Posts Tagged ‘global compact’
Sunday, February 14th, 2010
In February, the Global Compact Office announced that 859 companies were removed (delisted) from the initiative’s database of participants between 1 October 2009 and 1 January 2010. The total number of businesses removed for failure to meet the Global Compact’s mandatory annual reporting requirement now stands at 1840.
Under the Global Compact’s policies, participating businesses must issue an annual progress report (also known as Communication on Progress, or COP) on their implementation of the initiative’s ten principles covering human rights, workplace standards, the environment, and anti-corruption. Consecutive failure to submit a COP to the Global Compact’s public database leads to the delisting. The delisting policy was first introduced in January 2008, as part of the Global Compact’s integrity measures.
At the same time, the Global Compact continues to experience strong growth. In January of this year, 127 companies joined the initiative, bringing the total to over 5,300 active business participants from more than 135 countries.
“A commitment to public disclosure on performance is critical to the transparency and integrity of the Global Compact,” said Georg Kell, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact. “At the same, more and more companies are beginning to understand the importance of environmental and social reporting for the continuous improvement of their own performance.”
While delisted companies are removed entirely from the Global Compact’s database, the initiative does keep the door open for those companies willing to return. To rejoin the Global Compact, companies must send a new commitment signed by the chief executive officer to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and submit a COP to the Global Compact database.
Source
UN Global Compact
Full article
Tags: communication on progress, COP, global compact, reporting, UN Global Compact
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Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
CSR International Top 100 Leader (Ranked 18 in 2009)
Mary Robinson was the first female President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Born in Ballina, County Mayo in 1944, Robinson was educated at University of Dublin, King’s Inns Dublin and Harvard Law School where she won a fellowship in 1967.
Robinson was called to The Bar in 1967, and started work as an academic from 1968. In 1969, she became the youngest Reid Professor of Constitutional Law at Trinity College. She also served as Senator from 1969-89. In 1973, she became a member of the English Bar, and became a Senior Counsel in 1980. Robinson served as a member of the Advisory Commission of Inter Rights (1984-90) and as a member of the International Commission of Jurists (1987-90).
On 3 December 1990, she was inaugurated as the seventh President of Ireland. As President, she was the first Head of State to visit Rwanda in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide, and the first Head of State to visit Somalia following the crisis in 1992. She received the CARE Humanitarian Award in recognition of her efforts for Somalia.
She resigned from the office of President in September 1997, to take up her appointment as United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights. Despite notable achievements in this post, her tenure proved controversial especially over the Middle East.
Robinson has been awarded several honorary degrees, medals, and prizes from all over the world including most recently the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. She serves on several boards including the Global Compact, and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. In addition, Robinson is Vice President of the Club of Madrid, member of The Elders, and Honorary President of Oxfam International.
Now based in New York, Mary Robinson is currently President of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalisation Initiative.
Tags: Advisory Commission of Inter Rights, Club of Madrid, global compact, International Commission of Jurists, mary robinson, The Elders, UN Human Rights
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Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, working with the UNDP, has released a set of ten case studies detailing how Danish SMEs are implementing Global Compact principles in their operations. The case studies cover a wide range of industry sectors from food to jewellery, and each addresses several of the Global Compact Principles.
Key Findings
|
Company
|
Challenges
|
Advice
|
| Rice Ltd.
(gift articles) |
How to provide agreeable conditions for village home workers. |
Organise efforts through dialogue, SA8000 and Global Compact. |
| Eurotex Apparel Ltd. (textiles) with Save The Children |
How to handle child labour in Bangladesh responsibly. |
Participate in partnerships with specialist organizations and other businesses. |
| JUAL Ltd. (roof accessories) |
How to ensure Chinese subsidiaries and suppliers live up to Danish working standards. |
Create small success stories; build on success with continuous improvements. |
| Butler’s Choice Ltd. (food) |
How to work with suppliers to raise environmental standards. |
Promote corporate responsibility built on strong convictions; build long-term trust with suppliers. |
| Pilgrim Ltd. (jewelllery) |
How to inspire suppliers to improve working environment and labour standards. |
Use networks and dialogue; focus on partner-ships and real improvements rather than control |
| Katvig plc. (children’s clothing) |
How can a small enterprise promote acceptable environmental standards to large suppliers? |
Don’t think you have to invent everything yourself; use networks and existing labeling schemes. |
| Ingemann Foods Ltd. (food) |
How to ensure small-scale developing nation farmers qualify to be part of the company supply chain. |
Integrate CSR into the company business model; build long-term relationships with suppliers. |
| Orana Ltd. (fruit) |
How to link business devel-opment and CSR in partnerships in India. |
Select partners carefully and be patient; build long-term partnerships. |
| Henning Larsen Architects (architecture) |
How to work strategically with environmental improvements and energy efficiency in construction projects. |
Start where you have the most influence; share experiences with other businesses. |
| Emunio plc. (syringes) |
How to implement Global Compact principles strategically with partner in Tanzania. |
Actively involve staff; put policies in writing; update documentation of progress continuously. |
.
