Publications by Tag: Stakeholder Relations
Blog
Sustainability Reports: Worth the Effort?
Dunstan Allison Hope, Managing Director, Advisory Services
Getting Engagement Right in a Hyper-Transparent World
We live in a data-rich world. In today’s increasingly networked society, there is more information at our—and our stakeholders’—fingertips than ever before about environmental degradation, human rights impacts, and ethical business practices. And it is available instantly, to everyone and by everyone. Read more
Why Did the ‘Tweenbot’ Cross the Road? (To Teach Us About Kindness)
Virginia Terry, Director, Advisory Services
At the Museum of Modern Art’s ambitious new exhibit, “Talk to Me” (curated by Paola Antonelli, who spoke at the BSR Conference 2010), visitors are greeted by a “Tweenbot,” a small, cardboard-covered, constantly moving robot that depends on the kindness of strangers to reach its final destination. Videos show the Tweenbot maneuvering through Washington Square Park as passersby rescue it from potholes, protect it from dangerous streets, and usher it toward its goal. Read more
6 Tips for Selecting a Local Partner
Jennifer Schappert, Associate, Advisory Services
While the benefits of partnering with a local civil society organization may be widely recognized, finding a local partner can be a challenging and daunting task for any business. Businesses frequently ask questions such as, “What percentage of costs should go to program activities?” or “What should the organizational structure of a partner look like?” Read more
How to Tell Your Sustainability Story: the Messier the Better
Melanie Janin, Communications Director
We all know that a picture tells a thousand words and creative visuals are a powerful way to engage audiences around an issue of concern. In the world of sustainability communications, slideshows, video documentaries, and case study success stories are common—and often very effective—tools to highlight the many environmental, social, and economic challenges and opportunities facing global business today. So the question becomes, in the mid of all this creative cacophony for the greater good, how will your company’s own sustainability story stand out from the crowd? Read more
Five Merits of Sustainability Reporting for Management
David Korngold, Associate, Advisory Services
Some think of sustainability reporting as a tack-on to a company’s strategy—that it’s all a bunch of granola that doesn’t matter to meat-and-potatoes management decisions. Yet sustainability reporting offers a tremendous opportunity to generate and communicate management insight, develop a more robust organization, and drive value for the company. This is all in addition to the potential environmental and social benefits that can result from developing a sustainability strategy and report. Read more
Five Tips for Corporate Social (Media) Responsibility Communications
With sustainability reporting season in high gear, more company leaders are thinking about how social media plays into their overall reporting communications strategy. Whether you’re using social media now or plan to in the future, consider these five tips. Read more
Where BSR Will Be in June
June is shaping up to be a busy month for BSR staff around the world. Here’s a few of the place we’ll be—and events we’re hosting. We hope to see you there! Read more
The Future of Nanotechnology for Pharma
Mark Little, Director, Health Care, Advisory Services
Nanotechnology has supported breakthrough innovation across many industries yet has been met with mixed stakeholder views. Recently, BSR hosted a member event for pharmaceutical companies to discuss nanotechnology applications in the healthcare sector and to consider the related CSR implications. It was an educational experience to be sure with lectures from two science luminaries: Dr. David Hollinshead, Director Science Policy, AstraZeneca and Mike King, an expert from MATTER—a U.K.-based organization focused on stakeholder engagements surrounding new technology applications and their implications for civil society. Compared to the most material issues pharmaceutical companies face—access to medicines, product quality, supply chain, ethics in sales and marketing—nanotechnology is often treated as a horizon issue. While there are some stakeholders with questions around nanotechnology, we learned that the objective science behind nanotechnology stands to bring pharmaceutical companies more opportunities than risks. Nano means “small”—and the simple fact is that smaller particles have larger surface area and are therefore more quickly absorbed into the blood stream. As Dr. David Hollinshead put it, “Nanomedicines are most likely better medicines.” And already, many pharmaceutical companies have begun utilizing nanotechnology to improve drug delivery and targeting. In oncology, for example, nanomedicines are being tested for their ability to reach cell targets that have otherwise eluded more conventional medicines. Yet, the nature of this scientific advancement remains surrounded by “unknown unknowns.” And there is a need for companies—in the pharma sector and beyond—to be proactive in the management and communication of this technology. From MATTER’s “Walking with Stakeholders” project, we know that lack of information is itself a source of distrust among stakeholders. As King put it, “It’s not so much that nano is an issue today, but it’s worth managing and watching closely if only to avoid a situation like that in which Monsanto found itself with GM (genetically modified foods).” So for pharmaceutical companies, the question is not, “Is nano a stakeholder concern?” but rather, “What do we need to learn, and then what do we need to show our stakeholders to gain their trust?” Read more
Novo Nordisk’s Blueprint for Changing Diabetes in China
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of blog case studies that look at the sustainability challenges and successes at different pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. For each case study, we’re interviewing a company practitioner to get an insider’s perspective. We will be publishing these perspectives on a monthly basis and look forward to your comments. If you have a case study that you would like to share, please contact Shivani Kannabhiran at web@bsr.org Read more
The Economic Power of Women
Amaya Gorostiaga, Manager, Advisory Services
Women represent the largest market opportunity in the world. Globally, they control US$20 trillion in annual consumer spending, and this number could rise to US$28 trillion in the next five years. According to the Boston Consulting Group survey “What Women Want,” this potential would constitute a growth market bigger than those of China and India combined. Read more
Health Care as an Investment, not a Cost
Farid Baddache, Director, Europe
With the fervor around the U.S. health care debate rivaling that of the carbon tax debate in France, it's worth taking a look at lessons learned on this side of the Atlantic. Read more
The Glass is Filling Up
Linda Hwang, Manager, Research
As a member of BSR’s Research & Innovation team—which frequently considers the business implications of environmental and human rights issues (as well as the intersection of the two)—I have found the ongoing debate between Fiji Water and the U.S. investigative magazine Mother Jones to be an exciting conversation. Read more
Avoid Greenwashing… but Speak Up!
