Report Category
CSR Solutions
The New Frontier in Sustainability
July 2010 | Download the report
Framed for years as a limitation on business, sustainable consumption—an economic system that allows all individuals to meet their daily needs without disrupting the planet’s healthy ecosystems—actually represents the new frontier of sustainability for business. In a world where our consumption patterns outpace the planet’s ability to regenerate resources by 30 percent, companies that figure out how to deliver value with radically reduced material inputs will be well-positioned for success.
Our new report outlines how business can promote sustainable consumption by addressing parts of the value chain cycle that have been overlooked in first-generation sustainability efforts: product design, consumer engagement and use, and end-of-use. Also included are strategies that will help business redefine core activities through the multiple lenses of innovation, education, collaboration, and measurement to create to systemwide changes to consumption.
Business Opportunities in Sustainable Consumption
July 2010 | Download the report
The newest frontier in sustainability—sustainable consumption—advocates a system that allows individuals to meet their needs without disrupting the planet’s healthy ecosystems. At BSR, we have begun a conversation with businesses about sustainable consumption through workshops, discussions, and our newest report, “The New Frontier in Sustainability: The Business Opportunity in Tackling Sustainable Consumption.” In an era when the world faces significant constraints on natural resources—and equally significant demands to use those natural resources to create the products and services that meet people’s daily needs—progress on sustainability now depends on attending to the overlooked areas of the value chain cycle: product design, engagement and use, and end-of-use.
Building Long-Term Solutions: Retail Shopping Bag Impacts and Options
July 2010 | Download the report
The purpose of this report is to provide a high-level understanding of the environmental impacts of different kinds of bags, and to identify the types and magnitudes of environmental impacts associated with each kind of bag through a literature review of four publicly available life-cycle assessment studies. This study also aims to better understand how the environmental impacts of retail shopping bags can be reduced, including through means other than (or in addition to) choice of bag type, such as change in consumer behavior.
Supply Chain Sustainability: A Practical Guide for Continuous Improvement
June 2010 | Download the report
More and more companies are extending their commitment to responsible business practices to their value chains, from subsidiaries to suppliers. They do so not only because of the inherent social and environmental risks and the governance challenges the supply chain poses, but also because of the many rewards supply chain sustainability can deliver. Indeed, sustainable supply chain management can be a strong driver of value and success--for business as much as for society.
Today, UN Global Compact participants around the world are demonstrating leadership by applying the ten principles in their supply chains. However, developing sustainable supply chain programmes that encompass all of the Global Compact’s four issue areas--human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption --remains a daunting challenge for many.
This report can help companies overcome these challenges by offering practical guidance on how to develop a sustainable supply chain programme based on the values and principles of the Global Compact. Featuring numerous examples of good corporate practice, the guide will assist companies in setting priorities for action that will lead to continuous performance improvement.
Conflict Minerals and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
June 2010 | Download the report
NGOs, governments, and businesses are increasingly focused on the issue of "conflict minerals," whose sourcing and trade support armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This report offers an overview of these mineral supply chains and the relevance for a range of industries, and highlights challenges and opportunities for companies to address conflict minerals in their supply chains through support of supply chain responsibility efforts, government engagement on the issue, and local capacity building in the Congo.
Partnering with USAID: A Guide for Companies
January 2010 | Download the report
Read BSR's latest guide, on how companies can build a partnership with USAID. Based on interviews with BSR member companies, this resource provides success factors for building an effective partnership and tips on making the internal case for partnerships, identifying shared priorities, and navigating government logistics.
Social and Environmental Compliance in Licensing: Summary Report for the BSR Liscensing Working Group
December 2009 | Download the report
This report is a summary of results from an online survey BSR conducted to better understand licensees' perspectives on effectively managing the social and environmental compliance expectations of licensors within their factories and in their supply chains.
A Public Policy Framework for Advancing Responsible Labor and International Competitiveness: El Salvador
December 2009 | Download the report
The purpose of this report is to assist El Salvador—its government, private sector, and civil society—to design a public policy framework, centered on positive incentives, to advance responsible labor practices in a manner that benefits private sector employees and also bolsters labor productivity and the international competitiveness of firms and, ultimately, the competitiveness and therefore the well-being of the entire nation.
Sustainable Business Models: Time for Innovation
November 2009 | Download the report
Business leaders face not only the economic fallout of the financial crisis, they face the substantial challenge of transitioning to a low-carbon economy that is constrained by dwindling natural resources. These pressures also represent opportunities to innovate new business models—including ones that help consumers make sustainable choices. Read about four categories of innovation that, with more development and experimentation, will ensure business success in a reset world.
Public Policy and the Promotion of Corporate Social Responsibility
August 2009 | Download the report
In the past decade, governments have become increasingly proactive in promoting corporate social responsibility (CSR) through their public policies. Most recently, companies have seen increased government involvement in the business sector—partially due to the global financial crisis—and this trend is expected to continue into the future. Keeping this in mind, it is likely that government promotion of corporate responsibility and good governance will continue to grow in the coming years.
Building Capabilities to Implement CSR Management Systems at ICT Suppliers in China
July 2008 | Download the report
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.
中国信息通讯技术行业企业社会责任
By BSR Staff | July 2007 | Download the report
Beyond Monitoring: A New Vision for Sustainable Supply Chain
July 2007 | Download the report
CSR in China's Information and Communication Technology Sector
July 2007 | Download the report