thi
s so
cia
l a
ctio
n pr
ogra
m h
as
rest
ored
the
cou
rage
and
con
fid
ence
of
mill
ions
of
youn
g pe
ople
aro
und
the
wor
ld. T
oda
y, w
e co
ntin
ue t
o d
rea
m o
f a
fa
irer
, mor
e ju
st w
orld
. A w
orld
whe
re e
very
hum
an
bein
g ha
s a
cces
s to
cle
an
wa
ter a
nd c
an
live
in d
igni
ty a
nd h
ealt
h. T
he w
ildes
t d
rea
ms
can
com
e tr
ue w
hen
we
all
inve
st o
ur e
nerg
y, w
illpo
wer
and
cre
ati
vity
. One
dro
p a
t a
tim
e, o
ne s
tep
at
a t
ime,
we
can
do
it. O
UR
MIS
SIO
N:
To fi
ght
pove
rty
by p
rovi
din
g a
cces
s to
wa
ter a
nd ra
isin
g a
wa
rene
ss a
mon
g in
div
idua
ls a
nd c
omm
unit
ies
abo
ut t
he n
eed
for
mob
iliza
tion
in o
rder
to
ma
ke s
afe
wa
ter a
cces
sibl
e to
all,
in
suffi
cien
t q
uant
ity,
tod
ay
and
tom
orro
w. O
UR
GO
AL
: To
pla
y a
role
in c
hang
ing
and
infl
uenc
ing
how
sa
fe w
ate
r is
sha
red
and
ma
de
acc
essi
ble
aro
und
th
e w
orld
. VA
LUES
: W
ate
r: a
com
mon
her
ita
ge a
nd a
fun
da
men
tal h
uma
n ri
ght.
Wa
ter i
s es
sent
ial t
o lif
e. It
is a
sha
red
inhe
rent
righ
t to
be
pres
erve
d,
prot
ecte
d a
nd m
ad
e a
cces
sibl
e to
all,
tod
ay
and
tom
orro
w. •
Sol
ida
rity
and
sha
ring
the
wea
lth.
Wor
king
tog
ethe
r to
sha
re k
now
led
ge, e
xper
ienc
e a
nd
dre
am
s, a
s w
ell a
s m
ate
ria
l, fi
nanc
ial a
nd h
uma
n re
sour
ces
is t
he o
nly
wa
y to
gro
w t
oget
her a
nd fi
ght
pove
rty.
• C
rea
tivi
ty. D
ari
ng a
nd c
rea
tivi
ty g
ive
rise
to
proj
ects
tha
t in
spir
e ch
ang
e a
nd n
ew s
olut
ions
—id
eas
tha
t go
bey
ond
any
imm
edia
te im
pact
to
infl
uenc
e lo
ng-t
erm
suc
cess
. • T
rans
pare
ncy
and
Inte
grit
y. B
y m
ain
tain
ing
the
high
est
sta
nda
rds
of a
ccou
nta
bilit
y a
nd e
thic
al p
ract
ices
, we
wor
k to
ea
rn a
nd p
rese
rve
the
confi
den
ce a
nd re
spec
t of
our
don
ors,
pa
rtne
rs a
nd t
he p
ublic
. The
gui
din
g pr
inci
ples
of
ON
E D
RO
P™ a
re b
ase
d o
n th
e w
ill t
o en
sure
the
long
evit
y of
our
init
iati
ves.
1 U
se o
f a
rts
and
cul
ture
whe
n d
evel
opin
g in
itia
tive
s. 2
Dev
elop
men
t a
nd im
plem
enta
tion
of
its
own
proj
ects
3 P
art
icip
ati
on in
coo
pera
tive
ven
ture
s, w
hich
re
qui
res
tha
t th
e fo
llow
ing
crit
eria
exi
st 4
La
ck o
f a
cces
s to
wa
ter 5
Goo
d g
over
nanc
e 6
An
orga
nize
d c
ivil
soci
ety
7 P
ract
ica
l, m
easu
rabl
e re
sult
s 8
Pa
rtne
rshi
ps a
re m
ad
e w
ith
orga
niza
tion
s re
cogn
ized
for
the
ir s
ocia
l and
cul
tura
l acc
ompl
ishm
ents
, and
col
labo
rati
on w
ith
loca
l pop
ula
tion
s a
nd
nong
over
nmen
tal o
rga
niza
tion
s. 9
Utm
ost
resp
ect
for s
ocia
l and
cul
tura
l div
ersi
ty. 1
0 O
NE
DR
OP
is n
on-p
art
isa
n.