Eric Olson, Senior Vice President, Advisory Services
Sprint’s launch today of a modestly priced “green” phone—the Reclaim, developed with Samsung—is a good example of getting it right with respect to green products and related communications. I know because I led a small BSR team that provided some of the external review for the phone as part of our ongoing work with the company. Read more
Thinking ‘Outside the Boundaries’ for Land-Use Challenges
Laura Ediger, Environmental Manager
As competing uses for productive land multiply, with space needed for forests, farmland, and now biofuels, companies are becoming increasingly aware of land as a scarce resource. Not surprisingly, resource scarcity often drives innovation. Read more
Stakeholder Dialogue as a Web: Reflections from Union-Company Dialogue Processes
Diane Osgood, Ph.D.
We often set up dialogue processes as two sides talking to each other: on one side the company, and on the other side civil society, government,talking at or past each other. However, my recent experience of sitting down with union leaders, leaders of union confederations, and company executives reminds me that effective stakeholder engagement resembles a web rather than a two-sided dialogue. With a web model in mind, success comes to mean something beyond just hearing each other. Read more
Facebook Is… Asking Users to Set Company Policy
Aron Cramer, President and CEO
You don’t have to be younger than 25 to know that Facebook is reshaping the way we communicate. Social networking is now mainstream, and with Facebook’s fascinating decision to open up the terms of use to definition by its users, the company may be reshaping corporate governance the same way it’s reshaped the web. Read more
BSR Conference Session Summaries
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In Conversation With Colin le Duc of Generation Investment Management and Ian Yolles of Recyclebank
BSR Conference 2011
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BSR Insight Articles
Survey: Help Shape China’s Nonprofit Sector
Cammie Erickson, Associate, Partnership Development
How would you revamp the nonprofit sector in the United States if you could build it from the ground up? What would you do differently? What would you keep the same? Read more
Europe’s CSR Public Policies on the Rise
CSR policies in Europe are growing, according to the second working paper to come out of the Impact Project, a multistakeholder initiative that aims to measure the impacts of CSR in Europe. Read more
Shareholder Activism, SRI Identified as Useful Tools for Change
Laura Commike Gitman, Managing Director, Advisory Services
Shareholder activism and socially responsible investing (SRI) are viewed as important tools of social and corporate change, according to a recent SustainAbility and GlobeScan study (available with free registration).The study, which surveyed more than 640 sustainability experts from 77 countries, revealed that shareholder activism is more effective at driving changes in corporate strategy and behavior than other tactics, including public criticism through social and traditional media, dialogue with companies, and civil disobedience. Read more
Sustainability Leadership in Manufacturing
Raj Sapru, Director, Advisory Services
Despite persistent volatility in the markets, the manufacturing sector is cautiously optimistic about growth. Sustaining this growth will require that sector become a lot more adept at anticipating the future. Read more
Facing the Dilemmas of Sustainable Development
Charlotte Bancilhon, Associate, Advisory Services
At the first of BSR’s “Great Debates”—an event series held in our Paris office to help celebrate BSR’s 20-year anniversary—Sodexo CEO Michel Landel and Ashoka France CEO Arnaud Mourot discussed how companies and their stakeholders can identify innovative sustainable solutions together through collective thinking. Read more
Four Key Sustainability Trends in Retail
The Retail Industry Leaders Association’s first sustainability report on the industry’s environmental, social, and community impacts features company case studies and identifies four key trends: Read more
Back to the Basics: How to Make Stakeholder Engagement Meaningful for Your Company
Jonathan Morris, Associate, Advisory Services; Farid Baddache, Director, Europe
When it comes to CSR practices, stakeholder engagement can seem about as cutting edge as bread and butter. True, some companies like Starbucks, which is crowdsourcing new product ideas through its “My Starbucks Idea” social media platform, are showing leadership in identifying and holding discussions with diverse stakeholder groups. But just as many companies are struggling to build the basics of engagement and appropriately respond to increasing pressure. Read more
Sustainability Predictions for 2012
Elissa Goldenberg, Associate, Advisory Services
The beginning of a new year is the time to look forward at the possible trends, influencers, and opportunities that will affect business. Here is a selection of sustainability-related predictions for 2012. Share your predictions with us at bsrinsight@bsr.org. Read more
New Guide to Effective Local Content Programs
Elissa Goldenberg, Associate, Advisory Services
IPIECA—a global oil and gas industry association focused on social and environmental issues—released a guide to help companies design and execute local content strategies in the countries where they operate. Local content is defined by the value that companies bring to host countries by employing and training the local workforce and developing and procuring supplies and services locally. Read more
BSR’s Five-Step Approach to Stakeholder Engagement
