Content tagged with "csr"

14.03.2018.

The impact of corporate social responsibility strategies can already be felt on the global level. Many companies have understood the benefits for business and society in implementing corporate social responsibility strategies. It is of special importance that large enterprises undertake corporate social responsibility strategies because there is a potential for a large impact, both socially and environmentally.

12.03.2018.

China keeps promise and shuts down its ivory trade. Costa Rica is the leader in electricity production from renewable sources and a Dutch studio designs city benches from plastic waste.
The day of 31st December 2017 is an important one for animal rights defenders in China. The country officially shut down all legal, government-licensed ivory trade.

12.03.2018.

In March Italian citizens were called to elect their Parliament and the results, which were just confirmed by the Ministry of Interior, are in my opinion quite worrying. The official results, which are shown in the picture below, indicate that in the proportional system, the center-right coalition won with 37% of the votes, followed by the M5S with 32.68%, the center-left coalition with 22.85%, the party Liberi e Uguali with 3.39%, while the smaller parties, Potere al Popolo and Casapound Italia have won 1.13% and 0.95% of the votes respectively.

12.03.2018.

There is a growing need for implementing corporate social responsibility strategies on a global level. How a multinational company can play a good role can be seen on the example of Volkswagen Company. In their corporate social responsibility report there is a section stating that the company is undertaking almost 200 corporate social responsibility projects worldwide.

14.02.2018.

Germany is one of the world’s most sustain¬able industrialized nations. This is the conclusion reached by an international comparative study of the 34 OECD member states conducted by the Bertelsmann Foundation in 2015. Against the backdrop of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the countries were systematically analyzed for the first time on the basis of 34 indicators...

06.02.2018.

It looks like a seal wax, but B Corp is much more than that. A Certified B Corporation or a B Corp is a "quality benefit label” issued since 2007 by the international non-profit organization B Lab. B Corps are for-profit companies that pursue goals other than simply making profit: to have a positive impact on people, the environment and the community in which they operate.

06.02.2018.

How can a company introduce corporate volunteering? And how can one improve and extend corporate volunteering programmes in companies where they already exist? We at the Pontis Foundation used to spend a lot of time trying to figure out the answer to this question. Our main source of inspiration came from New York more than ten years ago, when our manager Lenka Surotchak attended a large volunteering event called New York Cares.

02.01.2018.

CSR strategies are becoming more and more relevant for overall reputation of a company. There is no doubt that successful CSR implementation builds a strong benefit for the image and thus the excellence and prosperity of a company. Forbes Magazine has published a list of global companies leading in their CSR reputation in 2017. The study tracked social responsibility reputation based on the analysis of 170,000 company ratings from respondents in 15 countries

21.12.2017.

This November, GRI, CSR Europe and Accountancy Europe have prepared a comprehensive overview of how Member States are implementing the EU Directive on Non-financial and Diversity Information. The document analyses and checks information on the local transpositions of the EU Directive 2014/95. The publication is a conclusive milestone in the follow up on the EU Directive transposition across Member States...

19.12.2017.

From 1 July 2010 the new EU organic logo, called 'Euro leaf', is affixed to all the organic food packaging produced in the Europe. The EU's logo aims to define exactly what organic is, and it is strictly regulated by two European Commission Regulation (the EC Regulation n. 834/07 and the EC Regulation no. 889/08).
According to this regulation, if the food is processed, the logo means that at least 95 percent of the ingredients used are organic

12.12.2017.

CSR NEWS is a worldwide internet platform for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It is owned by the non-profit-making Corporate Responsibility Foundation and is neutral and independent. Created for CSR experts, CSR practitioners and everyone interested, it offers a wealth of information on corporate social responsibility: background and practice orientation, quick overview and expertise, dialogue and participation.

09.11.2017.

Important part of harmonization of EU CSR directives and cooperation between different CSR initiatives is staying informed about latest CSR news in the field. At European level there is a variety of actors involved in implementation and development of CSR culture, including government, academia and civil sector. Good example of reporting, connecting and knowledge sharing can be found on the CSR Europe portal.

27.10.2017.

For year 2017, the developments in the field of CSR and sustainability reporting are considerably connected with the environment. The end of 2015 was marked by COP 21, resulting in Paris Agreement – a strong statement on the environmental course we wish to take globally. Though the obligations connected to it are generally self-imposed, it was a disheartening development when in June the US government made the decision to withdraw from the Agreement...