ON
E D
RO
PFO
UN
DA
TIO
N
P 36
CREA
TIN
G A
GR
EEN
ER W
OR
LD
CORTEO
KÀ
KO
OZA
DR
ALI
ON
ALEGRÍA
In keeping with its role as the environmental conscience on tour, the Alegría school installed a very simple water-recovery system using rain barrels during the show’s run in Brazil. Simple as can be, this initiative appreciably reduced the tour’s consumption of drinking water, as the rain-barrel water was used for the team’s housekeeping needs. When Alegría was running in Brazil, students from the touring school decided to raise funds and contribute to tree planting. They did this by designing rather unique T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan “Do Not Disturb Nature” and selling them to tour employees. Because the site of the big top in São Paulo was right in the middle of a park, the students took advantage of the situation to plant some trees themselves. That was the story behind the fact that on Earth Day, ten new trees sprouted in Villa Lobos park, compliments of the student body and with the help of tour personnel and members of their families
The Corteo team has instituted a series of initiatives to improve the management of water on tour. The first step was to considerably reduce staff consumption of single-use plastic bottles. This was achieved by giving personnel reusable bottles (with carabiners to hang them on), and by installing drinking water fountains throughout the site where employees could refill these bottles. To encourage compliance, Tour Services has been paying a special bonus to all permanent employees who procure their own reusable bottle or hydration pack. Corteo has also been chosen, with KOOZA, to host a pilot project on low-flow sanitation equipment. Since every little bit helps, even the water condensing on the air conditioning system is recovered to water the plants in the tour offices.
In addition to the recycling measures already after-meal waste themselves. in effect at KÀ, a new recycling project was put in place for cellular telephones. Employees can now drop off their old phones, batteries and chargers in a box to that effect, and these items will be properly recycled rather than dumped into a landfill. Given the highly technical environment that KÀ artists and technicians work in, they often own unused devices, so this initiative was just the ticket.
Sinc
e it
s ea
rly
da
ys, K
OO
ZA h
as
alw
ays
ma
de
a p
oint
of
recy
clin
g a
lum
inum
, gla
ss, p
last
ic a
nd p
ape
r. In
200
8 ca
me
the
cha
lleng
e of
a p
ilot
proj
ect
ad
din
g th
e co
mpo
stin
g of
kit
chen
wa
ste
to
thes
e a
lrea
dy
com
men
da
ble
pra
ctic
es. S
ince
90%
of
kitc
hen
refu
se is
foo
d w
ast
e, c
ompo
stin
g w
as
an
easy
cho
ice.
Whi
le t
hese
ef
fort
s w
ere
ongo
ing,
som
e w
ast
e-re
duc
tion
mea
sure
s w
ere
als
o in
stit
uted
. KO
OZA
per
sonn
el e
limin
ate
d s
tra
ws,
sti
r sti
cks
and
co
ffee
-cup
lid
s, a
s w
ell a
s in
div
idua
l por
tion
s of
whi
te s
uga
r and
bu
tter
. Ga
rba
ge b
ags
wer
e a
lso
pha
sed
out
, fur
ther
red
ucin
g th
e a
mou
nt o
f w
ast
e en
din
g up
as
land
fill.
The
com
post
col
lect
ed is
st
ored
in a
big
bin
pro
vid
ed b
y th
e co
mpo
stin
g co
mpa
ny, w
hich
co
mes
by
twic
e a
wee
k to
col
lect
it.