In a series BSR is launching today, we outline our approach for companies to initiate and sustain constructive, cost-effective stakeholder relationships over time. By engaging early and often, companies can create value for stakeholders and use the engagement process to inform business strategy and operations. Each brief provides practical guidance and tools on implementing the five steps: Read more
Doing Business in a Changing Asia
Jeremy Prepscius, Managing Director, Asia
We live in interesting times—times when global changes are permeating societies as issues, institutions, and information begin to collide. Developments in connectivity and access to information are intersecting with changing societal expectations about political participation, environmental stewardship, economic equality, and expectations of governance. Society’s new expectations are being driven by developments in economic growth patterns, education, scandals, and natural disasters. Read more
New Tool Helps Companies, Investors Assess Water-Related Risks
The Ceres Aqua Gauge, an Excel-based tool to help companies and investors assess water-related risks and opportunities, allows investors to score a company's water-management activities using a four-tiered rating system: no action, initial steps, advanced progress, and leading practice. Read more
Christine Bader on Leadership for a Changing World
To examine the theme of the BSR Conference 2011 and the BSR Report 2010, we are featuring a series of guest blogs from global sustainability and business leaders on the forms of leadership needed today. In our most recent post, Christine Bader, who just joined BSR as an advisor on human rights, shares what “redefining leadership” for sustainability means to her: Read more
Christine Bader on Leadership for a Changing World
To examine the theme of the BSR Conference 2011 and the BSR Report 2010, we are featuring a series of guest blogs from global sustainability and business leaders on the forms of leadership needed today. In our most recent post, Christine Bader, who just joined BSR as an advisor on human rights, shares what “redefining leadership” for sustainability means to her: Read more
How Freedom of Association Supports Economic Development
The International Labour Organization’s new report outlines how freedom of association—the right to create and join organizations without fear of reprisal—supports sustainable economic development. The report explores the challenges to freedom of association; provides case studies on the positive effects it can have when governments, employers’ organizations, and trade unions work together; and shares how these actors can promote respect for freedom of association. Read more
New BSR Tool Helps Business Identify Strategic Social Investments
Alison Colwell, Manager, Advisory Services
BSR’s new tool helps companies make strategic social investments in communities where they operate, which is a critical aspect of building sustainable local economies. Strategic social investments allow companies to maximize the impact of their resource allocations, increase the long-term sustainability of their efforts, develop productive and mutually beneficial relationships with local stakeholders, and mitigate operational disruptions by strengthening their social license to operate. Read more
Best Practices in Reporting on Ethics
Dunstan Allison Hope, Managing Director, Advisory Services
Ethics and integrity disclosure—reporting on the implementation of codes of ethics—is an important part of corporate transparency. Leading companies typically take one of the following approaches: Read more
Best Buy CEO on the Power of Engaged Employees
Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn—a plenary speaker at the BSR Conference 2011—believes inspired and engaged employees are Best Buy’s most valuable assets, especially when it comes to sustainability initiatives. "We're leveraging our people as our competitive advantage," he said during a recent keynote speech at the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship Conference. Dunn encourages executives to: Read more
The Future of Business-NGO Relationships
In my new role as BSR’s Director of Stakeholder Collaboration, I am focused on building relationships with NGO colleagues globally to bring their insights to our member companies and develop next-generation stakeholder engagement approaches that are outcome based and take into account trends in the field. BSR created this position to deepen relationships with civil society and foster collaboration between stakeholders and business. Read more
Leading Retailers Discover the Power in Numbers
By Adam Siegel, Vice President, Sustainability and Retail Operations, Retail Industry Leaders Association
Retailers today are doing a great deal to engage their employees on sustainability, from hosting sustainability fairs at their headquarters to putting together employee videos, intranet sites, blogs, and volunteer days. Through these efforts, these companies have reaped many benefits: They have generated innovative ideas for running different business segments, brought new products to the shelves, and saved money. Read more
Partnership Innovation: It Takes a Supply Chain to Improve Women’s Health
Over the past six weeks, I have traveled from meeting to meeting in Washington, D.C., Bangkok, and Geneva to develop opportunities for BSR to partner with funders and others to provide resources to tackle challenges as diverse and broad as childhood nutrition, climate change adaptation, and energy efficiency. These discussions have gotten me thinking about the importance of innovative partnerships in addressing big challenges, and how business can be more effective in its work with government, civil society, and even private funders. Read more
Using CSR to Enter New Markets
Mark Little, Director, Health Care, Advisory Services; Adam Lane, Manager, Advisory Services
