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On 13 May, MEPs voted on the report of Philip Bushill-Matthews on the Commission’s July 2002 Communication concerning Corporate Social Responsibility. In its resolution, the Parliament complains that “the Commission Communication was effectively written before the Parliament’s response to the Green Paper had been absorbed” and reiterates its determination to remain part of the discussion process. ... lees meer

Leaders of the G8 group of countries* have abandoned plans to announce a `Charter of Principles for a Responsible Market Economy’, Friends of the Earth International revealed today. The news emerges as G8 Finance Ministers meet today in Deauville, France, in preparation for the G8 Summit of Heads of State in the French Alpine resort of Evian from 1-3 June 2003. French President Jacques Chirac had prioritised `Corporate Social Responsibility’ as an issue at the G8, but the `Charter of Principles’ proposal has been abandoned, throwing the G8’s agenda into disarray. Since making a commitment to corporate accountability and responsibility at last year’s United Nations Earth Summit in Johannesburg, some G8 governments have pulled back from taking measures to halt bad corporate practices. ... lees meer

If you make up the rules, you’ve got an excellent chance of winning the game. That seems to be the logic behind a recent government initiative to study international standards on what is still unfamiliar territory for many businesses here — corporate social responsibility. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will set up a working group May 27 to study CSR standards, as the Geneva-based International Organization for Standardization steps up efforts to create a new standard for gauging corporate social responsibility by around 2005. ... lees meer

Gather a trio of corporate social responsibility managers from Weyerhaeuser, Starbucks and Nike to sing the blues, and it could render a smooth refrain: The more you try, the more they cry …The more you do, the more they keep comin’ after you. Corporations leading the local ethical-business charge remain prime targets of advocacy groups, who often say corporate efforts fall short. The movement may be organic cotton, free-trade coffee or old-growth forests. In CSR circles, applause is seldom far from a greenwashing charge. And the bigger you are, the louder it gets. “We don’t respond to everything said about us,” said Cassie Phillips, vice president of sustainable forestry for Federal Way, Wash.-based Weyerhaeuser. “I don’t think anyone can.” Lower-profile companies pursuing the triple bottom line don’t tend to draw the ire of advocacy groups. But whether a firm is worth $5 billion or $5 million, there are also stakeholders and customers to please. A green core vision must not diminish quarterly results, and no business strategy is complete without a communications plan. A public-relations blitz can raise eyebrows, but silence raises questions. A company is obliged to inform those who keep it going, but it must also strike a balance between too little detail and too much. ... lees meer

There has been a big push over the past year to get corporations to be more honest with shareholders, so far with only modest success. While companies now disclose more details about off-balance-sheet transactions and derivatives risk, annual reports still reveal a near-universal reluctance on the part of executives to come clean about their major screw-ups and miscalculations. ... lees meer

Corporate social responsibility is a growth industry. Hundreds of big companies are now producing “sustainability” or “triple bottom line” reports. New standards, guidelines or indices on CSR appear almost weekly. ... lees meer

Speech by Agnes van Ardenne, Minister for Development Cooperation, at the VITE International Development Conference on the match between multinationals and developing countries, Tilburg, 13 May 2003. ... lees meer

Europe’s leading body for investor relations published a new survey research showing that the credibility of corporate social responsibility is being undermined by the demands made on companies by CSR lobby groups. ... lees meer

On 13 May, MEPs are scheduled to discuss the report of Philip Bushill-Matthews on the Commission’s July 2002 Communication concerning Corporate Social Responsibility. In its resolution, the Parliament complains that “the Commission Communication was effectively written before the Parliament’s response to the Green Paper had been absorbed” and reiterates its determination to remain part of the discussion process. ... lees meer