Author(s)
Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs/UNDP
Tags: Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, global compact, SME, UNDP
Posted in Leaders, Research | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
Date
October 2009
Contents
- Healthcare Sector Ethical Ranking (Global: Covalence)
- Corporate Travel Policy Compliance Study (South Africa: Journal of Business Ethics)
- SMEs and Global Compact Implementation (Denmark: Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs/UNDP
- Regulatory Compliance Study (Italy: Journal of Business Ethics)
- Corporate Governance Country Ranking (Global: Governance Metrics International)
- The Development of Corporate Governance Regulations (Bangladesh: Journal of Business Ethics)
About CSRI Research Digests
This Digest is prepared by CSR International as a free service to its subscribed members. The views expressed in this Digest in no way reflect those of CSR International, nor does CSR International endorse or vouch for the quality or accuracy of any third party research included. For more information on CSR International, membership or the Digests, please go to www.csrinternational.org or email info@csrinternational.org.
Download
CSRI Governance Digest (October 2009)
Tags: Bangladesh, compliance, denmark, ethics, global compact, Governance, healthcare, italy, ranking, regulation, SMEs, South Africa, travel
Posted in Latest News, Research | No Comments »
Monday, September 14th, 2009
Date
Week 3, September 2009
Contents
- Bank of America Promises to Keep Giving (The Boston Globe)
- New Publication Highlights SME Approaches to Corporate Responsibility (SustainabilityForum.com)
- Maldives to Introduce Green Tax on Tourists (Reuters)
- Coca-Cola, Samsung, Johnson and Johnson Join Sustainability Index (businessGreen.com)
- Climate Treaty Hinges on China and Denmark (Reuters)
- US: Van Jones Resigns as Green Jobs Czar (SustainableBusiness.com)
About CSRI News Digests
This Digest is prepared by CSR International, with news selected by SustainabilityForum, as a free service to its subscribed members. The Digest should not be reproduced or forwarded without the permission of CSR International. The views expressed in this Digest in no way reflect those of CSR International, nor does CSR International endorse or vouch for the quality or accuracy of any third party research included. For more information on CSR International, membership or the Digests, please go to www.csrinternational.org or email info@csrinternational.org.
Download
CSRI News Digest (Week 3, September 2009)
Tags: affordable housing, anti-corruption, Bank of America, carbon-neutral, China, climate change, coca cola, Connie Hedegaard, Corruption, credit crunch, donation, Dow Jones Sustainability Index, economic downturn, education, global compact, green jobs, green tax, health care, IMF, India, Johnson & Johnson, Kyoto Protocol, Maldives, philanthropy, recession, Samsung, sea levels, SMEs, social services, Sustainability, UN, UNDP, United States, Van Jones, volunteer programs
Posted in Latest News | No Comments »
Monday, September 14th, 2009
The UNDP Nordic Office and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs have released a new guidance publication focusing on the implementation of the Global Compact principles by small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs).
Small and Medium Sized Enterprises on Their Way Towards Global Responsibility” showcases the efforts of ten Danish businesses in addressing common human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption challenges. Based on the companies’ experiences, the guide presents a number of practical recommendations for SMEs seeking to find the right approach to the implementation of the Global Compact principles in their strategy and operations.
Source
SustainabilityForum.com
Further information
Click here for the full article.
Tags: anti-corruption, environment, Foreign Affairs, global compact, Human Rights, labour, SMEs, UNDP
Posted in Latest News | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
Author
Pacific Institute
Date
May 2009
Region/Country
Global
Description
A new report from the Pacific Institute suggests that companies have improved their practices in reporting water use and its effects, but efforts must still be made to provide greater disclosure and enable understanding of the risks and impacts of corporate water needs.