When leaders at Novo Nordisk, the world’s largest company focused solely on diabetes, decided to enter the diabetes market in China, they opted to leverage not just products but a long-term CSR strategy focused on health, economic development, and the environment. Read more
CSR Dominant Factor in How People Form Impressions of Companies
Elissa Goldenberg, Associate, Advisory Services
According to GlobeScan’s 2011 “State of Global Public Opinion on CSR” survey, corporate responsibility is a major factor in how people form impressions of companies, particularly in the developing world. In a survey of 25,000 people from 28 countries, GlobeScan asked people to identify what matters most when they form a favorable or unfavorable impression of a company. Read more
Boards and Sustainability: A Look Ahead
Aron Cramer, President and CEO
In last week’s feature article, I touched on various aspects of the growing debate about board governance of sustainability. In this week’s article, I look at how board engagement is likely to evolve in the years ahead. Read more
Best Buy CEO: Sustainability Will Drive ‘More Robust Outcomes’
Virginia Terry, Director, Advisory Services
In his recent keynote address at the Boston College Corporate Citizenship Conference, Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn discussed the company’s new sustainability strategy, which includes four key elements: creating an inspiring workplace, driving greater product stewardship, developing new solutions for sustainable lifestyles, and creating greater access to digital connections. Read more
How HR Can Advance Sustainability
About 75 percent of 728 U.S. human resources professionals recently surveyed by the Society for Human Resource Management report that their organizations engage in sustainable workplace or business practices. The survey revealed how company leaders are balancing financial performance with contributions to employees' well-being, society, and environmental initiatives. Read more
U.S. ‘Proxy Preview’ Report: Environmental, Social Issues on the Rise
According to As You Sow's "Proxy Preview 2011"—a compendium of the 360 U.S. shareholder resolutions up for vote in 2011—investors now file about 50 percent more resolutions on social and environmental issues than they did 10 years ago. This year’s guide, which provides an overview of the major players, recent regulatory developments, shareholder proposal trends, and new issues, includes highlights such as: Read more
Answering the Call for Mandatory Sustainability Reporting
Chhavi Ghuliani, Manager, Advisory Services
A little over a year ago, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued guidance requiring companies traded publicly in the United States to report on the risks and opportunities their operations face due to climate change. The guidance came after three years of persistent advocacy from a coalition of investors and nonprofits including Ceres, Environmental Defense Fund, and Pax World Management Corporation, and the announcement was hailed as a major breakthrough for investor groups looking to minimize long-term risk in their portfolios. Read more
Building Effective Local Content Strategies
Jessica Davis Pluess, Manager, Advisory Services
BSR's new report highlights some of the challenges and opportunities extractives companies face in building local content programs that drive commercial value and deliver sustainable local development benefits in countries where they operate. Read more
Conducting Site-Level Human Rights Impact Assessments
Alejandra Martin, Manager, Advisory Services
Although more than 270 companies have human rights policy statements in place, few have implemented the policies, and even fewer have conducted human rights impact assessments at the site level. These assessments are particularly relevant for companies operating in remote areas where local governments and civil society have limited experience interacting with the private sector. Read more
The Case (Book) for Responsible Labor
Terry Nelidov, Manager, Advisory Services
BSR's new "Stories From the Field" provides a reader-friendly collection of 14 case studies from our DR-CAFTA Responsible Competitiveness Project in Central America and the Dominican Republic, which BSR created and led to make the business case for responsible labor in the region. Read more
Stories From the Field
Interview with Richard Feinberg, Professor, University of California, San Diego, by Terry Nelidov, Manager, Advisory Services, BSR
Terry Nelidov, project manager of BSR's DR-CAFTA Responsible Competitiveness Project, recently talked with University of California, San Diego Professor Richard Feinberg, a senior advisor to the project, about his insights gained from developing the case studies for it in BSR’s new compendium “Stories From the Field.” In excerpts below from the conversation, Professor Feinberg highlights both overall learnings from the three-year project and practical tools that companies anywhere in the world can apply to their labor and competitiveness strategies. Read more
Closer Look: Understanding Land Deals in Africa
The International Institute for Environment and Development's new guide to understanding land deals in Africa explores the significant impacts land contracts have on agriculture and food security in recipient countries. Land contracts define the terms of an investment project, and particularly how risks, costs, and benefits are distributed and who has the authority to sign the contract and through what process. Read more
Waste Not, Want Not—An Overview of Food Waste
Guy Morgan, Director, Advisory Services