15.10.2017.

We often see, both in CSR and in social entrepreneurship, old goods in a new coat, something that has been here before, has already been done, but got dusted off. Often, we see projects that impact a life of an individual. And these are great inspirational steps in promoting social responsibility and civic engagement. However, it shouldn’t be forgotten that when we work on lowering our carbon emissions or promote inclusiveness in a workplace, we don’t aim for influencing one office space...

02.10.2017.

During the third Learning Activity in Brussels, the Hi4CSR team had the chance to learn more on the current state of the implementation of the Water Framework Directive. The team went to the to the European Commission for a meeting with Karen Dalgaard-Sanning, Policy Officer working on the implementation of the Directive, where they learned first-hand about the current state of play of EU CSR policies relating to water, difficulties in their implementation and role of CSR in sustainable water management...

28.09.2017.

Diversity charters are voluntary diversity initiatives aimed at encouraging companies to implement and develop diversity policies. A diversity charter consists of a short document voluntarily signed by a company or a public institution. It outlines the measures it will undertake to promote diversity and equal opportunities in the workplace, regardless of race or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender, age, disability and religion.

25.09.2017.

In Germany, there is an established institutional culture regarding CSR. Although the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is at the helm of federal CSR activities, the National CSR Forum was launched by the Labour Ministry in 2009. It is composed of 41 high-ranking experts from the private sector, trade unions, NGOs, academia and representatives of the competent Federal Ministries.

10.09.2017.

Corporations have been under increasing pressure to strengthen society and reduce their environmental damage. Should organisations play an active role in this? We argue that yes, it is imperative that they do! Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) plays a vital role in this. But what does it mean to be responsible?
CSR is defined as corporations taking responsibility of their societal impact. As a result, CSR should be embedded in an organisation’s strategy and actions.

04.09.2017.

More and more, companies in Germany and across Europe are realizing that CSR is not a luxury, but a benefit for the business. Especially smaller, family-run companies often feel an obligation to contribute to sustainable economic practices. Many business owners feel that it is their responsibility to give back to and to make a positive impact on society, their staff and the environment. They see corporate responsibility as a normative, moral obligation.

23.08.2017.

In 2016, Ekvilib Institute launched a new product – Socially responsible Company Certificate (CSR certificate). Certificate was developed as part of a pilot project involving six Slovenian companies. The project lasted from September 2015 to September 2016, when the analyses were completed, and officially ended in October with the awarding of certificates.

11.08.2017.

In June 2017, the European Commission adopted a new set of guidelines on the disclosure of environmental and social information. These guidelines will help companies to disclose relevant non-financial information in a consistent and more comparable manner. The aim is to boost corporate transparency and performance, as well as encourage companies to embrace a more sustainable approach.

11.08.2017.

It’s been almost a year since France adopted the El Khomri Law, named after the then Minister of Labour Myriam El Khomri. It’s also been half a year since part of it went into effect on January 1st, and established a new human right in France – the right to disconnect.

01.08.2017.

There is one big hurdle for a continuous successful adoption of Corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices for Germany. For a significant period of time, in Germany, there is an ever increasing awareness of the importance of CSR for economy, society and sustainability. On March 10th 2017 the German Bundestag passed the law to strengthen companies’ non-financial disclosure in their management reports and group management reports, proclaiming a new phase of CSR in Germany.

28.07.2017.

A project of Initiative Deutschlandsiegel aims to introduce a sustainability CSR label for products made in Germany that reflects high quality and CSR standards in production.The initiative has gathered more than 60 well-known companies that have registered a total of 156 products under the certificate label.

30.06.2017.

When in 1869 the Committee on Stock List of the New York Stock and Exchange Board introduced mandatory publication of annual financial statements for companies seeking listing, companies’ executives vigorously pushed back defining publicity requirements “arbitrary and unreasonable”. Those who were already listed on the NYSE ignored the new requirement, as it wasn’t included in their listing agreement, but newly listed companies started to publish financial statements.

30.06.2017.

Paying taxes is never a popular topic. However, with some companies avoiding their fair share of taxes, the money needed to finance health systems, education and other crucial social subsystems, is not available. Taxes should therefore be seen as an issue of good corporate governance and responsible business practice.