In M
ay,
the
Chi
nese
stu
den
ts in
the
Dra
lion
trou
pe
join
ed a
few
of
the
show
’s a
rtis
ts t
o ta
ke p
art
in a
ma
jor
bea
ch c
lea
n-up
in F
ukuo
ka, J
apa
n. T
his
wa
s a
n ex
celle
nt
wa
y to
va
lida
te a
ll of
the
aw
are
ness
-ra
isin
g a
bout
en
viro
nmen
tal i
ssue
s co
nduc
ted
wit
h th
ese
youn
g pe
ople
, a
nd t
o pu
t so
me
of t
he t
heor
y in
to p
ract
ice.
The
re w
as
a f
urth
er b
onus
in t
hat
thei
r ha
rd la
bour
did
mor
e th
an
bene
fit
the
envi
ronm
ent;
the
Chi
nese
tro
upe
mem
bers
w
ant
ed t
o a
lso
dem
onst
rate
the
ir g
rati
tud
e fo
r the
he
lp t
heir
cou
ntry
rece
ived
fro
m Ja
pan
in a
ll th
e a
rea
s d
eva
sta
ted
by
a s
erie
s of
na
tura
l dis
ast
ers
in 2
008.
SIN
CE T
HE
AD
OP
TIO
N O
F IT
S EN
VIR
ON
MEN
TAL
PO
LICY
IN 2
00
6, C
IRQ
UE
DU
SO
LEIL
HA
S CO
NTI
NU
ED T
O IM
PLE
MEN
T EN
VIR
ON
MEN
TAL
MA
NA
GEM
ENT
MEA
SUR
ES R
ELA
TIN
G T
O T
HE
MA
NA
GEM
ENT
OF
WA
TER
, AIR
QU
ALI
TY A
ND
CLI
MA
TE C
HA
NG
E, A
S W
ELL
AS
WA
STE
MA
NA
GEM
ENT
AN
D H
AZA
RD
OU
S M
ATE
RIA
LS. T
HE
INTE
RN
ATI
ON
AL
HEA
DQ
UA
RTE
RS
IN M
ON
TREA
L EX
PAN
DED
WIT
H T
HE
AD
DIT
ION
OF
A N
EW B
UIL
DIN
G IN
20
07
, WH
ICH
INCL
UD
ED
ENV
IRO
NM
ENTA
LLY
FRIE
ND
LY F
EATU
RES
IN IT
S D
ESIG
N. C
IRQ
UE
INST
ALL
ED A
RES
ERV
OIR
FO
R R
AIN
WA
TER
CO
LLEC
TED
FR
OM
RO
OFS
AN
D T
HE
PAR
KIN
G L
OTS
OF
ITS
INTE
RN
ATI
ON
AL
HEA
DQ
UA
RTE
RS.
IN N
OR
TH A
MER
ICA
, A C
OM
PR
EHEN
SIV
E R
ECYC
LIN
G S
YSTE
M W
AS
SET
UP
FO
R K
OO
ZA,
WH
ILE
IN E
UR
OP
E A
ND
LA
TIN
AM
ERIC
A, R
ECYC
LIN
G S
YSTE
MS
WER
E SE
T U
P IN
PU
BLI
C A
REA
S. IN
AD
DIT
ION
, MEA
SUR
ES T
O R
EDU
CE W
AST
E W
ERE
IMP
LEM
ENTE
D IN
TH
E CA
FETE
RIA
S O
F D
RA
LIO
N, K
OO
ZA A
ND
CO
RTE
O.
VÉL
OSY
MPA
THIQ
UE
AW
AR
D
INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS
BOTTLED WATER ON TOUR
Although Cirque du Soleil essentially phased out the sale of bottled water in its offices in 2007, an appropriate solution for touring operations remains elusive. That was the impetus behind the 2008 study to rate the different water sale and distribution alternatives. Conducted by an outside firm, the study focussed on analyzing life cycles from an environmental perspective. A life-cycle analysis makes it possible to assess the environmental impact of a product throughout its “life,” from the extraction of raw materials to production, use and, finally, disposal. A life-cycle analysis was also conducted to determine the impact of various reusable water bottles. Further knowledge of environmental issues associated with the different water sales and distribution alternatives will help establish decision-making parameters for the company’s future choices.