As highlighted in BSR's new research brief on food waste—the first in a series exploring different elements of sustainable consumption—there is enough food to feed the world, but 30 percent of all food grown worldwide (approximately US$48.3 billion) is either lost or wasted before it reaches the consumer. Read more
Prosperity on a Crowded Planet: BSR’s Next Phase of Work on Sustainable Consumption
Virginia Terry, Director, Advisory Services
By nearly any measure, our current consumption patterns are not sustainable. The 2010 World Wildlife Fund Living Planet Index—which reflects changes in the health of the planet’s ecosystems—shows a drop by about 30 percent since 1970, and its 2010 Living Planet Report concludes that we are now using 50 percent more natural resources than Earth can sustain. This decline is already stalling progress addressing the needs of the more than 1 billion people who still lack adequate food, clothing, and shelter. As the population continues to grow, from 7 billion today to 9 billion in 2050, we need to shift to a more sustainable form of consumption that meets people’s needs without overtaxing natural resources. Read more
Promoting Human Rights in Saudi Arabia: A Strategic Role for Business
Chhavi Ghuliani, Manager, Advisory Services
Recently, BSR visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as part of a U.S. State Department project to promote CSR and human rights in the region. While there, BSR led: Read more
What to Look for in 2011
Aron Cramer, President and CEO
Over the past couple of years, relentless focus on the basic vitality of the world’s economy has distracted attention from important underlying trends. As we go into 2011, the market meltdowns of 2008 are receding from view. This means that structural changes in the world are—thankfully—again capturing the world’s attention. These longer-term developments are again shaping the business environment—and pointing to an even greater focus on sustainability as one of the defining characteristics of business success. Here are five key trends that will shape our world in 2011. Read more
Measuring Environmental Performance: The Business Case for New Tools
Linda Hwang, Manager, Research; Sissel Waage, Senior Advisor
For years, environment and natural resource managers have been tracking individual parameters linked to air pollution, water, and energy consumption. Specific indicators are identified, measured, and trends tracked. Private, public, and nonprofit organizations have been diligently measuring water used, greenhouse gases emitted, waste averted or recycled, and many other individual metrics. Yet, academic, nonprofit, and public sectors are now placing greater attention on ecological systems. A set of tools to help companies take a systems approach is evolving, but to achieve significant uptake, the business case for these tools needs to be clearly demonstrated. BSR’s Environmental Services, Tools & Markets (ESTM) Working Group is working with member companies to define and articulate this case. Read more
Consumers Searching for CSR in New Media
Elissa Goldenberg, Associate, Advisory Services
According to Cone's "2009 Consumer New Media Study," 44 percent of 587 Americans surveyed are using new media channels to search for, share, or discuss information about corporate responsibility efforts. The survey also revealed that 62 percent of respondents believe they can influence business decisions by voicing their opinions through new media channels such as social networks, blogs, websites, and email. More importantly, new media efforts have inspired 30 percent of respondents to make a purchase based on positive information about a product, company, or brand. Conversely, 23 percent of respondents have either switched brands or boycotted a company based on negative information. Read more
2010 Proxy Preview
Elissa Goldenberg, Associate, Advisory Services
As You Sow's "2010 Proxy Preview" categorizes the hundreds of proxies filed in the United States on social and governance issues, explores important issues, identifies the key investors and organizations filing them, and provides a list of companies and upcoming proxy votes. Read more
On the Horizon: BSR’s Research & Innovation Agenda 2010
Interview with Faris Natour, Director, Research & Innovation, by Eva Dienel, Manager, Communications
Each year, BSR’s Research & Innovation department produces independent, applied sustainability research to help BSR members stay ahead of the curve and to advance corporate responsibility as a whole. The team’s aim is to offer practical solutions that will address the key sustainability challenges of today and tomorrow, with insights informed by BSR’s consulting work, interviews with business leaders, and our active participation in global initiatives that address sustainability issues for the private sector. Read more
Mandatory Reporting: BSR Debates the Pros and Cons of Requiring Companies to Report on Sustainabilit
Interview with Dunstan Allison Hope, Managing Director, ICT Practice, and Blythe Chorn, Associate, Advisory Services, by Eva Dienel, Communications Manager, BSR
At BSR’s most recent conference in October 2009, Ben Verwaayen, the CEO of Alcatel-Lucent, spoke favorably about the need for mandatory sustainability reporting. At a breakout session later that same day, however, many corporate responsibility (CR) practitioners said they opposed mandatory reporting. Read more
Integrating Environmental Performance into Annual Financial Reporting
According to the new report "Turning Questions into Answers: Environmental Issues and Annual Financial Reporting," by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the Environment Agency, climate-related issues are now driving reporting and assurance in annual financial statements. The report explores this subject in three main sections: Read more
Integrating Financial and Corporate Responsibility Reporting
