Green paper - Promoting a European framework for corporate social responsibility.
Date: 2001-07-18
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: State aid, aid to agriculture, aid to industry, coal industry, employment aid, fishing industry, processing industry, report, service industry, transport company, vocational training

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 18.7.2001
COM(2001) 366 final

GREEN PAPER

Promoting a European framework for Corporate Social Responsibility

.

(presented by the Commission)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

GREEN PAPER Promoting a European framework for Corporate Social Responsibility........ 1

Executive Summary ............................................................................................................... 3

1.

2.

Introduction.............................................................................................................. 4

What is corporate social responsibility? .................................................................... 6

2.1.

Corporate social responsibility: the internal dimension ............................................. 8

2.1.1. Human resources management ................................................................................. 8

2.1.2. Health and safety at work ......................................................................................... 9

2.1.3. Adaptation to change................................................................................................ 9

2.1.4. Management of environmental impacts and natural resources................................. 10

2.2.

Corporate social responsibility: the external dimension........................................... 11

2.2.1.

Local communities ................................................................................................. 11

2.2.2. Business partners, suppliers and consumers ............................................................ 12

2.2.3. Human rights.......................................................................................................... 13

2.2.4. Global Environmental concerns.............................................................................. 15

3.

3.1.

3.2.

3.3.

3.4.

3.5.

4.

A holistic approach towards corporate social responsibility .................................... 15

Social responsibility integrated management .......................................................... 15

Social responsibility reporting and auditing ............................................................ 16

Quality in work ...................................................................................................... 18

Social and eco-labels .............................................................................................. 19

Socially responsible investment .............................................................................. 20

The consultation process......................................................................................... 21

ANNEX ............................................................................................................................... 24

Concepts .............................................................................................................................. 24

Useful Internet Links............................................................................................................ 26

2

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

An increasing number of European companies are promoting their corporate social
responsibility strategies as a response to a variety of social, environmental and
economic pressures. They aim to send a signal to the various stakeholders with
whom they interact: employees,
investors, consumers, public
authorities and NGOs. In doing so, companies are investing in their future and they
they adopt will help to increase their
that
expect
profitability.

the voluntary commitment

shareholders,

As early as 1993, the appeal to European business of President Delors to take part in
the fight against social exclusion resulted in a strong mobilisation and in the
development of European business networks. More recently in March 2000, the
European Council in Lisbon made a special appeal to companies’ sense of social
responsibility regarding best practices for lifelong learning, work organisation, equal
opportunities, social inclusion and sustainable development.

By stating their social responsibility and voluntarily taking on commitments which
go beyond common regulatory and conventional requirements, which they would
have to respect in any case, companies endeavour to raise the standards of social
development, environmental protection and respect of fundamental rights and
embrace an open governance, reconciling interests of various stakeholders in an
overall approach of quality and sustainability. While recognising the importance of
all these aspects, this paper focuses mainly on companies' responsibilities in the
social field.

This action leads to the development of new partnerships and new spheres for
existing relationships within the company regarding social dialogue,
skills
acquisition, equal opportunities, anticipation and management of change, at the local
or national level with reference to the reinforcement of economic and social cohesion
and health protection, and more generally on a global
level, concerning
environmental protection and respect of fundamental rights.

The corporate social responsibility concept is mainly driven by large companies,
even though socially responsible practices exist in all types of enterprises, public and
private, including SMEs and co-operatives.

The European Union is concerned with corporate social responsibility as it can be a
positive contribution to the strategic goal decided in Lisbon: "to become the most
competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of
sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion".

This Green Paper aims to launch a wide debate on how the European Union could
promote corporate social responsibility at both the European and international level,
in particular on how to make the most of existing experiences, to encourage the
development of innovative practices, to bring greater transparency and to increase
the reliability of evaluation and validation. It suggests an approach based on the
deepening of partnerships in which all actors have an active role to play.

3

1.

8.

9.

INTRODUCTION

Corporate social responsibility is essentially a concept whereby companies decide
voluntarily to contribute to a better society and a cleaner environment. At a time
when the European Union endeavours to identify its common values by adopting a
Charter of Fundamental Rights, an increasing number of European companies
recognise their social responsibility more and more clearly and consider it as part of
their identity. This responsibility is expressed towards employees and more generally
towards all the stakeholders affected by business and which in turn can influence its
success.

These developments reflect the growing expectations that European citizens and
stakeholders have of the evolving role of companies in the new and changing society
of today. This is in line with the basic message of the Sustainable Development
Strategy for Europe agreed at the Göteborg European Council of June 2001, that in
the long-term, economic growth, social cohesion and environmental protection go
hand in hand.

10.

Many factors are driving this move towards corporate social responsibility:

• new concerns and expectations from citizens, consumers, public authorities and

investors in the context of globalisation and large scale industrial change,

• social criteria are increasingly influencing the investment decisions of individuals

and institutions both as consumers and as investors,

• increased concern about

the damage caused by economic activity to the

environment,

• transparency of business activities brought about by the media and modern

information and communication technologies.

Business and CSR

As companies themselves face the challenges of a changing environment in the
context of globalisation and in particular the Internal Market, they are increasingly
aware that corporate social responsibility can be of direct economic value. Although
the prime responsibility of a company is generating profits, companies can at the
same time contribute to social and environmental objectives, through integrating
corporate social responsibility as a strategic investment
into their core business
strategy, their management instruments and their operations.

Where corporate social responsibility is a process by which companies manage their
relationships with a variety of stakeholders who can have a real influence on their
licence to operate, the business case becomes apparent. Thus, it should be treated as
an investment, not a cost, much like quality management. They can thereby have an
inclusive financial, commercial and social approach, leading to a long-term strategy
minimizing risks
social
responsibility internationally as well as in Europe, including through their whole
supply chain.

linked to uncertainty. Companies

should pursue

In its position paper “Releasing Europe's employment potential: Companies' views on
Industrial and Employers'
European Social Policy beyond 2000” UNICE (Union of

4

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

Confederations of Europe) has stressed that European companies see themselves as an integral
part of society, as they act in a socially responsible way; consider profits to be the main goal of
the company but not its only “raison d’être”, and opt for long-term thinking on strategic
decisions and investment.

The political context

At the European level the challenge is about how corporate social responsibility can
contribute to the Lisbon goal of building a dynamic, competitive and cohesive
knowledge-based economy. The Lisbon European Council made a special appeal to
companies’ sense of social responsibility regarding best practices on lifelong
learning, work organisation, equal opportunities, social inclusion and sustainable
development.

The Commission's European Social Agenda, subsequently supported by the
European Council in Nice, emphasised the role of corporate social responsibility in
addressing the employment and social consequences of economic and market
integration and in adapting working conditions to the new economy. In addition the
European Summit
in Nice invited the Commission to involve companies in a
partnership with the social partners, NGOs, local authorities and bodies that manage
social services, so as to strengthen their social responsibility. The European Council
in Stockholm welcomed the initiatives taken by businesses to promote corporate
social responsibility and made reference to this Green Paper as a means to encourage
a wide exchange of ideas in order to promote further initiatives in this area.

The Commission's Communication on sustainable development, supported at the
Göteborg European Council, emphasised the importance of Corporate Social
Responsibility: "Public policy also has a key role in encouraging a greater sense of
corporate social responsibility and in establishing a framework to ensure that
businesses integrate environmental and social considerations into their activities ...
Business should be encouraged to take a pro-active approach to sustainable
development in their operations both within the EU and elsewhere."

This debate is also linked with the reflection of the Commission on the White Paper
on governance in the European Union. As corporate social responsibility contributes
significantly to a favourable climate towards entrepreneurship, it is also linked to the
Commission’s objective of creating an entrepreneurial, innovative and open Europe –
“Enterprise Europe”.

Corporate social responsibility has important implications for all economic and social actors as
well as for the public authorities, who should take them into account in determining their own
actions. Several Member States have recognised its importance and have taken active steps to
promote it. As they are all facing similar challenges, Member States could learn from each
the European Commission could promote corporate social
other's experience. Overall,
responsibility through its programmes and activities. Furthermore, it is necessary to ensure that
approaches to corporate social responsibility are coherent and compliant with Community
policies and with international obligations. In Denmark,
the Minister for Social Affairs
launched the campaign “Our Common Concern - the social responsibility of the corporate
sector” in 1994 and set up the Copenhagen Centre in 1998.