Cirq
ue d
u So
leil
is t
he 2
009
win
ner o
f th
e E
ntre
pris
e Vé
losy
mpa
thiq
ue
(bik
e-fr
iend
ly c
ompa
ny)
aw
ard
fro
m V
élo
Qué
bec.
Vél
o Q
uébe
c a
wa
rds
this
acc
ola
de
to h
onou
r bu
sine
sses
and
oth
er o
rga
niza
tion
s th
at
ma
ke c
oncr
ete
cont
ribu
tion
s in
the
ir w
orkp
lace
s to
fos
ter
and
pro
mot
e bi
cycl
e co
mm
utin
g. C
irq
ue w
as
sele
cted
for
its
ma
ny
init
iati
ves
at
Mon
trea
l hea
dq
uart
ers:
200
bic
ycle
pa
rkin
g sp
ots,
a
flee
t of
sel
f-se
rve
bicy
cles
any
one
can
use,
tw
o w
orks
hop
da
ys
wit
h bi
ke m
echa
nics
on
hand
, a d
raw
for
hyb
rid
bic
ycle
s to
be
won
by
em
ploy
ees,
and
ea
sy w
orkp
lace
acc
ess
to s
how
er f
aci
litie
s a
nd
a lo
cker
room
. The
ma
in re
aso
ns C
irq
ue d
u So
leil
wa
s a
wa
rded
thi
s d
isti
ncti
on w
ere
the
enga
ged
pa
rtic
ipa
tion
of
dif
fere
nt u
nits
of
the
com
pany
and
the
hig
h nu
mbe
r of
empl
oyee
s co
mm
utin
g by
bik
e.
SINCE TH
E AD
OP
TION
OF ITS EN
VIR
ON
MEN
TAL P
OLICY IN
20
06
, CIRQ
UE D
U SO
LEIL HA
S CON
TINU
ED TO
IMP
LEMEN
T ENV
IRO
NM
ENTA
L MA
NA
GEM
ENT
MEA
SUR
ES RELA
TING
TO TH
E MA
NA
GEM
ENT O
F WA
TER, A
IR Q
UA
LITY AN
D CLIM
ATE CH
AN
GE, A
S WELL A
S WA
STE MA
NA
GEM
ENT A
ND
HA
ZAR
DO
US
MA
TERIA
LS. THE IN
TERN
ATIO
NA
L HEA
DQ
UA
RTER
S IN M
ON
TREA
L EXPAN
DED
WITH
THE A
DD
ITION
OF A
NEW
BU
ILDIN
G IN
20
07
, WH
ICH IN
CLUD
ED
ENV
IRO
NM
ENTA
LLY FRIEN
DLY FEA
TUR
ES IN ITS D
ESIGN
. CIRQ
UE IN
STALLED
A R
ESERV
OIR
FOR
RA
INW
ATER
COLLECTED
FRO
M R
OO
FS AN
D TH
E PA
RK
ING
LOTS O
F ITS INTER
NA
TION
AL H
EAD
QU
AR
TERS. IN
NO
RTH
AM
ERICA
, A CO
MP
REH
ENSIV
E RECYCLIN
G SYSTEM
WA
S SET UP
FOR
KO
OZA
, W
HILE IN
EUR
OP
E AN
D LA
TIN A
MER
ICA, R
ECYCLING
SYSTEMS W
ERE SET U
P IN
PU
BLIC A
REA
S. IN A
DD
ITION
, MEA
SUR
ES TO R
EDU
CE WA
STE WER
E IM
PLEM
ENTED
IN TH
E CAFETER
IAS O
F DR
ALIO
N, K
OO
ZA A
ND
COR
TEO.
