Get ready for the future of CSR

jeanne2007 — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:19:00 GMT

With the current economic climate being as tough as it is, it is still important that we take some time to step aside from day-to-day business and quarterly results and to reflect on the broader picture and requirements for the future.

CSR Europe recently invited their network members from companies, NPO´s and representatives from the European Commission to collectively explore how enterprises in the year 2020 can be set up in the most responsible way, following recent trends in economy and society. You can imagine the great spirit of creativity and constructive dialogue during their sessions! Key questions being asked such as “Is CSR still in its infancy and is it therefore rather disconnected from companies’ business strategies? Which are more successful: change mechanisms from top down or bottom up? In the grand scheme of things, what role does the EU play and how would most innovative partnership models look in future?”

It seems that the dialogues reflecting the future of CSR have been launched with lots of creative energy and that there is sincere common ground and interest from CSR Europe network members to draw a picture of the future together and to develop a framework for companies to be ready for the future of CSR.

Creativity obviously played a major role during workshop sessions where the teams were asked to visualise the current and future situation of CSR with the help of sculptural elements. EU Commissioner Barroso, who joined the event as a guest speaker, was very impressed about the artistic work from the different teams and clearly underlined the relevance to creating a new culture of ethics and responsibility together. Have a look at the video below. In particular, Barroso stressed the importance of re-building trust in business and encouraged companies to take advantage of the long-term business opportunities created through the current shift to a low-carbon economy in Europe.

Looks like we have a promising future ahead of us. Let’s shape it in a most responsible way!

Jeannette Weisschuh, Director Global Citizenship, HP EMEA

(Please visit the site to view this media)

The online responsible supply chain portal

jeanne2007 — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:44:00 GMT

My colleague Karl Daumüller, Programme Manager and SC SER Lead Auditor, attended the European Alliance for CSR Event in Brussels last week and I asked him to give some updates on the latest supply chain news. Enjoy, Jeannette.

The online responsible supply chain portal

Last week I attended The European Alliance for CSR 2008. The reason for the event was the launch of the deliverables of the 20 CSR Europe Laboratories. As you might know from earlier blogs, HP is one of the four leading companies (the others being L’Oreal, Titan and Volkswagen) working within the ‘Responsible Supply Chain Management’ Laboratory.

'Responsible Supply Chain Management' was one of the six selected laboratories highlighted during the event. Since 2007 experts and representatives from the participating companies have worked on an online portal for responsible supply chain management. As you can see, the portal gives an overview of best practices, existing international standards and principles. It also gives lots of background information, all of which is sorted by topic (forced labour for example).

I think small and medium sized enterprises particularly gain from this portal as they find a lot of useful information and guidance. These corporations lack the resources and knowledge about responsible supply chain management and the portal is a great help to them. It equally illustrates what large corporations expect and demand regarding responsible supply chain management practices.

All in all, the portal constitutes a best practice example and shows what companies, stakeholders and governmental institutions can achieve when they join forces.

For me, a personal highlight was when Mr. Verheugen (VP of the European Commission, responsible for Enterprise and Industry) came to our stand and I could show him the content of the portal and how it works. I am proud to be part of this laboratory and I am keen to continue the work on the portal.

Karl Daumüller, Programme Manager and SC SER Lead Auditor

CSR in Europe, Middle East and Africa : CSR Europe

Get ready for the future of CSR

The online responsible supply chain portal