In the UK, a Minister for Corporate Social Responsibility has been appointed in March 2000.
An Interdepartmental Group has been established to improve co-ordination of activity to
promote corporate social responsibility across the government.

5

17.

At the international level,
through policies such as trade and development co-
operation, the European Union is directly involved in issues concerning market
behaviour. A European approach to corporate social responsibility must thus reflect
and be integrated in the broader context of various international initiatives, such as
the UN Global Compact (2000), the ILO’s Tripartite Declaration of Principles
concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy (1977/2000), the OECD
Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (2000). While these initiatives are not
legally binding,
from the
commitment of adhering governments to promote their actual observance by
business. The European Commission is committed to the active promotion of the
OECD guidelines1. Observance of the core ILO labour standards (freedom of
association, abolition of forced labour, non-discrimination and elimination of child
labour) is central to corporate social responsibility; their monitoring and compliance
should be strengthened. 2

in the case of the OECD guidelines they benefit

18.

The main contribution of a European approach will be to complement and add value
to existing activities by:

–

–

providing an overall European framework, aiming at promoting quality and
through developing
coherence of corporate social responsibility practices,
broad principles, approaches and tools, and promoting best practice and
innovative ideas,

evaluation and
supporting best practice
independent verification of corporate social responsibility practices, ensuring
thereby their effectiveness and credibility.

to cost-effective

approaches

19.

2.

20.

21.

1

2

This Green Paper aims to launch a wide debate and seek views on corporate social
responsibility at national, European and international level. The Commission hopes
that the outcome of this initiative will be a new framework for the promotion of
corporate social responsibility.

WHAT IS CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY?

Most definitions of corporate social responsibility describe it as a concept whereby
companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations
and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis.

Being socially responsible means not only fulfilling legal expectations, but also
going beyond compliance and investing “more” into human capital, the environment
and the
in
environmentally responsible technologies and business practice suggests that going
beyond legal compliance can contribute to a company’s competitiveness. Going
beyond basic legal obligations in the social area, e.g. training, working conditions,

relations with stakeholders. The

experience with investment

The OECD guidelines also encompass an implementation mechanism involving governments and social
partners in National Contact Points. Furthermore, their content covers various areas of corporate social
responsibility, namely child labour and forced labour, social relations, environmental protection,
transfers of technology,
consumer protection,
competition and taxation.
The Commission will issue a communication regarding Promoting of Core Labour Standards and
Improving Social Governance in the Context of Globalisation.

transparency and disclosure, fight against bribery,

6

22.

23.

24.

25.

management-employee relations, can also have a direct impact on productivity. It
opens a way of managing change and of reconciling social development with
improved competitiveness.

legislation concerning social

Corporate social responsibility should nevertheless not be seen as a substitute to
regulation or
rights or environmental standards,
including the development of new appropriate legislation. In countries where such
regulations do not exist, efforts should focus on putting the proper regulatory or
legislative framework in place in order to define a level playing field on the basis of
which socially responsible practices can be developed.

Whilst so far corporate social responsibility is mainly promoted by a number of large
or multinational companies, it is relevant in all types of companies and in all sectors
of activity, from SMEs to multinational enterprises (MNEs). Its wider application in
SMEs including micro-businesses is of central importance, given that they are the
greatest contributors to the economy and employment. Although many SMEs already
take up their social responsibility, particularly through community involvement,
further awareness raising and support
to disseminate good practice could help
promote corporate social responsibility among them. Worker co-operatives and
participation schemes, as well as other forms of co-operative, mutual and associative
enterprises structurally integrate other stakeholder interests and take up spontaneous
social and civil responsibilities.

A number of companies with good social and environmental records indicate that
these activities can result in better performance and can generate more profits and
growth. For many companies, this is a new activity and longer term evaluation
remains to be done. The economic impact of corporate social responsibility can be
broken down into direct and indirect effects. Positive direct results may for example
derive from a better working environment, which leads to a more committed and
productive workforce or from efficient use of natural resources. In addition, indirect
effects result from the growing attention of consumers and investors, which will
increase their opportunities on the markets. Inversely there can sometimes be a
negative impact on a company’s reputation due to criticism of business practices.
This can affect the core assets of a company, such as its brands and image.

Financial
institutions are making increasing use of social and environmental
checklists to evaluate the risks of loans to, and investments in companies. Similarly,
being recognised as a socially responsible enterprise, for example through listing in
an ethical stock market index, can support the rating of a company and therefore
entails concrete financial advantages.

Stock market social indexes are useful benchmarks for demonstrating the positive impact of
Index (DSI) has
social screening on financial performance:
outperformed the S&P 500 by more than 1% on a annualised total return basis and on a risk-
adjusted basis since its inception in May 1990 while the Dow Jones Sustainable Index has
grown by 180% since 1993 compared to 125% for the Dow Jones Global Index over the same
period.

the Domini 400 Social

Assessing precisely what determines financial return of a socially responsible company is
difficult. Research (Industry Week, January 15 2001) has shown that about one-half of the
above-average performance of socially responsible companies can be attributed to their social
responsibility while the other half is explained by the performance of their sector. Socially
responsible companies are expected to deliver above-average financial returns, as a company's

7

26.

2.1.

27.

ability to deal successfully with environmental and social issues can be a credible measure of
management quality.

There is a need for a better knowledge and further studies on the impact of corporate
social responsibility on business performance. This could be a field for further
research between companies, public authorities and academic institutions. These
efforts could be supported by the Framework programmes for
research and
technology development.

Corporate social responsibility: the internal dimension

Within the company, socially responsible practices primarily involve employees and
relate to issues such as investing in human capital, health and safety, and managing
change, while
relate mainly to the
management of natural resources used in the production. They open a way of
managing
improved
competitiveness.

environmentally responsible practices

development with

reconciling

change

social

and

2.1.1. Human resources management

28.

29.

30.

A major challenge for enterprises today is to attract and retain skilled workers. In this
context, relevant measures could include life long learning, empowerment of
employees, better information throughout
the company, better balance between
work, family, and leisure, greater work force diversity, equal pay and career
prospects for women, profit sharing and share ownership schemes, and concern for
employability as well as job security. Active follow up and management of
employees who are off work due to disabilities or injuries have also been shown to
result in cost saving.

Responsible recruitment practices,
involving in particular non-discriminatory
practices, could facilitate the recruitment of people from ethnic minorities, older
workers, women and the long-term unemployed and people at disadvantage. Such
practices are essential in relation to achieving the European Employment Strategy
objectives of reducing unemployment, raising the employment rate, and fighting
against social exclusion.

In relation to life-long learning, businesses have a key role to play at several levels:
contributing to a better definition of training needs through close partnership with
local actors who design education and training programmes; supporting the transition
from school to work for young people, for example by providing apprenticeship
places; valuing learning, in particular in the Accreditation of Prior and Experiential
Learning (APEL); and providing an environment which encourages lifelong learning
the less skilled and older
by all employees, particularly by the less educated,
workers.

2.1.2. Health and safety at work

31.

Health and safety at work has traditionally been approached mainly by means of
legislation and enforcement measures. However, the trend of outsourcing work to
contractors and suppliers makes companies more dependent on the safety and health

8

32.

33.

34.

performance of their contractors, especially those who are working within their own
premises3.

Companies, governments and sector organisations are increasingly looking at
additional ways of promoting health and safety, by using them as a criteria in
procuring products and services from other companies and as a marketing element
for promoting their products or services. These voluntary schemes can be seen as
complementary to legislation and control activities by public authorities as they
likewise aim at promoting a preventive culture, i.e. higher levels of occupational
safety and health.

As the focus on occupational health and safety performance and qualities of products
there is also an increasing demand for measuring,
and services is increasing,
documenting and communicating these qualities
in the marketing material.
Occupational safety and health criteria have been included to varying degrees into
existing certification schemes and labelling schemes for products and equipment.
Certification schemes of management systems and subcontractors focusing primarily
on occupational safety and health have also been launched.

The Swedish TCO Labelling Scheme for office equipment is a voluntary label that intends to
stimulate the manufacturers to develop more occupational and environmentally safe office
equipment; assist purchasers to choose office equipment less problematic for the users and the
external environment; and to provide purchasers and the vendor with a clearly defined label,
thereby saving time, work and costs in the purchasing process.

In addition, the tendency of companies and organisations to include occupational
safety and health criteria into their procurement schemes has supported the
development of generic procurement schemes based on uniform requirements for
contractor occupational safety and health training or management systems, which
allow for a third party to carry out the “certification” or initial approval of the
contractors as well as overseeing the continuous improvement of the scheme.