The report, commissioned by the UN Global Compact, looked at corporate reporting on water sustainability by 110 companies across 11 water-intensive sectors.
62% of companies analysed adhered to at least one of the factors used to evaluate reporting methods and approaches.
Key findings
- While more frequent and broader engagement of stakeholders may strengthen the depth, breadth, and legitimacy of corporate responsibility reports, currently, less than half of the companies assessed mention utilizing stakeholder input to inform their reporting.
- The criterion met by the highest number of companies (89%) was that for quantified water quantity data. This was followed by specified targets for water performance (66%), trend water performance data (66%) and quantified water quality data (64%).
- There is a clear need to further expand corporate reporting to include common approaches to describing actions and impacts outside of direct operations.
- Water reporting would be advanced by the development of harmonized sector-specific indicators on water.
- There is a need for practical guidance on how companies can carry out water-focused materiality assessments to assist in determining reporting content.
- More work needs to be done to ensure more responsible conformity to and harmonization with existing corporate reporting guidelines.
- There is significant potential for cross-sectoral learning with regard to water reporting.
- Companies can provide greater detail in reporting on individual corporate actions. This would include more substantive descriptions of the objectives, scope, and impacts of corporate actions, particularly for supplier engagement, partnerships, community engagement, and public policy work.
- Company reporting should also elaborate on the specific role they played in each project and the corporate resources dedicated.
More information
Pacific Institute
Tags: Companies, corporate resources, development, global compact, partnership, stakeholders, Sustainability, water use
Posted in Research | No Comments »
Sunday, March 1st, 2009
CSR Asia has just launched their inuagural Business Barometer, which measures CSR disclosure among the top 20 listed companies in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
The ranking is based on 62 indicators across the following categories:
- Company (codes and policies)
- CSR strategy and communications
- Marketplace and supply chain
- Workplace and people
- The environment
- Community investment and development.
Findings
The findings make interesting reading:
- Top Issues – Company (codes and policies) are the most reported CSR issue (scoring 59%), compared with workplace and people scoring only 19%. This seems to imply a continued lack of transparency on Asia’s thorniest CSR issue, namely labour conditions.
- Top Countries – The companies’ overall score remains low (30%), but there is some national variation, with Hong Kong scoring best (42%), as compared with Malaysia (29%), Thailand (25%) and Singapore 24%).
- Top Companies – The top companies – China Light and Power and HSBC, both listed in Hong Kong – scored 93%, as compared with the poorest performer – Hong Kong Land – scoring only 3%. The top company in Malaysia was, somewhat controversially, BAT (British American Tobacco) Malaysia; in Thailand, it was Siam Cement, and in Singapore, City Developments.
Implications
What can we understand about CSR in Asia from these findings?
- Lag Effect – Transparency and reporting is not a strong tradition in the East (some would even argue that it is contrary to many cultural norms), so companies are playing catch-up on the overall trend. It remains, by and large, an expectation imposed by the West.
- Large Spectrum - The huge variation between the best and worst performers, as well as the overall poor performance, suggests that there is a general lack of awareness, expectation and standards on CSR reporting in Asia.
- Size Does Not Matter – An analysis of the findings showed that there was no correlation between company size and CSR reporting performance. Hence, we need to take other factors into account – international aspirations and strength of leadership for example.
- Implicit CSR – We should remember that CSR reporting does not necessarily equate to CSR performance. It is quite possible that many Asian companies, much like in Europe, engage in what Matten & Moon call “implicit” CSR (as compared with “explicit CSR” in America).
- Globalisation Matters – However, any Asian company now engaged internationally, either through the supply chain or foreign direct investment, will increasingly need to meet minimum standards for transparency (such as the Global Reporting Initiative) and for CSR (such as the Global Compact). Only 5 of the 80 companies were Global Compact signatories.
My expectation is that we will see overall performace in the Barometer leap up over the coming year or two, as a combination of domestic awareness and international pressure raises CSR further up the politcal and economic agenda in Asia.
For more information, see www.csr-asia.com.
(Reposted from http://csrinternational.blogspot.com)
Tags: Business Barometer, csr, dirk matten, global compact, GRI, Hong Kong, implicit csr, jeremy moon, Malaysia, reporting, Singapore, SR Asia, thailand
Posted in Blog | No Comments »
