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CSR News

TNT cites ISO 14001 as key to Environmental Performance

12th Nov 2008 by Alex Briggs

TNT cites ISO 14001 as key to Environmental Performance TNT UK/Ireland and their use of ISO 14001 as the key to their overall environmental strategy was the focus of a Sustainable Business Magazine article in the October edition.
TNT uses management systems to underpin their business, currently holding four certifications in the UK/Ireland: ISO 9001 (Quality Management Systems), ISO 14001 (Environmental Management Systems) OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System) and Investors in People. TNT has reported significant competitive advantage from the achievement of verifiable environmental performance.

Neil Griffiths, director of health, safety and environment at TNT Express Services says: “In terms of business assurance, this is not just a tick in the box.”

Ethical Supply Chain Video Podcast Series Episode 2, Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) Interview

11th Nov 2008 by Alex Briggs

Frances Way, Supply Chain Project Director for the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), talked to us about the CDP’s Supply Chain Project. This is the second episode in a four part series. The interviews for this video podcast series were conducted at the Ethical Supply Chain Summit in Berlin.
Frances shared some of the key supplier insights that the CDP have gathered in their work with the world’s leading global brands, as well as the role that verification plays in the data that the CDP collect on global supply chains.
The video can also be found here via link.

World’s best CSR companies? Think again

29th Oct 2008 by Alex Briggs

This Salter-Baxter report on the world’s leading CSR reporting companies has led to increasing debate. With companies such as British-American Tobacco, Nestle and Shell at the top of the rankings, controversy is the order of the day.

Sir Jonathon Porritt, the chairman of the government’s Sustainable Development Commission, and founder of Forum for the Future, led the attack on the report,

When any company is systematically mispricing risks and systematically misallocating capital it makes no sense to talk about corporate responsibility. We’re going to have to face the fact some of the measures used to judge relative CSR performance are useless. They don’t help shareholders. They don’t help citizens. They don’t help the companies themselves.

A step forward in the development of sustainability assurance

13th Oct 2008

The global launch of AccountAbility’s AA1000 Assurance Standard (AA1000AS) 2008 will take place next week in London and be followed by numerous regional and country level launches beginning November 2008.
The new AA1000AS (2008) marks a step forward in the development of sustainability assurance. As these issues become increasingly important for businesses and their stakeholders a […]

AA1000 Assurance Standard (2008) Global Launch

8th Oct 2008

The global launch of AccountAbility’s AA1000 Assurance Standard (AA1000AS) 2008 will take place in London on October 24th 2008 - followed by numerous regional and country level launches beginning November 2008

Coca-Cola receives award for Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting

7th Oct 2008

Coca-Cola Enterprises has received the Golden Peacock Award for Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting.

Is price driving the sustainability debate?

29th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs

Food manufacturers have begun a massive repackaging effort to address the environmental concerns of consumers. This article takes a look at the way that some global brands are addressing the issue, as well as how they are attempting to balance environmental concerns with consumer health concerns.

“Good for you” will increasingly be faced off with “good for the environment,” and food companies will find themselves redefining how their food products will retain appeal, according to Mintel International in Chicago.

ISO sends Social Responsibility Standard Draft to Committee

28th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) released its Social Responsibility Standard to the committee stage, moving it one step closer to being an official ISO standard.
Nearly 400 experts and observers from around the world met at the ISO Social Responsibility Working Group, held September 1-5 in Santiago, Chile. There they agreed that sufficient progress had been made in developing the draft international standard on social responsibility for the “working draft” to be taken to “committee draft” level.

Restoring Trust in CSR

26th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs

This video interview with Alan Knight offers insight into the new AA1000AS standard. The standard will be launched in London on the 24th of October.

Clarity and Transparency Needed for Green Claims

18th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs

Brands making green claims about their products need clarity on what they can and cannot say. This Ethical Corp. article highlights the difficulty for corporations in proving their green claims. The use of language, including sustainability and “low-carbon” were highlighted as terms that are difficult to prove and could potentially leave global brands open to criticism.

Are Standards helping or hurting workers rights?

17th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs

Two workers rights experts have held an insightful debate into Supply Chain standards and human rights for workers. Jeff Ballinger, academic, former union and NGO activist is clearly against standards as the end all solution for factory abuses, while Doug Cahn, consultant and formerly of Reebok, is in favour of standards and audits in bringing about change in supply chain factories around the globe.
This Ethical Corporation article features the full debate.

Major manufacturers and retailers refine shipping and logistics operations to save energy costs

2nd Sep 2008

A survey just released by eyefortransport tells us what for most green-minded professionals seems obvious: High fuel prices are causing the country’s manufacturers, retailers and logistics providers to rethink their transportation strategies.

Use the ‘Assure View’ report findings to benchmark your CSR activities

18th Aug 2008

You can use the findings from, ‘Assure View’ - The CSR Assurance Statement Report, to look through the many available assurance providers and to also assess the full picture by looking into the raw data.

Create trust in your CSR strategy - get independent assurance

17th Aug 2008

CSR reporting has become a basic business expectation, the majority of CSR reports aren’t independently assured. This casts serious doubts on the role, meaning and reliability of these non-assured CSR reports,” the Assure View study says.

