States and CSR Promotion among Small and Medium Enterprises - 中欧社会论坛 - China Europa Forum

States and CSR Promotion among Small and Medium Enterprises

Minister of Foreign Affairs, France, 2009

Authors: Address of Michel Doucin, French Ambassador for CSR and Bioethics, to the CSR Conference hosted by the Swedish Presidency in Stockholm, on 11th November 2009

Small & Medium Enterprises are key for many economies

SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) account for a large share of national GDPs, everywhere in the world. Moreover, SMEs often supply large western companies that require them to sign a Code of Conduct on labour rights. Therefore, CSR capacities are part of SMEs’ competitiveness.

Many governments are supporting CSR implementation in SMEs

In Asia, among initiatives put forward by M. Doucin, we can mention:

  • * Thailand: the government has conducted a comprehensive dialogue process for designing a CSR policy. 4,000 organisations have participated in regional forums, including many small SMEs. This process forms a basis for the future Thai National CSR Policy that is to be released in 2010;

  • * Vietnam: the government is supportive of, and sometimes participate in, many initiatives being implemented that aim at improving labour conditions in SMEs supplying international textile and footwear brands. These initiatives involve among others the Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, international institutions such as ILO, brands, and government-led agencies (Vietnam Cleaner Production Center);

  • * China: the CNTAC is disseminating its social standard CSC9000T in clusters of SMEs through large enterprises. CNTAC is a business organisation linked to the government.

In Europe, we can cite:

  • * Denmark: the Danish Governmental Center for CSR is in charge of implementation of the CSR Action Plan. This plan includes a “People & Profit Project” that targets SMEs. More than 2,500 SMEs have been trained on CSR. However a 2008 survey revealed that only 26% of Danish SMEs have developed CSR projects. A “Train the Trainers” project is also planned;

  • * France: a new law (Grenelle de l’Environnement) has been passed in 2009 that broadens the scope of the Law NRE making CSR disclosure mandatory for listed companies, and will require CSR disclosure from more companies than NRE. Moreover, the French government supports CSR initiatives benefiting SMEs, such as Fibres Citoyennes (Citizen Textile) that aims at promoting responsible practices across textile and garment supply chains; and the Centre des Jeunes Dirigeants (CJD - Young Executives’ Center). The CJD has developed a “Global Performance” methodology that evaluates businesses on economic, social, environmental and human rights aspects, thus providing businesses with guidance on their CSR performance.

Michel Doucin’s conclusion is that CSR offers opportunities for more international cooperation, and, for the Europe Union, for the promotion of its values and enhanced global governance.

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