An ambitious plan was instituted in 2006 to reduce the company’s water consumption. Since then, a number of additional initiatives were adopted, including the installation of dual-flush toilets (which use 71% less water than before), the installation of low-flow faucets with infrared sensors (86% less water), the replacement of shower heads with low-flow types (40% less water) and the addition of a filtration system to the outside decorative basin (95% less water), among other conservation measures. Continuing in this vein in 2008, Cirque du Soleil installed and commissioned a rain water collection basin with a 400,000 liters capacity. This recovery system collects rainwater from the roofs of certain buildings at Headquarters and the Végécol-paved parking lot next to the basin. The oils and solids in the runoff water from the parking lot thus get filtered out, which reduces the amount of contaminants that would otherwise end up in the municipal sewer system. The water recovered in this basin flushes all the toilets in the new Headquarters annex built in 2007. There will be enough left over to irrigate all of the lawns and gardens, and for any pressure cleaning as well. The basin was designed and installed in 2008 and 2009, and officially put into commission in December. Although it was only used during the last month of the year—including the Holidays when there are fewer people present— it resulted in savings of 57,400 liters of water in sanitation water alone. If the water used for irrigation is factored in, the results of which will only be known after the summer, water savings could add as much as two million liters to the amount of water saved through the earlier measures. When the IHQ cafeteria was renovated, new facilities were installed to make it easier to sort recyclable waste and compost. Employees now have the responsibility of sorting all their after-meal waste themselves. In 2007, Cirque du Soleil set up a new program to encourage employees to take public transit by paying 50% of the cost of their public transportation fees. In 2009, the program was going stronger than ever, and there were 25% more public transit users than the year before.
AFRICA, ASIA AND OCEANIA
AFRICA, ASIA AND OCEANIA
AFR
ICA
, ASI
A A
ND
OCE
AN
IA
AFR
ICA, A
SIA A
ND
OCEA
NIA
2
7
7
970
TOURING SHOWS UNDER BIG TOPS
CITIES VISITED IN 2009
RESIDENT SHOWS
AlegríaDralion
ZAIAZed
AFR
ICA
A
SIA
AN
D
OCE
AN
IAIN
20
09
AFRICA, ASIA AND OCEANIA
AFR
ICA
, ASI
A A
ND
OCE
AN
IA
2
1
2
2800
REGIONAL HEAD OFFICE IN MACAU
TICKETS GRACIOUSLY OFFERED TO ORGANIZATIONS WORKING WITH TROUBLED YOUTH ENABLING THEM TO ORGANIZE BENEFIT SHOWS
TICKETS DONATED TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS ENABLING THEIR BENEFICIARIES TO ENJOY OUR SHOWS
SOCIAL CIRCUS TRAINING SESSIONS
16 organizations4 countries
CIRQUE DU MONDE SITES ACTIVE
OuagadoudouCape TownDurbanSingaporeUlaanbaatarDomodBroken Hill
With such extreme diversity right at its very heart, it is vitally important for the organization to welcome and value the differences between people and communities. And because creation is the essence of Cirque’s mission, values around our citizenship role are equally diverse. The work environment has a great impact on employees’ quality of life, family lives and health. For some years now, a set of original measures have been in place at Cirque du Soleil to establish an open, safe, creative and friendly work environment for its employees. Creativity is the driving force behind everything Cirque du Soleil does and must be central to the daily lives of all employees. It is vital for cirque du Soleil to maintain a healthy, stimulating, productive work environment, one that fosters creativity and fulfillment for all employees, and clearly reflects a sound, creative, committed organization. At the same time, the realities faced by all employees in the organization must be taken into consideration. Cirque du Soleil subscribes to the principle of equal opportunity employment without distinction, exclusion or preference, in particular in the following areas: race, color, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, sexual identity, marital status, age, status of life partnership, religion, beliefs, political convictions, language, ethnic or national origin, ancestry, social status, HIV-AIDS, weight, size, disability and the use of any means to offset any disability. Work Environment The company is committed to providing and maintaining a harassment-free climate in the workplace, to guarantee each individual employee’s physical and psychological integrity and to safeguard their dignity.In addition to salary Cirque du Soleil’s employee compensation packages include group insurance, a pension plan, paid holidays, etc. Cirque du Soleil also offers indirect benefits such as a subsidized cafeteria, free parking and no dress code requirements. PARADE: The Support Program for Employees’ Artistic Projects (PARADE) encourages and supports employees in their artistic endeavours, by providing them with advice and financial aid. The works are then performed or exhibited in the organization’s offices. In 2009 over 50 employees in Montreal and Las Vegas showed their work throughout the summer.