The Dutch Safety Contractors Checklist (SCC) aims at evaluating and certifying occupational
safety and health management systems of contractor companies offering their services to the
petrochemical and chemical industry.

The Danish IKA Procurement provides guidelines to define the requirements in tenders for
cleaning agents.

2.1.3.

Adaptation to change

35.

3

The widespread restructuring taking place in Europe raises concerns for all of the
employees and other stakeholders as the closure of a factory or a heavy cut in its
workforce may involve a serious economic, social or political crisis in a community.
Few companies escape the need to restructure, often through downsizing, with the
year 2000 seeing more mergers and acquisitions than any other year in history.
According to one study, fewer than one in four restructuring operations achieve their
objectives of reducing costs, increasing productivity and improving quality and
customer service as they often cause the motivation,
loyalty, creativity and
productivity of the employees to suffer.

further

For
for
(http://agency.osha.eu.int/publications/factsheets/facts11/)

European

Agency

details:

Safety

and

Health

at Work

9

36.

37.

Restructuring in a socially responsible manner means to balance and take into
consideration the interests and concerns of all those who are affected by the changes
and decisions. In practice the process is often as important as the substance to the
success of restructuring. In particular this involves seeking the participation and
those affected through open information and consultation.
involvement of
Furthermore, restructuring needs to be well prepared by identifying major risks,
calculating all
the costs, both direct and indirect, associated with alternative
strategies and policies, and evaluating all of the alternatives which would reduce the
need for redundancies.

Experience of the major restructuring operations carried out in Europe in the steel,
coal and shipbuilding industries has shown that successful restructuring can be better
achieved through joint efforts involving the public authorities, companies and
employees' representatives. This process should seek to safeguard employees' rights
and enable them to undergo vocational retraining where necessary, to modernise
production tools and processes in order to develop on-site activities, to mobilise
public and private financing and to establish procedures for information, dialogue,
cooperation and partnership. Companies should take up their share of responsibility
to ensure the employability of their staff.

38.

By engaging in local development and active labour market strategies through
involvement in local employment and/or social inclusion partnerships, companies
can lessen the social and local impact of large scale restructuring.

The Fundación Empresa y Sociedad (FES) within the framework of the Article 6 of ESF pilot
on Local Social Capital constitutes an interesting example of the involvement of private
business in the promotion of social cohesion. It promotes the support to micro-projects, mostly
micro-firms, in a run-down neighbourhood in Madrid. Apart from providing micro-grants, a
system of tutoring is made available free by professionals from the private businesses. The FES
has also mobilised additional support in the form of access to additional micro-credit funding
and to private businesses donations of IT equipment.

2.1.4. Management of environmental impacts and natural resources

39.

In general, reducing the consumption of resources or reducing polluting emissions
and waste can reduce environmental impact. It can also be good for the business by
reducing energy and waste disposal bills and lowering input and de-pollution costs.
Individual companies have found that less use can lead to increased profitability and
competitiveness.

In the environmental field, these environmental investments are normally referred to
as "win-win" opportunities - good for business and good for the environment. This
principle has been established for a number of years, and was most recently
recognised in the Commission's 6th Environment Action Programme. It explains how
the European Union and Member State governments can fulfil their role to help
business to identify market opportunities and undertake "win-win" investments. It set
out a number of other measures aimed at business: establishment of a compliance
assistance programme
help business understand European Community
environmental requirements; development of national, but harmonised, company
environmental performance reward schemes
identify and reward good
performers and encouraging voluntary commitments and agreements.

that

to

10

40.

A good example of an approach that allows public authorities to work with business
is Integrated Product Policy (IPP). IPP is founded on the consideration of products'
impacts throughout their life cycle, and involves business and other stakeholders in
dialogue to find the most cost-effective approach. In the environmental field, it can
therefore be seen as a strong existing framework for promotion of corporate social
responsibility.

Another approach that facilitates corporate social responsibility is the Community's Eco-
Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) ISO 19000. This encourages companies voluntarily
to set up site or company-wide environmental management and audit systems that promote
continuous environmental performance improvements. The environmental statement is public
and is validated by accredited environmental verifiers.

41.

Business is also aware of the opportunities associated with improved environmental
performance, and is working to systematically take advantage of it:

The European Eco-Efficiency Initiative (EEEI), an initiative of the World Business Council for
Sustainable Development and the European Partners for the Environment in partnership with
the European Commission, aims to integrate eco-efficiency throughout European business, and
in European Union (EU) industrial and economic policies.
(http://www.wbcsd.ch/eurint/eeei.htm)

2.2.

42.

Corporate social responsibility: the external dimension

Corporate social responsibility extends beyond the doors of the company into the
local community and involves a wide range of stakeholders in addition to employees
and shareholders: business partners and suppliers, customers, public authorities and
NGOs representing local communities, as well as the environment. In a world of
multinational investment and global supply chains, corporate social responsibility
must also extend beyond the borders of Europe. Rapid globalisation has encouraged
discussion of the role and development of global governance: the development of
voluntary CSR practices can be seen as contributing to this.

2.2.1.

Local communities

43.

44.

Corporate social responsibility is also about the integration of companies in their
local setting, whether this be in Europe or world-wide. Companies contribute to their
communities, especially to local communities, by providing jobs, wages and benefits,
and tax revenues. On the other hand companies depend on the health, stability, and
prosperity of the communities in which they operate. For example, they recruit the
majority of their employees from the local labour markets, and therefore have a
direct interest in the local availability of the skills they need. Furthermore, SMEs
often also find most of their clients in the surrounding area. The reputation of a
company at its location, its image as an employer and producer, but also as an actor
in the local scene, certainly influences its competitiveness.

Companies also interact with the local physical environment. Some rely on a clean
environment for their production or offering of services - either clean air or clean
water or uncongested roads. There can also be a relationship between the local
physical environment and the ability of business to attract workers to the region they
are located in. On the other hand, business can also be responsible for a number of
polluting activities: noise, light, water pollution, air emissions, contamination of soil,
and the environmental problems associated with transport and waste disposal. The

11

most environmentally aware companies are, therefore, often involved in two ways in
environmental education of the community.

45.

46.

Many companies become involved in community causes, notably by means of
provision of additional vocational training places, assisting environmental charities,
recruitment of socially excluded people, provision of child-care facilities for
employees, partnerships with communities, sponsoring of local sports and cultural
events or donations to charitable activities.

The development of positive relations with the local community and thereby the
accumulation of social capital
is particularly relevant for non-local companies.
Multinational companies increasingly use these relations to support the integration of
their affiliates into various markets in which they are present. The familiarity of
companies with the local actors, the local environment traditions and strengths is an
asset from which they can capitalise.

Financial institutions can play a particular role through community investing, which consists of
direct investments in projects benefiting specific communities or constituencies, especially in
economically disadvantaged areas. These investments usually take the form of loans for low-
cost housing ventures or deposits in community development banks either at or below market
rates.

Similarly recognising that access to affordable prices for everyone to services of general
economic interest is at the heart of the European model of society, some companies endeavour
to ensure such access as part of their social responsibility where it is not guaranteed by
legislation, for example regarding basic banking services. Furthermore, ETUC (European
Trade Union Confederation) and CEEP (European Centre of Enterprises with public
participation and of enterprises of general economic interest) made a joint proposal for a
Charter for Services of General Interest in June 2000.

2.2.2.

Business partners, suppliers and consumers

47.

48.

By working closely with business partners, companies can reduce complexity and
costs and increase quality. Selection of suppliers is not always exclusively through
competitive bidding. Relationships with alliance and joint venture partners and with
franchisees are equally important. In the long run building relationships may result in
fair prices, terms and expectations along with quality and reliable delivery. In
adopting socially and environmentally responsible practices all companies however
have to respect the relevant rules of EU and national competition laws.

Large companies are at the same time business partners of the smaller ones, be it as
their customers, suppliers, subcontractors or competitors. Companies should be
aware that their social performance can be affected as a result of the practices of their
partners and suppliers throughout the whole supply chain. The effect of corporate
social responsibility activities will not remain limited to the company itself, but will
also touch upon their economic partners. This is particularly the case for large
companies, which have outsourced part of their production or services and, therefore,
may have acquired additional corporate social responsibility with regard to these
suppliers and their staff, bearing in mind that sometimes economic welfare of these
suppliers depend primarily or entirely on one large company.

