Tag: corporate social responsibility

Fund managers and other institutional investors should be scrutinised for their shareholder voting on social responsibility, says the founder of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Coalition.

SPECIAL REPORT / Proposals for disclosure of non-financial information by large companies to beef up corporate social responsibility (CSR) launched by the Commission yesterday (16 April) go too far for business interests, but not far enough for NGOs.

Many Europeans appear to have lost trust in the corporate world, with a significant proportion believing that companies are paying less attention to their impact on society and the environment than they were 10 years ago, says a Eurobarometer poll.

Unilever, the European consumer products company, recently announced the first annual results of its Sustainable Living Plan aimed at improving efficiency in the full cycle of its product line – from production through consumption. Jan Zijderveld talks about how the plan – launched in 2010 – has changed the firm’s outlook.

An EU blueprint to increase businesses accountability on environmental and social matters has raised expectations among NGOs that welcomed the "change of tone" in the European Commission's approach but remained cautious on the implementation.

The European Commission is considering imposing "standardised mandatory reporting" on how companies communicate about corporate social and environmental issues, in an effort to rebuild citizens' trust in business ethics.

Current proposals for EU anti-discrimination legislation are too weak when it comes to disability rights and require strong action from the Swedish Presidency, European Disability Forum (EDF) Director Carlotta Besozzi told EurActiv in an interview.

The first half of 2009 will determine not only whether the EU is successful in leading the global response to the financial crisis, but also what is required to make the European social model work in the 21st century, according to former European Commissioner Viscount Etienne Davignon, president of both Friends of Europe and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Europe, who spoke to EurActiv ahead of this week's EU summit.

Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Commissioner Vladimír Špidla discusses corporate social responsibility (CSR) and 'flexicurity' with EurActiv Czech Republic. These concepts, while frequently promoted by the European Commission, are still relatively unknown to new member states.

UK NGO ActionAid accuses big supermarkets of exploiting female workers in developing countries. The EU should establish EU-wide legislation to curb the damaging effects of supermarket buying power, the report recommends.

Euro MPs have backed a proposal aimed at guaranteeing the independence of auditors against the management of major listed companies in a bid to prevent further Parmalat and Ahold scandals.

To do good and to talk about it – this simple phrase might be an effective description of the commitment of companies to the principles of sustainability and responsibility. But only few of them actually understand and implement Corporate Social Responsibility practices, says Antje Hoppe in Politik & Kommunikation.

On 2-4 October, CEOs and other corporate leaders will gather in New York to discuss the business case for corporate social responsibility.