When can we believe a CSR report? New report sheds light on

1st Aug 2008

A new report reveals previously unpublished information about a young but burgeoning
multi-million pound global industry operating at the heart of corporate trust: CSR report
assurance.
Assure View - The CSR Assurance Statement Report is the first report to offer an independent,
comprehensive overview of the field. The report outlines who uses assurance, who provides
assurance and what methods are […]

Coca-Cola Enterprises releases 3rd CRS Report

1st Aug 2008

Coca-Cola Enterprises (NYSE:CCE), the world’s largest marketer, distributor, and producer of Coca-Cola products, has published its third company-wide Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CRS) Report, Shape Tomorrow…Today.

The Six Sins of Greenwashing

1st Aug 2008

These terms make it meaningful for companies disclosing any data and information rather than the scientific principles all the schemes use e.g. materiality, faithfulness, etc.

The latest draft of the AA1000 Assurance Standard (2008) is now online for public consultation

1st Aug 2008

This final period of consultation runs until September 12th after which the Technical Committee will again review all comments and finalise the Standard for the global launch on October 24th.

What Makes A Good Corporate Responsibility Report?

15th Jul 2008

In an enlightening session, VP of Corporate Responsibility for Cone LLC, Liz Gorman and Starbucks Communications Program Manager, Amy Anderson, (pictured) shared some of their best practices in preparing a winning CSR report.

BT Pledges 80% Emissions Cut, Links Financial And Environmental Performance

10th Jul 2008

BT has announced plans to cut its carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2020 and published a “Climate Stabilization Intensity Target”.

Vodafone’s ‘One Strategy’ CR 2008 report launched

30th Jun 2008

Can business strategy really be aligned with corporate responsibility strategy? This critical question is the theme of Vodafone’s 2008 CR Review

Virgin Media launch first CR Report

27th Jun 2008

The report explains how Virgin Media has started its journey towards becoming a more responsible business.

Unilever pledge to use only palm oil certified as sustainable by 2015

9th May 2008

Unilever has pledged to use only palm oil certified as sustainable by 2015, while also supporting calls for a moratorium on further deforestation for palm oil in Indonesia.

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Creating Shared Value - Nestle’s approach to Corporate Social Responsibility

8th May 2008

Download the recent Nestle ‘Creating Shared Value’ report and see the 7 minute film which helps communicate their fresh approach to CSR.

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CEOs plan to increase CSR investments by 25 percent

7th May 2008

To better understand and reach the rapidly growing number of socially-minded customers, CEOs plan to increase their CSR investments by 25 percent over the next three years, the largest percentage increase of any trend identified in the just-released IBM Global CEO Study, the largest study of chief executives ever conducted.

Latest Survey Indicates Americans want proof of green claims

23rd Apr 2008

90% of Americans say that companies need to prove their green claims, 80% say they should have independent third-party certification of those claims.

This Environmental Leader article highlights the Green Gap Survey from Cone and The Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship surveyed US consumers on a range of topics regarding environmental products and the companies selling them.

German household products company publishes CSR report

20th Mar 2008

German household products company Henkel has published a report outlining its environmental progress last year.

CSR Reporting in China

17th Mar 2008

A website looks at the issues of Corporate Social Responsibility and how they are being delivered in China.

Trends in consumer actions to protect the environment

17th Mar 2008

In the current wave of the environmental movement, there is quite a bit of talk. But research from Natural Marketing Institute shows that there is also quite a bit of action.

Corporate Social Responsibility increasingly key issue for firms

17th Mar 2008 by razchaudary

How do Taiwanese companies support their CSR decision making?

State of Green Business 2008 - Report

10th Mar 2008

It introduces the GreenBiz Index, a set of 20 indicators of progress, tracking the resource use, emissions, and business practices of U.S. companies: carbon, materials, energy, and toxics intensity, clean-tech investments, e-waste recovery, paper use, employee commuting, and more.

Certification driving the Sustainability agenda?

6th Mar 2008 by Alex Briggs

This CSR NewsWire story takes a look at the increasing role that certification is taking in sustainability and CSR.

Orange revitalise their CSR effort

25th Feb 2008

Orange aims to place a much greater emphasis on corporate and social responsibility.

Shinsegae chief implicated in Samsung scandal

22nd Feb 2008

Tens of billions of won of Samsung’s alleged slush fund are suspected of having been transferred into accounts of Shinsegae Group Chairwoman Lee Myung-hee

CRO’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens 2008 list

21st Feb 2008

This list—CRO’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens 2008—matters.

IBM place CSR at the heart of their business

19th Feb 2008

Placing an added emphasis on corporate social responsibility and ensuring it is at the core of a business’ strategy can yield financial benefits, according to a study from IBM.

UK vs US forms of CSR, who is ahead?

19th Feb 2008

John Tepper Marlin posted a blog post looking at CSR in the UK and the US, titled ‘UK vs US forms of CSR, who is ahead?’.