49.

Some large companies demonstrate corporate social responsibility by promoting
entrepreneurial initiatives in the region of their location. Examples for such practices
include mentoring schemes offered by large companies to start-ups and local SMEs,

12

50.

51.

or assistance to smaller firms on social reporting and communication of their
corporate social responsibility activities.

Corporate venturing constitutes a further way for large companies to facilitate the
development of new innovative enterprises. Corporate venturing means that the large
enterprise takes a minority stake in a promising start-up and promotes its
development. This offers various advantages to both partners, including a better grip
on innovative developments for the large company and easier access to financial
resources and to the market for the small company.

As part of their social responsibility companies are expected to provide products and
services, which consumers need and want in an efficient, ethical and environmentally
aware manner. Companies, which build lasting relationships with customers by
focusing their whole organisation on understanding what the customers need and
want and providing them with superior quality, safety, reliability and service are
expected to be more profitable. Applying the principle of design for all (making
products and services usable by as many people as possible including disabled
consumers) is an important example of corporate social responsibility.

2.2.3. Human rights

52.

53.

54.

Corporate social responsibility has a strong human rights dimension, particularly in
relation to international operations and global supply chains. This is recognised in
instruments such as the ILO Tripartite Declaration of Principles
international
concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy and the OECD Guidelines
for Multinational Enterprises. Human rights are a very complex issue presenting
political,
legal and moral dilemmas. Companies face challenging questions,
including how to identify where their areas of responsibility lie as distinct from those
of governments, how to monitor whether their business partners are complying with
their core values, and how to approach and operate in countries where human rights
violations are widespread. The European Union itself has an obligation in the
framework of its Co-operation policy to ensure the respect of labour standards,
environmental protection and human rights and is confronted with the challenge of
ensuring a full coherence between its development policy, its trade policy and its
strategy for the development of the private sector in the developing countries notably
through the promotion of European investments.

A key innovation of the Cotonou Agreement is the recognition of the fight against
corruption as a "fundamental element" and an explicit reference to corruption as a
major development problem to be addressed. Serious cases of corruption "including
of bribery leading to such corruption" could constitute grounds for suspension of
cooperation. This inclusion of a corruption clause in the Agreement aims not only to
give an unequivocal sign to aid recipients, but also to promote more transparent
activities by European investors and other actors. The EU and the ACP have agreed
on a specific procedure to deal with such cases of corruption (Art 9).

Under increasing pressure from NGOs and consumer groups, companies and sectors
are increasingly adopting codes of conduct covering working conditions, human
rights and environmental aspects, in particular those of their subcontractors and
suppliers. They do so for various reasons, notably to improve their corporate image
and reduce the risk of negative consumer reaction. Codes of conduct however are not
an alternative to national, European Union and international laws and binding rules:

13

binding rules ensure minimum standards applicable to all, while codes of conduct
these and promote higher
and other voluntary initiatives can only complement
standards for those who subscribe to them.

The Confederation of Danish Industries has launched a set of guidelines for industry on human
rights, inviting companies to pursue the same level of social responsibility in their new host
country as in their home country.

An increasing number of multinationals have explicitly committed themselves to human rights
in their codes of conduct while a growing number of retailers in Europe apply ethical standards
of production to the goods they import. In 1998 Eurocommerce adopted a Recommendation on
Social Buying Conditions covering child, forced and prison labour.

There are also several examples of codes of conduct signed by the social partners at European
level, particularly in the textile, clothing and commerce sectors, which the Commission
welcomes.

It is also increasingly recognised that the impact of a company's activities on the
human rights of its workers and local communities extends beyond issues of labour
rights. This is the case, for example, in insecure situations where companies work
with state security forces with a record of human rights abuses.

The UK government, in co-operation with the US, convened a working group of leading
corporations in the oil, gas and mining industries, together with human rights NGOs. The result
was the December 2000 adoption of Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights for
companies in the Extractive and Energy Sectors.

their effectiveness however depends on proper

While voluntary codes of conduct can contribute to promote international labour
standards,
implementation and
verification. Codes of conduct may for instance face sub-contractors producing for a
number of different multinational companies with the need to fulfil many different
criteria regarding wages, working hours and other social conditions. Codes of
conduct should therefore be based on the ILO fundamental Conventions, as
identified in the 1998 ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at
Work and the OECD guidelines for multinational enterprises, involving the social
partners and those in developing countries covered by them.

Codes of conduct should be applied at every level of the organisation and production
line. Full disclosure of information by companies is important, including to local
communities, as part of an ongoing dialogue with them. Training for
local
management, workers and communities on implementation is equally important.
Furthermore, the emphasis must be on a “developmental approach” - one which
stresses continuing gradual improvements to standards, and to the code itself. In the
case of child labour, companies should not
the letter of the ILO
conventions by dismissing contractors who use child labour, but should also, for
example, help to tackle child poverty by assisting children into education.

just respect

With respect to human rights there is a need for ongoing verification where the
implementation and compliance with codes is concerned. The verification should be
developed and performed following carefully defined standards and rules that should
apply to the organisations and individuals undertaking the so-called “social
auditing”. Monitoring, which should involve stakeholders such as public authorities,
trade unions and NGOs, is important to secure the credibility of codes of conduct. A
balance between internal and external verification schemes could improve their cost-

14

55.

56.

57.

58.

effectiveness, in particular for SMEs. As a result there is a need to ensure greater
transparency and improved reporting mechanisms in codes of conduct.

On 15/1/1999 the European Parliament adopted a Resolution on “EU standards for European
enterprises operating in developing countries: towards a European Code of Conduct” calling
for a European code of conduct which would contribute to a greater standardisation of
voluntary codes of conduct based on international standards and the establishment of a
European Monitoring Platform, including provisions on complaint procedures and remedial
action.

2.2.4. Global Environmental concerns

59.

60.

3.

61.

62.

3.1.

63.

Through the transboundary effect of many business-related environmental problems,
and their consumption of resources from across the world, companies are also actors
in the global environment. They can therefore pursue social
responsibility
internationally as well as in Europe. For example,
they can encourage better
environmental performance throughout their supply chain within the IPP approach
and make larger use of European and international management and product-related
tools. Investment and activities of the companies on the ground in third countries can
have a direct impact on social and economic development in these countries.

The debate on the role of business in achieving sustainable development is gaining
importance on the global stage. The UN Secretary General has launched a “Global
Compact” initiative which seeks to make business a partner in achieving social and
improvements globally. The OECD Guidelines for multinational
environmental
enterprises also promote sustainable development. The Commission Communication
“Ten years after Rio – Preparing for
the World Summit on Sustainable
Development” (COM 2001/53) contains further details on how business can
contribute to global sustainable development.

A HOLISTIC APPROACH TOWARDS CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

While companies increasingly recognise their social responsibility, many of them
have yet to adopt management practices that reflect it. Where they have to integrate it
in their day-to-day management involving their whole supply chain, companies'
employees and managers need training and retraining in order to acquire the
necessary skills and competence. Pioneering companies can help to mainstream
socially responsible practice by disseminating best practice.

While corporate social responsibility can only be taken on by the companies
themselves, stakeholders, particularly employees, consumers and investors, can play
a decisive role - in their own interest or on behalf of other stakeholders in areas such
as working conditions, the environment or human rights - in prompting companies to
adopt socially responsible practices. They require effective transparency about
companies’ social and environmental performance.

Social responsibility integrated management

Companies' approaches in dealing with their responsibilities and relationships with
their stakeholders vary according to sectoral and cultural differences. At the start
companies tend to adopt a mission statement, code of conduct, or credo where they
state their purpose, core values, and responsibilities towards their stakeholders. These
values then need to be translated into action across the organisation, from strategies

15

64.

65.

3.2.

66.

67.

to day-to-day decisions. This involves practices such as adding a socially or
environmental dimension in plans and budgets and evaluating corporate performance
in these areas, creating “community advisory committees”, carrying out social or
environmental audits and setting up continuing education programmes.

As issues of corporate social responsibility become an integral part of corporate
strategic planning and routine operational performance, managers and employees are
required to make business decisions based on additional criteria to those they were
traditionally trained to expect. Traditional models of organisation behaviour,
strategic management and even business ethics do not always give sufficient
preparation for managing companies in this new environment.