CREATIVITYAT WORK
P 46
WITH A WORK FORCE A LREADY NUMBERING OVER 4000, INCLUDIN G OVER 1000 ARTISTS,
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL C ONTINUES TO GROW. PEOPLE FROM OVER 40 COUNTRIES WORK
TOGETHER, IN THE SPE CIAL SPIRIT OF INTENSE
COOPERATION NEEDED BY THE SHOW CREATION
AND PERFORMANCE PR OCESS, AND A TOURING LIFESTYLE SPANNIN G FIVE CONTINENTS—
ALL IN 25 DIFFER ENT LANGUAGES.
WITH A WORK FORCE A LREADY NUMBERING OVER 4000, INCLUDIN G OVER 1000 ARTISTS,
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL C ONTINUES TO GROW. PEOPLE FROM OVER 40 COUNTRIES WORK
TOGETHER, IN THE SPE CIAL SPIRIT OF INTENSE
COOPERATION NEEDED BY THE SHOW CREATION
AND PERFORMANCE PR OCESS, AND A TOURING LIFESTYLE SPANNIN G FIVE CONTINENTS—
ALL IN 25 DIFFER ENT LANGUAGES.
Cirq
ue d
u So
leil
rem
ain
s, fi
rst
and
for
emos
t, a
pro
vid
er o
f cr
eati
ve c
onte
nt f
or a
hos
t of
pro
ject
s: s
how
s un
der
the
big
top
, in
are
nas
and
in p
erm
ane
nt
thea
tres
, and
the
cre
ati
on o
f te
levi
sion
, vid
eo, D
VD, fi
lm a
nd m
usic
pro
duc
ts. S
o th
at
empl
oyee
s in
all
div
isio
ns m
ay
beco
me
mor
e fa
mili
ar w
ith
the
orga
niza
tion
’s c
ore
busi
ness
, Cir
que
ha
s in
trod
uced
pol
icie
s to
giv
e th
em e
asi
er a
cces
s to
the
se p
rod
ucts
. For
inst
anc
e, e
mpl
oyee
s a
t In
tern
ati
ona
l H
ead
qua
rter
s (I
HQ
) w
hose
wor
k en
viro
nmen
t is
less
clo
sely
link
ed t
o th
e d
aily
pre
sent
ati
on o
f sh
ows
are
the
firs
t to
see
act
s by
art
ists
who
ha
ve ju
st
com
plet
ed t
heir
Cir
que
du
Sole
il tr
ain
ing.
Lun
chti
me
talk
s fe
atu
ring
the
cre
ati
ve t
eam
s fo
r our
new
sho
ws
are
als
o or
gani
zed
to
keep
em
ploy
ees
up t
o d
ate
on
the
prog
ress
of
new
pro
ject
s. A
nd e
ach
yea
r, a
cer
tain
num
ber o
f co
mpl
imen
tary
tic
kets
are
dis
trib
uted
to
regu
lar e
mpl
oyee
s, w
ho a
lso
bene
fit
from
pri
ce re
duc
tion
s in
eve
ry c
ity
whe
re t
he s
how
s pe
rfor
m a
nd c
onsi
der
abl
e d
isco
unts
on
mer
cha
ndis
e. In
ad
dit
ion,
Cir
que
org
ani
zes
ann
ual t
rips
to
allo
w e
mpl
oyee
s to
tra
vel t
o Ci
rque
du
Sole
il sh
ows
mor
e ch
eapl
y, w
heth
er t
hey’
re g
oing
to
see
our r
esid
ent
show
s in
La
s Ve
gas
and
Orl
and
o, o
r tou
ring
sh
ows
pass
ing
thro
ugh
citi
es n
ear o
ur o
ther
pla
ces
of b
usin
ess.
