About: corporate social responsibility
Tackling youth unemployment and the skills gap
EU and business leaders are very keen to address the high levels of youth unemployment and the emerging skills gap across Europe by offering young people opportunities to play an active role in the European economy, writes Stefan Crets.
UN Treaty negotiations: A chance for the EU to champion human rights
Would people still stop for a red traffic light or respect the speed limit if everyone knew they would not be fined? The same applies to corporate accountability, writes Anne van Schaik.
French development chief: ‘SDGs apply to France in same way as Burkina Faso’
Development agencies have to change their dualist approach to Africa, as it does not correspond to the reality the continent is facing, the head of the French Development Agency told EURACTIV France. VideoPromoted content
Taking Action: One year on from COP21 and the launch of the SDGs
Cooperation to achieve key sustainability goals were at the heart of debates at a Brussels conference on 6 December 2016 hosted by CSR Europe in cooperation with Huawei.
Irish vote on same-sex marriage: Why it is (also) the business of business
Many companies have jumped on the bandwagon of supporting marriage equality, but only a select few of them are consistent, plausible, and authentic in their efforts, write Florian Wettstein and Dorothea Baur. VideoPromoted content
The EU and Corporate Responsibility: Setting the 2015-2019 agenda
Hailed by some as a turning-point for non-financial reporting, the European Directive on Disclosure of Non-Financial and Diversity Information was approved last September. This will require around 6,000 firms to provide details on matters including environmental, societal, human-rights and governance issues.
Germany ranked 5th in global human rights violations business index
Hardly any country in the world hosts as many companies accused of severe human rights violations as Germany, according to a recent survey by the University of Maastricht. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Europe must continue to lead on corporate social responsibility
Although Europe has led the way in the corporate social responsibility debate, according to MEP Richard Howitt, but it must now reshape the whole structure of remuneration across markets, to incorporate social and environmental goals.
New EU private sector aid criteria under the microscope
The European Commission has published the first set of guidelines for involving private sector players in delivering overseas aid, a long-standing practice that has generated controversy with some NGOs for its claimed lack of transparency, accountability and potential for corporate profit-taking.
New EU law to help investors pick good corporate citizens
Investors looking for companies with good environmental, social and governance track records will find the job easier, after European politicians ruled that thousands of firms must reveal their performance as corporate citizens.The EU’s social dimension: True progress or just empty promises?
The European Commission is slowly turning its attention to social aspects of the economic and monetary policies, a recent conference has shown. But EU rhetoric about boosting jobs and growth has made little reference to real social considerations, argues Heather Roy.Corporate transparency part of the solution
Information on companies’ performance and prospects is of key interest to investors, decision-makers, the citizen and consumer; so why are member states now blocking corporate social responsibility rules, Jérome Chaplier wonders.
Member states backtrack on corporate reporting pledge
SPECIAL REPORT / A pledge made by heads of state and government this summer to beef up corporate social responsibility reporting for European companies is set to be ditched because too few member states are prepared to support it, EURACTIV has learned.
Rabobank, Storebrand boost fossil fuels divestment campaign
The campaign to persuade financial groups to divest shareholdings in fossil fuels firms has won a major victory, with one Dutch bank banning investments in ‘unconventional fuels’ and a Norwegian pension fund divesting from 19 companies.
Plastic pipe industry chief: Banking on a greener future
Growing market requirements for ‘green procurement’ is driving sustainability, but the success of voluntary corporate sustainability initiatives depends on the attitude and enthusiasm of businesses to live up to higher standards, says Tony Calton.
Sustainability leader urges firms to integrate CSR reporting
SPECIAL REPORT / The Commission’s proposals to introduce new corporate social responsibility (CSR) rules must push companies to incorporate non-financial reporting into their accounts, according to a campaigning executive.
Sustainability chair: Going beyond the Commission’s CSR proposals
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.
Doubts surround corporate ethics on new ‘comply or explain’ regime
SPECIAL REPORT / Those for and against proposals launched this week to tighten corporate social responsibility reporting (CSR) are both suspicious of its “comply or explain” enforcement regime.
Proposed CSR rules too strong for business, too weak for civil society
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.
Commission accuses companies of ‘group think’, demands social responsibility
SPECIAL REPORT / The EU executive is due today (16 April) to accuse corporate Europe of lacking innovation and diversity as a result of “group think”, as it unveils new proposals requiring larger companies to disclose information on a range of environmental and social impacts.
Crisis has hit companies’ social responsibility, poll suggests
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.Is the European social enterprise agenda losing steam?
Lobbyists and vested interests have tended to hijack the European Commission's expert group on Social Entrepreneurship, put together by DG Internal Market. But the EU Executive has already scored some points and still has cards left to play, writes Filippo Addarii.
Why firms should invest in sustainability
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.