In response to the need to integrate corporate social responsibility into the training of
existing managers and employees and to anticipate the skills that will be required of
the managers and employees of the future, courses or modules in business ethics
become quite a common element of business degrees. They tend, however, to cover
only a limited part of what is meant by corporate social responsibility.

CSR Europe and the Copenhagen Centre have launched a programme with the aim to bring the
business and academic community together to identify and address the training needs of the
business sector on Corporate Social Responsibility so as to introduce and diversify courses on
corporate social responsibility at all levels of study.
(http://www.csreurope.org/csr_europe/Activities/programmes/Universities/universities.htm)

Social responsibility reporting and auditing

Many multinational companies are now issuing social responsibility reports. While
environmental, health, and safety reports are common, reports tackling issues such as
human rights and child labour are not. Moreover companies’ approaches to social
reporting are as varied as their approaches to corporate social responsibility. In order
for these reports to be useful, a global consensus needs to evolve on the type of
information to be disclosed, the reporting format to be used, and the reliability of the
evaluation and audit procedure.

Few of them provide much detail on their policies and performance on human
resource management and on employment issues such as bargaining and recognition,
staff consultation and training and board accountability. In 1998, the High Level
Group on Economic and Social Implications of Industrial Change set-up at the
invitation of the European Council,
invited thus companies of more than 1000
employees to publish voluntarily a “Managing change report” i.e. an annual report on
employment and working conditions. The Group indicated that the report should be
developed in consultation with employees and their representatives in accordance
with national traditions. The Group suggested a framework, which would deal with
policies, practices and performance regarding employment and working conditions,
particularly anticipation of structural change, communication, employee involvement
and social dialogue, education and training, employee health & safety and equal
opportunities.

68.

Furthermore, as suggested by the High Level Group on Change the Commission
proposed in its Social Policy Agenda the establishment of a Monitoring Centre on
Change as a means to develop a proactive approach to anticipating and managing
change. The Dublin Foundation has now included this initiative in its Four Year
Rolling Programme, stressing its role in understanding and anticipating change so as

16

to make better decisions, as well as assisting key actors in their understanding,
anticipation and management of industrial change through the provision of reliable
and objective information.

69.

Increasingly public initiatives are supporting the development of social and
environmental reporting.

The Commission's Recommendation on the recognition, measurement and disclosure of
environmental issues in the annual accounts and annual reports of companies, adopted on 30
May 2001, is expected to contribute significantly to the development of meaningful and
comparable
EU.
to
regard
(http://europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/en/company/account/news/01-814.htm).

information with

environmental

issues

the

in

In the context of trade negotiations, the Commission has launched a Sustainability Impact
Assessment of
to
undertaking SIAs of other
trade negotiations such as the ongoing EU-Chile/Mercosur
negotiations.

the proposed New round WTO negotiations, and committed itself

The Danish Social Index is a self-assessment tool developed by the Ministry of Social Affairs
for measuring the degree to which a company lives up to its social responsibilities. Where the
Social Index is shown as a number between 0 and 100 it makes it easy to communicate to the
employees and external stakeholders just how socially responsible the company is.

Article 64 of the French law concerning the new economic regulations requires companies to
take into account the “social and environmental consequences” of their activity in their annual
report. This text will apply to listed companies on the first market for their 2001 report and to
the other companies for their 2002 report. The contents of the reports will be defined in the
application decree.

70.

71.

In addition, a variety of organisations are developing standards for social accounting,
reporting and auditing. These standards pursue varied approaches from process to
performance standards, from voluntary to mandatory standards, from single-issue to
multiple issues standards, and only a handful cover the full spectrum of corporate
social responsibility issues.

Major international initiatives are focusing on the globalization of social standards,
public disclosure of information and the development of social reports, i.e. the Social
Accountability 8000 standard and the Global Reporting Initiative. The complexity of
creating global standards applicable to any culture and country has, however, created
a lot of controversy. Internationally agreed standards, such as the ILO fundamental
conventions, as identified in the 1998 Declaration, constitute by their universal
nature the most appropriate basis for such initiatives.

In response to the diversity of codes of conduct, SAI (Social Accountability International) has
developed a standard for labour conditions and a system for independently verifying factories’
(SA8000)
compliance.
(http://www.cepaa.org/introduction.htm), and its verification system draw from established
business strategies for ensuring quality (such as those used for ISO 9000) and add several
elements that international human rights experts have identified as being essential to social
auditing.

Accountability

standard,

Social

8000

The

On the environmental side, the Global Reporting Initiative is currently seen as best practice. Its
sustainability reporting guidelines is allowing for inter-company comparability. The Global
reporting initiative sustainability reporting guidelines also includes ambitious guidelines on
social reporting. The Commission's Communication on a sustainable development strategy
stated that "All publicly-quoted companies with at least 500 staff are invited to publish a "triple
bottom line" in their annual reports to shareholders that measures their performance against
economic, environmental and social criteria".

17

72.

73.

3.3.

74.

75.

76.

77.

Furthermore, there is a need to provide companies, and in particular SMEs, with
guidance and tools that enable them to report on their corporate social responsibility
policies, processes and performance in an effective manner. By sharing their
expertise and offering capacity building skills large pioneering companies can
support SMEs in this area.

Verification by independent third parties of the information published in social
responsibility reports is also needed to avoid criticism that the reports are public
relations schemes without substance. Indeed such services are already beginning to
be offered by a variety of companies, which would need to perform them following
agreed standards. The involvement of stakeholders,
including trade-unions and
NGOs, could improve the quality of verification.

Quality in work

In addition,

Employees are major stakeholders of companies.
implementing
corporate social responsibility needs commitment from the top management, but also
innovative thinking and, thus, new skills and closer involvement of the employees
and their representatives in a two-way dialogue that can structure permanent feed-
back and adjustment. Social dialogue with workers’ representatives, which is the
main mechanism of definition of the relationship between a company and its
workers, therefore plays a crucial part in the wider adoption of socially responsible
practices.

Furthermore, as the issues related to corporate social responsibility are wide-ranging
and affect practically all company activities, workers’ representatives need to be
consulted extensively on policies, plans and measures, as proposed in the
Commission’s draft Directive establishing a general framework for informing and
consulting employees in the European Community (COM(98)612). In addition,
social dialogue needs to be widened to cover issues and instruments for improving
companies’ social and environmental performance, e.g. through awareness raising
among management and workers, training schemes, schemes aimed at guiding
companies on their social and environmental performance, and strategic management
systems integrating economic, social and environmental considerations.

Some companies are also recognising the link between environmental performance
and better quality jobs. Increased environmental performance can come about
through the adoption of clean technology. Clean technology is itself usually
the
associated with more high-tech and rewarding jobs for employees. Thus,
adoption of clean technology can improve environmental performance and job
satisfaction simultaneously, whilst increasing profitability.

At a time when skill shortages are becoming a problem in some sectors and when
more candidates are asking about companies' employment policies, various
instruments can help improve information and transparency about best practice in the
area of human resources management. Some countries already contribute to
promoting companies that are good workplaces by publishing lists of best employers.

The “50 Best Companies to Work For in the UK” survey, which is sponsored by both the
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Learndirect a unit of the University for Industry
(UFI) shows that small family-run enterprises can be as socially responsible as hi-tech
multinational companies.

18

78.

3.4.

79.

80.

81.

82.

Possible initiative at EU level: the annual publication of a list of Best European Employers
could be an effective instrument to reward companies, which through the attitudes and actions
of the management are seeking to become good workplaces.

At the invitation of the European Council in Lisbon, which stressed the importance
of investing in people, the Commission is exploring ways to introduce a European
award for particularly progressive companies, in order to give higher priority to
lifelong learning as a basic component of the European social model. Similar prizes
will recognise companies, which have developed good practice to promote gender
equality or provide opportunities for people with disabilities.

Social and eco-labels

Surveys4 have shown that consumers do not only want good and safe products, but
they also want to know if they are produced in a socially responsible manner. For a
majority of European consumers a company’s commitment to social responsibility is
important when buying a product or service. This creates interesting market
opportunities, as a significant number of consumers say they would be very willing
to pay more for such products, although at present only a minority actually do so.
The issues European consumers care about the most are protecting the health and
safety of workers and respecting human rights throughout company operations and
the chain of suppliers (for example not using child labour), safeguarding the
environment in general, and the reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases in
particular.