01.06.2017.

We spend about a third of our lives at work, most of us indoors. The environment we work in, therefore, has a significant impact on our physical and mental health as well as on our motivation and performance. Despite this, very few people are interested in what qualities our offices possess...

28.04.2017.

A study from the Stanford Graduate School of Business revealed that 90% of MBAs from business schools in Europe and North America prefer working for organizations committed to social responsibility. Ethics and integrity, it seems, win out over financial reward. Millennials support companies that do good, making social entrepreneurship a smart business model to follow.

27.04.2017.

Reporting on Corporate Social Responsibility is not only about leadership, people in the community and their lives or transparency. It is also about having fun!

30.03.2017.

During the Learning Activity in Berlin, beside their work in round tables on innovation, project partners will have the opportunity to get familiar with the work of Steinbeis Institute Corporate Responsibility Management.

24.03.2017.

The ABIS member ABN AMRO is the first financial institution in the world to publish a human rights report based on the reporting framework of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

16.03.2017.

On November 30th 2016, The European Commission released a package of measures to keep the European Union competitive as the clean energy transition is changing global energy markets.

02.03.2017.

»Nowadays, people are striving to create a balance between family and work responsibilities. Broad research suggests that people who are aware of the work-life balance are more satisfied with their lives and report better physical and mental health« (Haar et al., 2014: 362).

02.03.2017.

There are plenty of topics. All that remains is choosing the ones that are the most important for the company stakeholders and the company itself. The report should describe what has happened during a so-called reporting period. It is defined as the time period for which the company describes its results – usually one calendar year.

02.03.2017.

The tool which is most commonly used to prepare reports on corporate responsibility are the Global Reporting Initiative Guidelines. These guidelines can be used to write the report by any company or organisation. Using them is free. As a supplement to these guidelines, there are several manuals specially prepared and published for individual types of business (e.g. the mining industry or banks).

17.02.2017.

The following learning activity will take place in Berlin, from May 15th to May 19th 2017. Participants of the learning activity will be members of the consortium consisted of eight renowned European organizations in the field of CSR.

26.10.2016.

The first Transnational project meeting within Hi4CSR took place at the Ekvilib Inštitut headquarters. By having a kick-off meeting in Slovenia, Hi4CSR consortium officially began an eighteen months long Erasmus+ strategic partnership.

Time flies when it comes to upcoming regulation. The 15th of April 2014 appears so distant in the past. On that Tuesday, The European Parliament adopted the now famous Directive on the disclosure of non-financial information by large companies in the EU.

Now, we are less than a month away from the hard deadline for the transposition of the Directive in national laws (6th December 2016). As other EU member countries, Italy is in the final stages of drafting the transposition law for the Directive.

Existing data shows that one in six EU citizens between 16 and 64 years has a long-standing health problem or disability, as well as the fact that one third of these people will not have any restrictions on the ability to work. Persons with disabilities constitute a significant part of the population; therefore their social and economic integration is essential for the creation of an inclusive society and for economic success. But data shows that people with disabilities face significant barriers.

EU Directive on disclosure of non-financial and diversity information: What is it going to be like in Slovakia?

In 2015, the National Council of the Slovak Republic passed an amendment to Act No. 431 / 2002 on Accounting, as amended (hereinafter referred to as “the Act on Accounting”), which introduced a new obligation for companies to disclose information from the area of Corporate Social Responsibility and diversity policies in their annual report.

While CSR is considered to be an important business competence in Germany, innovation has as much significance in leading companies and the country towards a sustainable future. It is more and more expected that companies improve their CSR processes and programs by integrating innovation as a complementary element.

Entrepreneurship and innovation are two concepts that go hand in hand. Entrepreneurs translate ideas into novel products, services or business models and processes. While starting up their businesses, corporate responsibility is usually not in the agenda of entrepreneurs.

A harmony between companies’ actions and their stakeholders’ expectations is becoming the highest priority for companies in today’s world. Increasingly more companies are becoming aware of the risks and opportunities that responsible entrepreneurship entails for companies’ reputation.

From January 30th until February 3rd 2017 in RRiF College for Financial Management in Zagreb, the first learning activity within Hi4CSR finally took place!

Find out what topics were discussed as well as what are the consortium's future activities!