Economic Actors’ Participation in Social and Environmental Responsibility - 中欧社会论坛 - China Europa Forum

Economic Actors’ Participation in Social and Environmental Responsibility

A Guide to Promoting Ethics and Sustainable Development

Authors: Coordonné par Vincent Commenne

Date: 2006

Published by ECLM

URL: respsoc.socioeco.org/en/documents/pdf/pdf_angl_Laballery.pdf

Clearly, businesses are the central actors in the economic world. In this sense, the particular mechanism available to them, which is becoming widely known, is called Corporate Social Responsibility, or CSR. Other economic actors that we have studied (NGOs, trade unions, consumer organizations, shareholders, local and national authorities) are also involved in setting up actions designed to encourage businesses to adopt a CSR program.

Conscious of the social and environmental stakes, and of the growing importance of the impact of business in these fields, actors, generally known as stakeholders, are starting to implement policies designed to encourage business to adopt more ethical behavioural standards. Some of these approaches are undertaken in cooperation with business, others are not. In the first case, they adopt—or pledge to adopt—a partnership with business targeting a specific action designed to improve social and/or environmental conditions. In the second example, stakeholders seek to bring pressure to bear on the company, most usually via consumers or shareholders.

Thus:

  • Some investors (institutional investors via in-house policies, or individuals via ethical investment funds) prefer to buy shares in companies that are chosen on the basis of ethical criteria. Other investors go so far as to invest directly in companies (predominantly SMEs) and then lobby to move forward with a CSR dimension;

  • Certain shareholders question corporate behaviour during company AGMs;

  • Certain consumers will try to buy only products manufactured under acceptable social and environmental conditions: this is what is known as responsible consumption. In so doing, they increase the market share of companies whose behaviour is more ethical than their sector average;

  • Certain public authorities have legislated to promote socially responsible production on a voluntary basis, adopting fiscal and other measures to support the practice. They often become involved in the promotion of best practices and, as institutional purchasers, their purchase contracts include ethics clauses;

  • Local authorities (towns, communes, etc.) undertake responsible consumption initiatives designed to boost ethical behaviour on the part of their suppliers of goods and services;

  • Certain NGOs and specialist consultancies monitor businesses’ social and environmental behaviour; the information and analyses are used by individuals and institutions in order to exert pressure on major corporates. Other NGOs (but sometimes the same ones) initiate collaborations with major corporates, or accept offers to work with them within their CSR mechanisms;

Trade unions seek to use social dialogue to improve working conditions. Some go farther and form alliances with other stakeholders to fight campaigns where there are larger issues at stake. Others set ethical criteria for the way that their own financial assets are employed.

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