As a response to this trend, a growing number of social labels have originated from
either individual manufacturers (self-declared labels or brands) or industrial sectors,
NGOs and governments. These are a market-based (rather than regulatory) incentive,
which can help to deliver positive social change among enterprises, retailers and
consumers. Social and eco labelling initiatives are however limited in scope and
potential impact, as they are generally restricted to particular niches within the retail
market and, with regard to social labels, usually limited to imported products and
only accessible to affluent consumers. Consequently, their market share is growing,
but remains relatively low, indicating a need to improve their effectiveness.

Social and eco labels, implying a guarantee that the item was produced free of
exploitation and abuse, tend to lack transparency and independent verification of
their claims. Unlike product content or safety labels, such claims cannot be verified
by testing the product itself. In order to be credible social and eco labels would
require permanent verification of
the workplace performed following agreed
standards.

The European eco-label deals with the environmental performance of particular products. The
number
rapidly.
(http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/ecolabel/)

eco-labelled

companies

increasing

products

with

of

is

the growing number of social

labels schemes in Europe may be
In addition,
detrimental to their effectiveness as confusion may arise among consumers, from the
conflicting diversity of criteria used and lack of clarity of meaning among various
labels.

4

source: MORI (2000)

19

83.

3.5.

84.

85.

86.

Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International is an umbrella organisation set up to co-
ordinate national fair-trade initiatives, run the monitoring programmes more efficiently, and
introduce a single international Fairtrade label.

There is also increasingly a need for a debate regarding the value and desirability - in
the context of the Internal Market and international obligations - of public actions
aimed at making social and eco labels more effective. Examples of such actions
include support for education and awareness raising around labour conditions issues,
promotion of best practice through sponsorship of company awards, facilitation of
the development of multi-stakeholder partnerships, development of standards in
social labelling, and use of public procurement and fiscal incentives in promoting
labelled products.

Socially responsible investment

In recent years, socially responsible investing (SRI) has experienced a strong surge in
popularity among mainstream investors. Socially and environmentally responsible
policies provide investors with a good indication of sound internal and external
management. They contribute to minimising risks by anticipating and preventing
crises that can affect reputation and cause dramatic drops in share prices. As the
demand for SRI funds in Europe increases rapidly, mainstream investment houses
are responding by bringing out more of them, but there is little information published
on their number, size, and performance except in the United Kingdom where socially
responsible investing accounts for 5% of all funds invested.

SRI funds invest in companies complying with specific social and environmental
criteria. Criteria can be negative, thus excluding tobacco, alcohol and armament
including socially and environmentally
industries. Criteria can also be positive,
proactive companies. Another
investors is to engage in
shareholder activism to induce company management to adopt socially responsible
practices. Shareholder activism is expected to increase together with the importance
of corporate governance issues and the development of pension funds.

important option for

For SRI to grow further however, financial markets need to improve their awareness
of its potential returns. Following the Social Investment Forum established in 1991 in
the UK Social Investment forums (SIF) have been recently set up in France,
Germany, the Netherlands and Italy to provide information on corporate social
responsibility policies and to promote and encourage the development of SRI. The
planned European Social Investing Forum, a network of national SIF, is expected to
support the further development of SRI.

In May 2000, the European Commission organised the First European Conference on Triple
Bottom Line Investing in Europe in Lisbon.
(http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/soc-dial/csr/csr_conf_lisbon.htm)

In 2000 the UK Social Investment Taskforce was set-up to identify obstacles to the expansion
of socially responsible investing and identify solutions to eliminate them.

Since July 2000, the UK “Trustee Act” requires all pension fund trustees to disclose their
policies on socially responsible investing.

The French law on Employee Saving Plans requires mutual funds, which collect money from
the Employee Saving Plans, the Inter-companies Saving Plans and the Voluntary Partnership
Employee Saving Plans, to report on their policies on socially responsible investing.

20

87.

88.

4.

89.

90.

SRI is an emerging market with many specialised screening agencies (non-financial
analysts) using a number of different tools and metrics. As a consequence companies
seem overloaded with excessive and divergent information requests. Thus a further
expansion of SRI may encounter a growing aversion and non-co-operation from
companies. A positive response to this can be found in preliminary standardisation
efforts in social reporting, which are joined by major screening agencies. There is,
however, a need for more convergence between indicators developed by companies
and the criteria used by analysts to assess a company’s social and environmental
performance. Furthermore, the lack of transparency in evaluation methods used by
screening agencies may also restrain large investors from making significant socially
responsible investments. There is,
therefore, a need for further standardisation,
harmonisation and transparency in screening tools and metrics used by screening
agencies.

In August 2000, 11 investment research groups combined their competencies in the SIRI
Group to publish harmonised company profiles in comparable formats.

In September 2000 the “Global Partners for Corporate Responsibility Research” coalition
announced “Ten requirements for higher standards of disclosure in the 21st century”,
advocating a mix of voluntary, regulatory and market approaches in order to improve
significantly the access to data on companies, as well as information integrity and
completeness thereby allowing proper auditing and benchmarking.

The European Council in Stockholm recognised the need to create a dynamic and
efficient European Securities Market by the end of 2003. In this context European
market indices identifying companies with the strongest social and environmental
performance will become increasingly necessary as a basis for launching SRI funds
and as a performance benchmark for SRI. To ensure the quality and objectivity of
these indices the assessment of the social and environmental performance of
companies listed in them should be done on the basis of the information submitted by
the management but also by the stakeholders. Furthermore, external audit and
internal quality assurance procedures should be used to monitor and maintain the
accuracy of the input data, assessment procedures and results.

THE CONSULTATION PROCESS

The Green Paper invites public authorities at all levels,
including international
organisations, enterprises from SMEs to multinational enterprises (MNEs), social
partners, NGOs, other stakeholders and all interested individuals to express their
views on how to build a partnership for the development of a new framework for the
promotion of corporate social responsibility, taking account of the interests of both
business and stakeholders. Enterprises need to work together with public authorities
to find innovative ways of developing corporate social responsibility. Such a
partnership could make a significant contribution to achieving the objective of
promoting a model of corporate social responsibility based on European values.

The word “framework” should be given a broad interpretation. Proposals should
build on the voluntary nature of corporate social responsibility and identify ways in
which it can contribute to achieving sustainable development and a more effective
way of governance. The level and content of such a framework should be clarified
through discussions during the consultation period of the Green Paper.

21

91.

The European institutions - the Parliament, the Council of Ministers, the Commission
- as well as the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of Regions can
stimulate the debate, give political support and organise an exchange of information
and knowledge about corporate social responsibility.

92.

The main questions are:

The Role for the EU

What could the European Union do to promote the development of corporate social
responsibility at European and international level? In particular, should the EU add
value and complement existing socially responsible activities by:

- Developing an overall European framework,

corporate social
coherence and best practice in corporate social responsibility practices?

in partnership with the main
responsibility actors, aiming at promoting transparency,

- Promoting consensus on, and supporting, best practice approaches to evaluation

and verification of corporate social responsibility practices?

- and/or by which other means?

Companies and CSR

• What is the role of corporate social responsibility in corporate business strategies?

• What are the driving forces for companies to assume their social responsibility?
What are the expectations behind such engagements? On which areas do these
engagements focus? What is the benefit for companies?

•

• What are the most

important best-practice ways to implement and manage

corporate social responsibility? What best practice exists for SMEs?

• How best can we take forward the invitation to business in the Commission's
proposal for a sustainable development strategy to publish a "triple bottom line" in
their annual reports to shareholders that measures their performance against
economic, environmental and social criteria?

• What are the best ways to build links between the social and environmental

dimensions of corporate social responsibility?

• What are the best means to promote further knowledge about the business case for

corporate social responsibility and its value-added?

•

Main Actors and Stakeholders

• What are the best ways to establish and develop a process of structured dialogue
social

stakeholders on corporate

and their various

between companies
responsibility?

22

• What should be the respective roles of the main actors, i.e. companies, social
partners, public authorities, NGOs in promoting corporate social responsibility?

• How can the European Union promote greater application of corporate social
through its policies both within European and
responsibility principles
internationally, including its political dialogue and partnership agreements, as
well as its programmes, and its presence in international fora?

Evaluation and Effectiveness

• What are the best means to develop, evaluate and ensure the effectiveness and
reliability of corporate social responsibility instruments such as codes of conduct,
socially responsible
social
investing?

reporting and auditing,

social and eco-labels,

Actions to Support CSR

• What actions are most appropriate to promote and support the development of
corporate social responsibility? What levels (the firm, local, regional, sectoral,
national, European and international) are most appropriate to implement such
actions?