Dunstan Allison Hope, Managing Director, Advisory Services
In its 2008 report, United Technologies Corporation included corporate responsibility (CR) topics that have a direct impact on the company’s financial performance, such as energy efficiency, throughout the report. The company also devoted a separate section of its report to its overall CR strategy and performance. Read more
Winning Back the Public’s Trust in Business
Aron Cramer, President and CEO
The fall of Lehman Brothers last September triggered a collapse in financial markets, and then the real economy. It also signaled a dramatic decline in the public’s trust in business. Read more
Business and Government: Working Together in the Reset World
Aron Cramer, President and CEO
I've just returned from a few days in Washington, D.C., and with that fresh in mind, the link between public policy and corporate responsibility seems a perfect topic for this inaugural edition of the BSR Insight. Read more
Events
BSR’s Great Debates | Facing the Dilemmas of Sustainable Development
On the occasion of its 20th birthday, BSR is hosting a series of debates bringing together leading decision makers and thought leaders to discuss how companies can address the dilemmas and complex issues of sustainable development and CSR. Learn more
Ateliers Perspectives et Solutions RSE | Breakfast Series
The Ateliers Perspectives et Solutions RSE series is an opportunity for CSR practitioners to get together to share insights and tools that address the challenges of CSR and sustainable development. This series is conducted in French. Learn more
BSR Conference 2011: Leadership Required
Leadership in business is changing fast. In today’s global, integrated, and transparent world, business is expected to do more than deliver shareholder returns. At its best, business is a creative force and an integral player in delivering prosperity for 9 billion people, applying game-changing technologies for social benefit, and radically reducing our use of natural resources. Learn more
Asia Socially Responsible Investment Roundtable
Socially responsible investment (SRI) is the practice of integrating environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and corporate governance (ESG) considerations into the investment process. It is not only a means of risk mitigation for financial institutions, but also a powerful lever for shifting to a more sustainable global economy. Learn more
Reports
BSR’s Five-Step Approach to Stakeholder Engagement
In a series BSR is launching today, we outline our approach for companies to initiate and sustain constructive and cost-effective stakeholder relationships over time. By engaging early and often, companies can create value for stakeholders as well as use the engagement process to inform business strategy and operations. Each brief provides practical guidance and tools on implementing the five steps: Read more
Catalyzing Social Investment in China
In this paper, we analyze the various forces driving social investment in China. We define social investment as the contribution of resources by business, foundations, or nonprofits toward the creation of social, environmental, and economic development (also termed strategic philanthropy or community investment). As China rapidly changes, the expectations for, and implementation of, social investment programs are changing quickly as well. Read more
Asia Socially Responsible Investment Roundtable: Summary Transcript
On March 31, 2011, BSR, Sumitomo Trust & Banking, and AEGON-INDUSTRIAL Fund Management jointly held the “Asia Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Roundtable” in Beijing. This was the first roundtable in China convening representatives from three major Asian counties (Japan, Korea, and China) to discuss SRI development and practices. More than 50 representatives, including asset owners, asset managers, ESG researchers, indices, individual investors, government agencies, academics, and NGOs were represented at the roundtable. Read more
Mandatory Reporting: BSR Debates the Pros and Cons of Requiring Companies to Report on Sustainability
With more industry leaders beginning to ask whether sustainability reporting should be required, two BSR consultants debate what form it might take, whether mandatory reporting would impact innovation, and what would need to happen in order for such a system to work. Read more
Human Rights in a Wired World
Sixty years after the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the world finds itself in a very different place, where almost anyone, anywhere, has the potential to access an endless source of information and communicate directly with the rest of the world. Information and communications technology (ICT) has been one of the most powerful drivers of change in our global society and has greatly shaped how we protect and advance human rights today. Read more
Business Brief: Intangibles and CSR
Building Capabilities to Implement CSR Management Systems at ICT Suppliers in China
Learn how companies who work directly with factory managers to equip suppliers with CSR skills, knowledge, and systems are more effective in addressing persistent issues such as labor standards violations, environmental degradation, and poor health and safety protections. Read more
Culture Matters: The Soul of CSR in Emerging Economies
At the annual BSR Conference in 2006, we hosted a session to discuss a topic not commonly addressed in the business community — religion. Through this vibrant conversation, led by rabbi, a pastor and an Islamic scholar, we began to understand the powerful interplay of spiritual practice and corporate social responsibility in many parts of the world. What emerged from that discussion was a recognition that, as Allen White writes in this paper, “In a globalizing world, culture still matters.” In a world where we like to compartmentalize things like government, business and religion, it’s refreshing to discover that in fact these things are often intertwined. Read more