CON
NEC
TIN
GTH
E D
OTS
P 5
1
CREA
TIN
G A
GO
OD
WO
RK
PLA
CE
EUROPE
EUR
OP
E
EUR
OP
E
26
1
8000
TICKETS DONATED TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS ENABLING THEIR BENEFICIARIES TO ENJOY OUR SHOWS
TOURING SHOWS UNDER BIG TOPS
QuidamVarekai
TICKETS GRACIOUSLY OFFERED TO ORGANIZATIONS WORKING WITH TROUBLED YOUTH ENABLING THEM TO ORGANIZE BENEFIT SHOWS
CIRQUE DU MONDE SITES ACTIVE
La LouviereAmsterdam
2
EUROPE
EUROPE
EUROPE
EUR
OP
E
1
5800
2
2
IN 2009
CITIES VISITED IN 2009
COMMERCIAL OFFICE IN AMSTERDAM
TOURING ARENA SHOW
Delirium
SOCIAL CIRCUS TRAINING SESSIONS
14 organizations10 countries
Cirque du Soleil now has operations around the world, venturing beyond North America, Europe and Australia into South America, the Middle East and Asia. We are truly a global organization, interacting with a growing number of suppliers and business partners. Back in 2006, cirque considered this aspect of its Business strategies to assess the issues it raises in terms of social responsibility. There was consensus within the organization on the need to set up an ethical procurement program and establish dialogue with our partners and suppliers. By ethical procurement, we mean a series of measures designed to ensure that the products the organization markets (our merchandise) and the products we buy are manufactured in conditions where people and the environment are respected. Cirque du Soleil values are naturally attuned to the ethical issues surrounding procurement, but the organization still needs to work on extending its practical knowledge in this regard. In 2006, therefore, managers from key sectors participated in a training session on responsible procurement, which gave them tools to assess the main risks and issues around responsible procurement and set up a process to implement a responsible procurement program. To penetrate new markets, Cirque reaches agreements with local promoters. At present, we have such agreements with many partners. Our contracts with promoters cover aspects related to social responsibility: social outreach, conditions for temporary workers, a child labour clause for merchandise produced by local promoters. Our efforts in this area greatly improved our relationship with our South American promoter. We convinced our partner to lower its profits in order to give back to local communities, in particular by donating tickets for benefit performances and reserving 500 tickets to the dress rehearsal in each city for organizations that work with at-risk youth. We even had a direct positive impact on conditions for temporary workers. In fact, as a result of observations from Cirque du Soleil employees, we got the promoter to agree to provide meals for temporary workers depending on the hours they worked at our site.
OUR PARTNERSAND SUPPLIERS
In 2008, the company adopted a new procurement policy aiming at standardizing practices and providing a clear framework for all of procurement decisions. This policy aims to improve the financial longevity of Cirque du Soleil by optimizing the choice of goods and services it procures, controlling business risks Cirque may encounter in the procurement process, and guaranteeing that our procurement choices meet our social responsibility criteria by subscribing to sustainable development processes. The policy includes a section on the ethics and code of conduct for procurement that clarifies roles and responsibilities, defines desirable behavior, and establishes good business practices when it comes to procurement. Another section sets out social responsibility principles for suppliers. As Cirque du Soleil has dealings with a growing number of suppliers, the procurement policy defines the basic environmental and workers’ rights principles they are expected to follow. The company’s approach when applying this policy is based on dialogue and cooperation. The policy should be implemented in a spirit of commitment to continuous improvement from both Cirque du Soleil and its suppliers. A supplier evaluation questionnaire was devised and a pilot assessment was carried out among ten suppliers in the fall of 2009. The company called on an external consulting firm to provide a market overview of organic cotton. This study identified the environmental and social issues of this sector, and provided an evaluation of the different certifications relating to the harvesting and production of cotton that is grown organically. Based on the resulting study, discussions can take place with the company’s suppliers, and more ethical choices can be made with respect to cotton purchases. Cirque du Soleil plays an active role in associations that seek to give new impetus to corporate social responsibility and community relations. In 2002, we joined Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), an organization which represents many multinationals and most of North America’s major companies. Since 2004, we have also been a member of Business in the Community (BITC), to which most large businesses in the United Kingdom belong.