Such actions could include:

– support for training and retraining,

to ensure managers have the skills and

competences necessary to develop and promote corporate social responsibility;

– dissemination and exchange of information,

in particular in relation to good
corporate social responsibility practice, standard setting, benchmarking and
monitoring, accounting, auditing and reporting;

– medium-term social policy analysis and research;

– analysis of the role of the legal framework.

93.

As stated in the introduction, the main aim of this Green Paper is to raise awareness
and stimulate debate on new ways of promoting corporate social responsibility. At
this stage the Commission does not wish to pre-judge the outcome of that debate by
making concrete proposals for action. The Green Paper is being given a wide
circulation and it is hoped that it will be discussed at local and national level, as well
as at European level.

94.

Written comments should be sent by 31st December 2001, to

European Commission
CSR Green Paper Consultation
Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 200
B - 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel

CSR@CEC.EU.INT

23

ANNEX

CONCEPTS

• Cause-based or community investing: Supporting a particular cause or activity
by financing it
through investment. Unlike making a donation, cause-based
investors require that the original investment can be returned by either repayment
(for loans) or trading (for shares).

• Code of conduct: a formal statement of the values and business practices of a
company and sometimes its suppliers. A code is a statement of minimum
standards together with a pledge by the company to observe them and to require
its contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and licensees to observe them. It may be
a sophisticated document, which requires compliance with articulated standards
and have a complicated enforcement mechanism.

• Corporate citizenship: the management of the totality of relationships between a

company and its host communities, locally, nationally and globally.

• Corporate governance: a set of relationships between a company's management,
its board, its shareholders and other stakeholders. Corporate Governance also
provides the structure through which the objectives of the company are set, and
the means of attaining those objectives and monitoring performance are
determined. (OECD Code - 1999).

• Eco-efficiency: the concept that improving the way in which it uses resources can

reduce environmental damage and reduce costs.

• Eco-audit: the application of non-financial, environmental criteria to investment

decision.

• Environmental Impact Assessment : analysis of the impact of a business project

or operation on the environment.

• Ethical audit: The application of non-financial, ethical criteria to investment

decision.

• Ethical screening: inclusion or exclusion of stocks and shares in investment

portfolios on ethical, social or environmental grounds.

• Ethical trade: Aims to ensure that conditions within mainstream production
chains meet basic minimum standards and to eradicate the most exploitative forms
of labour such as child and forced labour and ‘sweatshops’. Labelling criteria are
generally based on core ILO conventions.

• Fair trade: Defines itself as an alternative approach to conventional international
trade. It is a trading partnership that promotes a sustainable development for
excluded and disadvantaged producers. It seeks to do this by providing better
trading conditions, awareness raising and campaigning. The criteria for Fair Trade
marked products differ between products but cover issues such as guaranteed
prices, pre-payment and direct payment to growers or their co-operatives.

24

• Human rights: Human Rights are based on the recognition of the inherent dignity
and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the
foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. They are defined in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). At the European level, Article 6
of the Treaty on European Union reaffirms that the European Union “is founded
on the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental
freedoms, and the rule of law, principles which are common to the Member
States”. In addition the European Convention of Human Rights adopted by the
the
Council of Europe is legally binding in all Member States. Moreover,
European Charter of Fundamental Rights adopted in Nice in December 2000 is
the instrument
rights by the European
institutions and the Member States where they act under Union law.

inspiring respect

fundamental

for

• Monitoring: the process of regularly collecting information to check performance

against certain criteria.

• Responsible entrepreneurship: a concept put forward by the United Nations
which recognises the business role for
the accomplishment of sustainable
development and that companies can manage their operations in such a way as to
enhance and economic growth and increase competitiveness whilst ensuring
environmental protection and promoting social responsibility.

• Shareholder influence: seeking to improve a company’s ethical, social and/or
environmental behaviour as a shareholder by means of dialogue, pressure, support
for responsible management and voting at Annual General Meetings.

• Social audit: the systematic evaluation of an organisation’s social impact

in

relation to standards and expectations.

• Social capital: the stock of shared meaning and trust in a given community.
Social capital is a pre-requisite for co-operation and organised human behaviour,
including business. Social capital can be transformed, consumed or replenished,
just as financial capital.

• Social Impact Assessment : systematic analysis of the impact of a business
project or operation on the social and cultural situation of affected communities.

• Social

label: words and symbols on products which seek to influence the
purchasing decisions of consumers by providing an assurance about the social and
ethical impact of a business process on other stakeholders.

• Social report: a document communicating the findings of a social

impact

assessment.

• Stakeholder: an individual, community or organisation that affects, or is affected
by, the operations of a company. Stakeholders may be internal (e.g. employees) or
external (e.g. customers, suppliers, shareholders, financiers, the local community).

• Standard: a widely agreed set of procedures, practices and specifications.

25

• Triple bottom line: the idea that the overall performance of a company should be
combined contribution to economic prosperity,

measured based on its
environmental quality and social capital.

• Verification: certification by an external auditor, of the validity, meaningfulness

and completeness of an organisation’s records, reports or statements.

USEFUL INTERNET LINKS

International organisations

• United Nations Global Compact (http://www.unglobalcompact.org/): a code of
conduct for large companies launched by Kofi Annan, the United Nations
Secretary-General in 2000. The Nine UN’ Principles for multinational and
transnational companies recognise various forms of human rights, labour/worker
rights, and environmental rights.

• United Nations research programme on CSR

(http://www.unrisd.org/engindex/research/busrep.htm): a project aiming to
promote research and policy dialogue on issues of corporate social and
environmental responsibility in developing countries

• ILO Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and

Social Policy
(http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/multi/tridecl/index.htm)

• ILO database on Business and Social Initiatives

(http://oracle02.ilo.org:6060/vpi/vpisearch.first): database on Business and Social
Initiatives includes comprehensive information on private sector initiatives, which
address labour and social conditions in the workplace and in the community
where enterprises operate.

• OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (MNEs)

(http://www.oecd.org/daf/investment/guidelines/): recommendations to
enterprises, made by the Governments of OECD Member countries, as well as
Argentina, Brazil and Chile, covering corporate social responsibility issues
ranging from employment relations to competition, taxation, and bribery (2000).

• OECD Principles for Corporate Governance

(http://www.oecd.org/daf/governance/principles.htm): standards and guidelines
for shareholder rights and other governance issues (1999)

European Union Institutions

• DG

Employment

social
(http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/soc-dial/csr/csr_index.htm)

webpage

Affairs

and

on

CSR

• DG Trade webpage on CSR and OECD Guidelines for multinational enterprises

(http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/trade/miti/invest/oecd.htm)

26

• Secretariat

General's

webpage

on

Sustainable

Development

(http://www.europa.int/comm/environment/eussd/index.htm)

• DG Environment webpage containing the 6th Environmental Action Programme
Choice"

of
(http://europa.eu.int/comm.environnement/newprogr/index.htm)

Community

2001-2010

Future,

"Our

Our

the

• DG Environment website containing details on the Integrated Product Policy

(IPP) (http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/ipp/home.htm)

Multi-stakeholders organisations

• Copenhagen Centre (http://www.copenhagencentre.org/): an international,
autonomous institution established by the Danish Government in 1998 to
encourage voluntary partnerships between government and business so as to
promote social cohesion.

• Business Partners for Development (http://www.bpdweb.org/): an informal global
network of business, government and civil society that aims to promote good
examples of tri-sector partnerships in social and economic development around
the world.

• CERES (http://www.ceres.org/): non-profit coalition of investors, public pensions

funds foundations, labour unions, and public interest groups, working in
partnership with companies toward the common goal of corporate environmental
responsibility worldwide.

• The International Institute for Sustainable Development (www.iisd.ca), Business
site is a comprehensive source on

(BSD)

and Sustainable Development
sustainable development for the private sector.

• Tomorrow: The Sustainable Business Toolkit

contains the latest global business environmental news,
environmental reports and other information of interest to business.

(www.tomorrow-web.com):
links to corporate

• Sustainable Business.com (www.sustainablebusiness.com): comprehensive site

that contains useful resources for those interested in sustainable business.

Product Design And Resource Efficiency

• The Centre for Sustainable Design (www.cfsd.org.uk): facilitates discussion and
research on eco-design and broader sustainability considerations in product and
service development.

• Working Group on Sustainable Product Design, UNEP http://unep.frw.uva.nl/:

research into sustainable products and services, including a database of
sustainable product and services.