The Leadership Challenge for CEOs and Boards
Over the past 18 months, the World Economic Forum Global Corporate Citizenship Initiative (GCCI) Advisory Committee, which is composed of top corporate citizenship executives of leading Forum member companies, explored how companies can contribute constructively to efforts to improve public policy frameworks and the capacity of public institutions. The project has attempted to improve understanding of the business case for improved public governance and provide guidance on how businesses can engage in public-private efforts to strengthen the effectiveness of such frameworks and institutions. The outcome of these deliberations is a CEO leadership statement and supporting analysis that together provide a roadmap for business leaders seeking to work with governments to improve the enabling environment for sustainable economic growth and development. Read more
What Is Long-Term Wealth?
For companies seriously committed to corporate social responsibility (CSR), the question of long-term wealth creation cannot be ignored. Long-term wealth implies contributions to the preservation and expansion of human, natural and social capital — assets without which business cannot operate, much less prosper. But how should companies think about this issue? The answer, it turns out, is as multifaceted and as complex as the concept of wealth itself. Read more
Who Speaks for Future Generations?
Who speaks for future generations? This is a question as complex as it is urgent in view of societal needs and expectations of 21st century business. Read more
Beyond Monitoring: A New Vision for Sustainable Supply Chain
Is it Time to Rewrite the Social Contract?
For some, the movement of the corporation into the domain of public goods is laudable. Government capability, integrity and resources are in short supply in many developing countries. Companies for which a stable, predictable operating environment is indispensable to business success find aligning the demand and supply of public goods to be an imperative for creating conditions for business prosperity. The burgeoning number of business–government–civil society partnerships attests to this reality. Read more
The Grasshopper and the Ants: Why CSR Needs Patient Capital
This paper explores why and how capital markets undermine CSR, and what is being done, and should be done, to enlarge the pool of “patient capital.” Read more
Case Studies Report
Maersk Line: Developing a ‘Future-Proofed’ Sustainability Strategy
We helped Maersk Line set a strong sustainability vision supported by clear objectives: reducing carbon-dioxide emissions by 25 percent by 2015 and striving for zero sulfur-dioxide emissions. Learn more
Leading Business Action on Conflict Minerals
In the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where armed conflict has claimed more than 5.4 million lives over the past 15 years, militant groups controlling most of the region’s mines use the trade in tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold as important sources of funding. At the same time, this trade—which feeds into complex supply chains for products ranging from cell phones and cutting tools to jet engines and jewelry—is an important source of income for a million people in the region. Learn more
Nestlé Waters North America: Strengthening Dialogue with Communities
As the largest producer of bottled spring water in the United States, Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA) faces a unique set of challenges related to managing a natural resource perceived by many as a public good. The company has faced criticism at its spring water sites in North America from community members who have two primary concerns. Learn more
ANZ: Responsible Growth in the Financial Services Industry
In an era when the bank down the street is often headquartered in another country, the question of a company’s social license to operate has taken on new meaning. In this context, Australia-based ANZ asked BSR to apply its expertise in stakeholder relations in Asia as a key enabler of its strategy for expanding into new markets in the region. The company, which has a strong history of corporate responsibility at home, sought input on how to develop a new, groupwide corporate responsibility strategy to align with its business growth strategy, focusing on new target markets in China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Learn more
Sustainability Outlook: Forecasting the Future
The fast-changing events of 2008 reinforced how important it is to understand the undercurrents of change that shape our world—and determine the success of business strategy. Companies that anticipate underlying social, economic, technological, and political changes are positioned to win. Learn more
Starbucks Coffee Company
Starbucks has set the bar high with an ongoing commitment to ethical and environmental sourcing. As modeled by their coffee practice, Starbucks regularly invests in understanding the complex production landscape behind its products. So before they launched a new line containing cocoa—which is sourced primarily from regions in West Africa that rely on forms of child labor—the company needed to learn more about the potential social and environmental impacts of the production. Lacking direct relationships with suppliers, they reached out to BSR to connect with global stakeholders. Learn more
Sino Gold Implements Action Plan for Community Development in China