P 59
CREATING A GOOD PARTNERSHIPS
25
1000
200
DIFFERENT LANGUAGES SPOKEN BY CIRQUE’S EMPLOYEES
EMPLOYEES WORLDWIDE
NATIONALITIES OF EMPLOYEES
CIR
QU
E’S
NU
MB
ERS
CIRQUE’S NUMBERS
CIRQUE’S NUMBERS
CIRQUE’S NUMBERS
PEOPLE SAW A CIRQUE DU SOLEIL SHOW IN 2009
15 MILLION
4000
40
CITIES VISITED AROUND THE WORLD
ARTISTS EMPLOYED
CIR
QU
E’S
NU
MB
ERS
CIRQUE’S NUMBERS
CIRQUE’SNUMBERS
1800
PEOPLE SAW A CIRQUE DU SOLEIL SHOW SINCE1984
90 MILLION
Since adopting its environmental policy in 2006, Cirque du Soleil has implemented a series of steps to assess and reduce its ecological footprint, especially in terms of its management of water, its energy efficiency, and its handling of waste and hazardous materials. Cirque du Soleil would like to significantly reduce the environmental impact of its operations, particularly those related to its touring shows, which represent the greatest portion of the company’s ecological footprint. To do so, in 2010, Cirque du Soleil will continue to equip itself with effective measuring instruments so it has the means to assess the real impact of both current and future environmental initiatives and to set clear improvement goals for itself. Over the last few years, Cirque du Soleil has made good use of the tools at its disposal to open a dialogue with its business partners and suppliers regarding issues of social responsibility and sustainable development. These tools include the social responsibility clause included in Cirque’s contracts with its business partners since 2007 and the procurement policy the company adopted in 2008. Given the current economic situation, it is all the more incumbent on Cirque du Soleil to establish and maintain a fruitful dialogue with its business partners and suppliers with a view to transforming simple good intentions into actions that have a tangible impact on the areas of social responsibility and sustainable development.
WE CAN DO EVEN MORE
P 6
4
CREATING NEW CHALLENGES
CIRQUE WANT S TO ENSURE THE SUCCESSFUL TRANSMISSION
OF OUR CULTURE AND OUR VALUES.
WE ARE A MERCH ANT OF HAPPINESS, BUT WE ALSO WANT TO WORK
TO CREATE A B ETTER WORLD.
THE SCOPE AND CR EDIBILITY OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS WI LL DEPEND ON THE
CONSISTENCY O F OUR ACTIONS.
CIRQUE WANT S TO ENSURE THE SUCCESSFUL TRANSMISSION
OF OUR CULTURE AND OUR VALUES.
WE ARE A MERCH ANT OF HAPPINESS, BUT WE ALSO WANT TO WORK
TO CREATE A B ETTER WORLD.
THE SCOPE AND CR EDIBILITY OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS WI LL DEPEND ON THE
CONSISTENCY O F OUR ACTIONS.
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS8400, 2E AVENUEMONTRÉAL, QUÉBEC H4Z 1M6CANADAPHONE: 514-722-2324SECONDARY PHONE: 800-678-2119FAX: 514-722-3692
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL IS A PRIVATELY HELD COMPANY
DANIEL LAMARRE: PRESIDENT AND CEO
WWW.CIRQUEDUSOLEIL.COM
PHOTOS FROM FLICKR.COM
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