The CSR Partnerships Conference

Event: 26th Jun 2008 – 27th Jun 2008

B2B, BizNGO, MSIs – How to build partnerships that work

Co-op Gets Serious: No caged hens, only Fairtrade hot drinks, reduce pesticides + packaging

11th Feb 2008 by Alex Briggs

The Co-operative Group, have announced transparent, detailed plans on addressing stakeholder concerns. They will ban the sale of eggs from caged hens, convert its entire own-brand hot beverage range to Fairtrade, reduce the weight of its wine packaging and add a further 66 pesticides to its prohibited list.

Wal Mart suppliers to all be GFSI accredited

6th Feb 2008 by Alex Briggs

Wal Mart will require all suppliers of their own label products to meet the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) standards.

Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, said GFSI standards provide real-time details on where suppliers fall short in food safety on a plant-by-plant basis, and go beyond the current audit process required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or U.S. Department of Agriculture.

CHR Hanson focuses on sustainability in new Environmental report

25th Jan 2008 by Alex Briggs

CHR Hanson has published their environmental report, with the focus being around sustainable business.
We need to improve our monitoring capacity further to ensure that our baseline measurements are correct and comparable,” the company stated.

A new mindset for corporate sustainability

21st Jan 2008

Organizations that wish to grow profitably in the future must focus their efforts to benefit shareholders, society and the environment simultaneously, according to a paper published today by a group of academic experts on corporate responsibility and sustainability.

Companies turn climate change to their advantage

19th Dec 2007

Climate change, so long ignored or even denied, can no longer be disregarded, and is forcing companies throughout all sectors to re-evaluate their practices. And as with all ‘obstacles’, companies have started using climate change as a vehicle to promote what they do best: make business.

Corporate leaders take bigger role In sustainability reporting

12th Dec 2007

Public relations is taking a backseat to accounting when it comes to sustainability reports, the Financial Times reports.

Abbott pledge to reduce GHG emissions

12th Dec 2007

Abbott has pledged to reduce its total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by two percent on an absolute basis from 2006 to 2011.

Climate change as a financial risk?

12th Dec 2007 by Alex Briggs

According to this Climatechangecorp.com article The US is looking into making CSR reporting on climate change a mandatory element of the information disclosed to investors.

Nestle, Bunge, Danisco join sustainability reporting group

26th Nov 2007 by Alex Briggs

The GRI announced today that several high profile global food processors have joined their sustainability reporting programme.

Nestlé, Bunge, Danisco, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, and Tyson Foods are the first food processors to join a programme to develop global reporting standards on sustainability projects in the sector.

BT’s Expansion of Materiality in CSR Operations

20th Nov 2007 by Sarah Whitworth

A recent article by Kevin Moss, who has responsibility for implementation of BT’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy for BT in North America, looks at BT’s CSR operations and how they have expanded this by the help of AccountAbility and LRQA, a part of the Lloyd’s Register Group.

Gap takes steps to stem child labor

15th Nov 2007 by Sarah Whitworth

An article reports that Gap Inc. is pulling 50 percent of its orders placed with a vendor whose subcontracting led to children sewing some of the retailer’s clothes in squalid conditions in India.

Sustainability disclosures help build consumer trust

5th Nov 2007 by Sarah Whitworth

Ethical consumers are increasingly using ‘Sustainability Information’ to identify and have trust in their chosen brands.

Being Green means more green?

7th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

A survey released this week by IPSOS focuses on the financial and image benefits of being the greenest (or percieved as the greenest) in your sector. US Online consumers were surveyed on their views towards the world’s largest tech companies. Over half (57%) said that the Energy Star label was an influencing factor in their purchase […]

The AA1000AS 2nd edition

15th Aug 2007

The AA1000AS 2nd edition will be the world’s first mainstream corporate accountability standard to be developed using a collaborative wiki process.

Long term business risks of climate change need to be faced, not ignored

16th May 2007

Continuity Central reports on a speech made by UK Environment and Climate Change Minister Ian Pearson

“Climate change already poses risks to businesses - and these will only increase in the future.”

BT wins sustainability award

16th Nov 2006

The annual SustainAbility awards have placed BT at the top of a global league table of sustainable business practice.

BT leads the field in SustainAbility’s latest biannual benchmarking survey of leading practice in corporate sustainability reporting, published in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Standard and Poor’s.

Materiality Report

9th Nov 2006

Materiality Report Today’s non financial reporting models are broken. The problem isn’t that CSR reports are ‘greenwash’. Or even that they are unread, unloved data dumps. The problem is materiality - determining and reporting on the non financial factors which really matter.

First Derivatives for ETS

27th Sep 2006 by Tim Kitchin

The first derivatives on Europe’s Emissions Trading Scheme will be launched in October.

Call centres use standards to boost trust

19th Sep 2006 by Tim Kitchin

Egyptian call centre pioneer Xceed has achieved accreditation for environmental (ISO 14001) as well as health and safety compliance (OHSAS 18001).

UK carbon emissions going up not down

18th Sep 2006 by Tim Kitchin

The UK’s Tyndale Centre has raised the stakes in the battle to combat climate change.

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