• The Rocky Mountain Institute - (www.rmi.org) -The home of factor 4 and natural

capitalism.

27

• Greening of Industry – (www.greeningofindustry.org): an international network,
research and policy institute focusing on issues of industry, environment and
society.

Business-driven organisations

• WorldCSR (http://www.worldcsr.com): shared portal

linking the websites of

major business-driven CSR organisations.

• CSREurope (http://www.csreurope.org/): a European business-driven membership
network launched in 1996 as a result of the European Declaration of Business
against Social Exclusion, initiated by former President of the European
Commission, Jacques Delors and 20 business leaders

• national business-driven organisations promote Corporate Social Responsibility at
national, regional and local level in Belgium; Finland; France; Greece; Ireland;
Italy; the Netherlands; Portugal; Sweden and the UK

• Social Venture Network (SBN) Europe: a network of socially and
environmentally engaged entrepreneurs and business leaders

• European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) (http://www.efqm.org/):
non-profit organisation, supported by the European Commission, aiming at
in customer
assisting the development of quality improvement activities
satisfaction, employee satisfaction, impact on society and business results.

• Business Impact Taskforce (http://www.business-impact.org/): a taskforce set up

in 1998 to provide a reference on the business case, best practice and
measurement methodologies encompassing all aspects of corporate social
responsibility.

• Conference Board (http://www.conference-board.org/): business membership and
improving business enterprise and enhancing the

research network aiming at
contribution of business to society.

• International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) (http://www.csrforum.com/): an
international not-for-profit organisation set up in 1990 to promote responsible
business practices that benefit business and society, and which help to achieve
social, economic and environmentally sustainable development, particularly in
new and emerging market economies.

• The European Bahá’í Business Forum (EBBF)

(http://www.ebbf.org/framinfo.htm): a global business network with a focus in
Europe

• The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

(http://www.wbcsd.ch/): an international business network set up in 1995 with the
aim to develop closer co-operation between business, government and all other
organisations concerned with the environment and sustainable development.

• Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) (http://www.bsr.org/): international

business network set up in 1992 to provide members with innovative products and

28

services that help companies be commercially successful in ways that demonstrate
respect for ethical values, people, communities and the environment.

• Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)

(http://www.acca.co.uk/index.html): a global professional accountancy body
promoting ethical and governance standards in all aspects of financial, social and
environmental accounting.

• Society and Business (http://www.societyandbusiness.gov.uk): guide - launched
in March 2001 by the UK’s Department of Trade and Industry - to the business
case for CSR and resources available across business and the UK Government.

• International Chamber of Commerce :

(www.iccwbo.org/home/menu_environment.asp) : Business Charter for
Sustainable Development provides businesses a basis for sound environmental
management.

NGO-driven organisations

• Human Rights Watch (http://www.hrw.org/): an NGO dedicated to protecting the

human rights of people around the world.

• Transparency International (http://www.transparency.de/): an NGO dedicated to

curbing both international and national corruption.

• International Alert (IA) (http://www.international-alert.org/): an NGO based in the
UK seeking to strengthen the ability of people in conflict situations to make peace
by facilitating dialogue at different levels.

• International Corporate Governance Network (http://www.icgn.org/): a network
for the exchange of views and information about corporate governance issues
internationally and for the development of corporate governance guidelines.

• European Corporate Governance Network (http://www.ecgn.ulb.ac.be/ecgn/): a
European non-profit research network involved in European and comparative
corporate governance issues.

Codes of conduct

• Codes of conduct (http://www.codesofconduct.org/): a web site providing a useful
resource for those interested in the full text of various codes of conduct, and their
provisions, sponsors, and effects on business practices.

• IEPCE (European Initiative for Ethical Production and Consumption)

(http://www.iepce.org/): a European forum between the main social and economic
players who wish to encourage ethical production and consumption (employers,
trade unions, NGOs, public institutions).

• Social Accountability 8000 (SA8000) (http://www.cepaa.org/sa8000.htm): a
voluntary standard for corporate social responsibility launched in 1997 by the
Council on Economic Priorities Accreditation Agency (CEPAA), recently
renamed Social Accountability International (SAI). Focuses mainly on labour

29

practices, e.g. child labour, freedom of association, hours of work and wages. This
global corporate responsibility code is modelled after ISO 9000 and includes
accreditation of auditors and independent monitoring.

• Caux Round Table Principles for Business (http://www.cauxroundtable.org/): a

code of conduct focusing on global corporate responsibility adopted by a trilateral
business organisation.

• Global Sullivan Principles (http://www.globalsullivanprinciples.org/): a set of
principles drafted by the Rev. Leon H. Sullivan to guide corporate social,
economic, political, and environmental policies.

• ICFTU Basic Code of Labour Practice

(http://www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991209513&Language=EN):
the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions’ model code regarding
worker rights (1997).

• Investors in People (http://www.iipuk.co.uk/): a UK quality standard which sets a
level of good practice for improving an organisation’s performance through its
people.

• Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) (http://www.eti.org.uk/): a UK code developed

through partnership between retail and consumer goods companies, NGOs, Trade
Unions and the UK Government.

• Amnesty International’s Human Rights Principles for Companies

(http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/aipub/1998/ACT/A7000198.htm): an international
code requiring companies to protect human rights and abide by several labour
standards in countries in which they have facilities.

• Clean Clothes Campaign Code of Labor Practices for the Apparel Industry
(http://www.cleanclothes.org/codes/ccccode.htm): a model code for labour
standards and a monitoring system for companies in the apparel industry.

Social labels

• International Federation of Alternative Trade (IFAT) (http://www.ifat.org/):
federation of producers and "alternative" trading organisations (ATOs).

• European Fair Trade Association (EFTA) (http://www.eftafairtrade.org/): a

European network of Fair Trade organisations which import Fair Trade products
from economically disadvantaged producer groups in Africa, Asia and Latin
America.

• Network of European World Shops (NEWS!) (http://www.shared-

interest.com/cust/news.htm: a network dealing both with the commercial and the
education aspect of Fair Trade.

• Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) (http://www.fairtrade.net/):
an umbrella organisation aiming to co-ordinate the work of national fair-trade
initiatives, more efficiently run the monitoring programmes and to introduce a

30

single international Fair-trade label. The national initiatives retain responsibility
for marketing and promoting Fair-trade in their respective countries.

• The Fairtrade Mark (http://www.gn.apc.org/fairtrade/): a fair trade label awarded
by a foundation aiming at improving the terms of trade for third world producers,
to products which meet internationally recognised standards of fair trade.

• Max Havelaar (http://www.maxhavelaar.nl/english/): a fair trade label awarded by
a Dutch foundation aiming at offering access to international trade with good
conditions for farmers and workers in disadvantaged parts of the Third World
(1986).

• Transfair International (http://www.transfair.org/): a fair trade labelling initiative

of EFTA and Transfair Germany.

• Rattvisemarkt (http://www.raettvist.se/): a Swedish Fair Trade label.

Social Reporting

• Social & Ethical Reporting Clearinghouse

(http://cei.sund.ac.uk/ethsocial/index.htm): a website providing links to social and
ethical reporting guidelines, organisations and surveys.

• Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) (http://www.globalreporting.org/): an
international, multi-stakeholder effort to create a common framework for
voluntary reporting of a company’s global economic, environmental, and social
practices. CERES and the United Nations’ Environment Program convened the
GRI in 1997. In June 2000, the GRI released the new Sustainability Reporting
Guidelines.

• AccountAbility 1000 (AA1000) (http://www.accountability.org.uk/): a standard
for measuring the social and ethical achievements of companies against objective
criteria issued by the U.K.-based Institute of Social and Ethical Accountability in
November 1999.

Socially responsible investment

• UK Social Investment Forum (http://www.uksif.org/): a UK membership network

for socially responsible investment.

• Dow Jones Sustainability Group Index (DJSGI) (http://www.sustainabilty-

index.com/): an index of sustainability-driven companies provided by Dow Jones
in association with SAM Sustainable Asset Management.

• FTSE4Good (http://www.ftse4good.com/frm0101.asp): an index of ethically
responsible companies launched by FTSE in association with the Ethical
Investment Research Service (EIRIS) and the United Nations Children's Fund
(Unicef).

• Sustainable Investment Research International Group (SIRI)

(http://www.sirigroup.org/): a coalition of 10 research organisations aiming to

31

provide and promote high quality social investment research products and services
throughout the world.

32