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Editor's Note
Sustainability in the Chinese Context
With China's incredible growth, it will soon become the world's second-largest economy. However, the country strives for more than just economic prosperity—sustainable development is a top priority for the country, as evidenced by the latest 12th Five-Year Development Plan.
Different from previous years, this five-year plan puts a greater focus on environmental and social issues. In particular, it emphasizes:
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Rebalancing the economy toward domestic consumption by becoming less dependent on external demand and investments.
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Refocusing attention on "sustainable growth" rather than "total growth" by investing in economic restructuring and promoting new emerging industries such as clean energy, biotechnology, and high-end manufacturing.
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Investing in a new model of "harmonious socialist society" that focuses on providing disadvantaged groups and less-developed regions with social insurance schemes, health care, and education so they also benefit from China’s economic success.
This edition of the BSR Review is designed to help company leaders understand the changing business landscape in China as it relates to how sustainability is being defined and shaped. In this issue, we feature a collection of articles, reports, and webinars that:
To learn more about BSR's sustainability efforts in China, please contact me.
CSR With Chinese Characteristics
China’s 12th Five-Year Plan: What to Expect (May 25, 2011)
★ Sustainability Matters webinar: Listen to experts from the China Environment Forum and BSR as they discuss China’s 12th Five-Year Plan, the country’s potential to leverage its domestic market and create new business models, and the implications for environmental and social issues. Listen now →
Trends in Sustainable Investment (February 14, 2011)
By Laura Gitman, Managing Director, Advisory Services, BSR
BSR Insight article: Although SRI and ESG investments are growing in the United States and Europe, sustainable investment is still very new around the world, and particularly in China, which has overtaken Japan as the world’s second biggest economy. Read more →
What Conflict Minerals Mean to Investors (Quarter 2, 2011)
Sustainable Investment in China newsletter: Growing regulatory, stakeholder, and media pressure around conflict minerals—defined as tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold—is pushing companies to increase their efforts to remove these minerals from their supply chains. Chinese companies listed in the United States and in the supply chains of U.S.-listed companies are no exception. 中文. Read more →
Going Local: Increasing the Value of Local Sustainability Reporting (October 19, 2010)
By Adam Lane, Manager, Advisory Services, BSR
BSR Insight article: Drawing on our experience in China, we propose an approach to local sustainability reporting—based on local engagement, internal coordination, and the use of proven reporting frameworks—that can generate value for both the company and its stakeholders. Read more →
Report: This report provides an overview of trends in local reporting and offers a framework by which sustainability practitioners can approach local reporting. Read more →
Using CSR to Enter New Markets (May 10, 2011)
By Mark Little, Director, Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Practice, Advisory Services, and Adam Lane, Manager, Advisory Services, BSR
BSR Insight article: With more leading companies using CSR strategies to support growth in new markets, BSR recommends an approach that allows the company to focus on core business objectives, invest in local infrastructure, and use information collected in the field to adapt its global business strategy. Read more →
Is Social Media Changing Chinese Civil Society? (August 10, 2010)
By Pei Bin, Director, China Partnership Development, BSR
BSR Insight article: With more than 420 million internet users and more than 805 million mobile phone users in China, technology and social media are quietly transforming Chinese civil society as more people proactively share their opinions online. Read more →
Next-Generation Supply Chain
A Study on the Labor Shortage and Employment Guidelines for Manufacturers in China (September 2010)
Report: This study investigates the root causes of China's labor shortage in the manufacturing sector and provides recommendations for how companies and suppliers can improve worker recruitment and retention and strengthen loyalty and morale. Read more →
How Companies Can Collaborate to Improve Factory Labor Issues (May 20, 2011)
By Adam Lane, Manager, Advisory Services, BSR