Sino Gold's Jinfeng Mine is an Australian-operated joint venture with the Chinese government that entered production in May 2007. Sino Gold sought guidance on how to build its "social license to operate" by promoting long-term community development in the five remote villages surrounding the mine in the mountains of southern China. Sino Gold contacted BSR for advice on the design of a community development strategy that would go beyond traditional public relations or social marketing efforts to promote real, tangible improvements in people's quality of life. Learn more
Shell Wind: Community Engagement in a New Era of Energy
Shell Wind Energy is involved in 11 wind-generating facilities across the United States and Europe, with 550 megawatts of owned generating capacity—saving around 1 million tons of carbon dioxide per year compared to conventional energy sources. Shell recognizes that wind projects can have a range of impacts that require community engagement, and that community engagement is central to positive outcomes. For example, while wind developments in rural areas can support the regional economy, important public services also need to be readied for managing revenues, safety, and communications regarding planned construction and operating activities. Shell asked BSR to support community engagement with wind projects in several locations, including New Mexico and Texas. Learn more
Ghana Responsible Mining Alliance
Ghana is the second largest gold producing country in Africa, and the majority of its population suffers from basic developmental needs. There is a history of conflict around the mining sector in the country and a perception that local communities receive fewer benefits than they should. Two major gold mining companies and USAID/Ghana collaborated to create a tri-partite Global Development Alliance (GDA) aimed at improving the lives of Ghanaians in mining communities. Together they sought the help of BSR professionals to assess the internal capacity of alliance partners and to define key focus areas for Alliance activities. Learn more
Environmental Services, Tools, & Markets Initiative
The landmark Millennium Ecosystem Assessment—the most far-reaching ecological study ever undertaken, conducted by over 1,300 scientists around the world—found that 60 to 70 percent of environmental functions, such as natural water purification and flood protection, are being degraded faster than they can be recovered. The private sector, its customers and its suppliers rely on many of these services for consistent supply, business continuity and consumer purchasing power. BSR took on the challenge of identifying and evaluating financial mechanisms that can be applied to these services in order to capture their value through new environmental markets. Learn more
China Mobile: Advancing Corporate Responsibility Reporting
While sustainability reporting in Europe, Japan, and the United States has been common practice for years, businesses in China have begun embracing this practice recently. China Mobile issued its first corporate responsibility report in 2006, and it engaged BSR to assist with its 2007 report as a way of advancing its newest sustainability efforts. Learn more
Sustainability Matters
What to Expect at Rio+20: In Conversation With UNEP and PepsiCo
Focus of the Forum
The year 2012 marks a milestone in the global sustainability process: the 20th anniversary of the UN Conference on Environment and Development, referred to as the Earth Summit. This June, governments and civil society will descend on Rio de Janeiro to review progress since 1992 and generate renewed momentum toward a more equitable, prosperous, and resilient global society.
Learn moreBusiness in Society: Trends and Themes in Global Public Opinion
For more than a decade, public opinion and research leader GlobeScan has been tracking the public's changing expectations of the corporate world around social and environmental responsibility. This body of research includes feedback from more than 30 countries and focuses on public perceptions of how well key industry sectors are doing in living up to these expectations. Learn more
Integrating ESG in Investor Relations
The incorporation of ESG criteria into investment analysis continues to grow among mainstream investors. Signatories to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment have increased from 50 to more than 850 in the last four years, representing US$22 trillion in assets, or 10 percent of total global capital markets. Asset managers from Deutsche Bank to Goldman Sachs to State Street Global Advisors have all developed products focused on ESG integration. Learn more
Stories From the Field: The Business Case for Better Working Conditions
To ensure responsible labor practices—in both farms and factories—business leaders should start by meeting basic government, buyer, and corporate standards. However, companies should also look for how investments in better working conditions can improve their bottom lines. Learn more
Preparing for the 2011 Proxy Voting Season
Proxy voting is an important tool that many investors use to show their support for ESG issues, with a goal of garnering attention for areas they view as critical to a company's business.
Learn moreDelivering Value From Social Investment Initiatives
Key stakeholders—including multilateral organizations, NGOs, governments, and financial institutions—are increasing their demands on the extractives industry to take a more active role in creating sustainable development benefits in the communities in which they operate. Companies are now expected to design and implement programs that improve upon traditional areas such as employment, taxes, and royalties, as well as to offer additional benefits from social investments. Learn more
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