BSR Insight article: In the Beijing Development Area, an economic zone with a high concentration of factory workers, companies are facing severe challenges such as recruiting and retaining workers. To address these issues, BSR is working with Nokia on ways to collaborate with other companies at the local level to build larger-scale, cost-effective programs that benefit both workers and factory managers. Read more →
Doing Business With China's New Generation of Workers (November 16, 2010)
BSR Insight article: This article discusses how the new generation of workers in China is transforming the labor landscape and the implications for global companies, consumers, and 800 million workers in a country that no longer wants to be "the sweatshop of the world." Read more →
Three Tools for Managing Supply Chain Transparency on Climate (October 5, 2010)
By Ryan Schuchard, Manager, Climate and Energy, BSR
BSR Insight article: Companies are facing growing pressure to increase their transparency on climate-related impacts, but challenges are significant, including the divergent information requirements of various interest groups, demand for details about supply chain impacts, and the sheer expense of reporting on climate issues. Our practical, three-part approach to transparency will help your company overcome these hurdles. Read more →
Addressing Environmental Challenges
Electronics Supply Networks and Water Pollution in China: Understanding and Mitigating Potential Impacts (January 2011)
Report: This report helps companies understand and mitigate potential risks related to wastewater management in electronics supply networks in China. Read more →
Unlocking Energy Efficiency in China (May 2010)
Report: This guide helps global sustainability professionals establish supply chain energy-efficiency programs, with a focus on China. Read more →
★ Sustainability Matters webinar: This webinar explores emerging standards and tools for partnering with suppliers on energy efficiency. Listen now →
Extending Supply Chain Sustainability Metrics to Terminal Operations (April 2011)
By Raj Sapru, Director, Advisory Services, and Laura Ediger, Environmental Manager, BSR
Report: This report—supported by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund—highlights the risks and opportunities associated with improving the sustainability performance of ports and terminal operations, a part of the supply chain often left out of broader supply chain sustainability efforts. Read more →
Building the South China Energy Conservation Community (June 2010)
Case Study: BSR, with the support of the British Consulate General in Guangzhou, China, and in partnership with the GDECC, launched a two-year project to train factory staff in energy management and to develop tools to calculate the ROI for energy-efficiency retrofits. Read more →
Building Cross-Sector Partnerships to Enhance Social Investment in China
Building Strategic Philanthropy in China (September 21, 2010)
By Pei Bin, Director, China Partnership Development, BSR
BSR Insight article: As China experiences a rapid growth in philanthropy, both companies and NGOs can benefit by forming strategic partnerships. By working with business, NGOs will gain access to new technologies, skills, business models, and networks, and companies stand to benefit through increased customer and employee loyalty, a strengthened social license to operate, and new ideas for business development. Read more →
Report: Read more →
Driving Innovation Through Partnerships
BSR Report 2010 video: Global Partnership Development Director Chad Bolick discusses CiYuan, our multi-year initiative in China that is connecting global companies with local nonprofits to increase the impact of social investments. Watch now →
中文: China Partnership Development Director Pei Bin also offers her insights in Chinese. Watch now →
Bringing Pro Bono Services to China: Tapping Business to Build NGO Capacity (February 1, 2011)
By Adam Lane, Manager, Advisory Services, BSR
BSR Insight article: The nonprofit sector in China is evolving rapidly. To overcome its most immediate challenge—a lack of technical expertise—BSR is supporting a new, cross-sector partnership among a multinational company (HP), a U.S.-based nonprofit (the Taproot Foundation), a local nonprofit (Huizeren), and a local foundation (the Narada Foundation) to harness business’ human capital to build the capacity of emerging nonprofit organizations. Read more →
Chinese Civil Society Organizations Call on MNCs to Increase Disclosures (November 17, 2010)
By Pei Bin, Director, China Partnership Development, BSR
BSR Blog: Pei Bin shares her takeaways from the CSR Research Center of the China Academy of Social Sciences’ second benchmarking research report, which compares the CSR performance of Chinese state-owned enterprises with 100 small and medium enterprises and 100 multinational corporations operating in China. Read more →
★ Access to Sustainability Matters webinars requires a member login.
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