CSR - Current - Von der Leyen: "Good ideas should be widely adopted"

01.07.2010

Von der Leyen: "Good ideas should be widely adopted"

In this report, the Forum recommends that the German government develop a national plan of action for CSR in Germany and outlines concrete suggestions for it. These suggestions range from strengthening the credibility and visibility of corporate social responsibility, promoting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and incorporating corporate social responsibility into education and research to potential ways to help meet challenges such as the current demographic trend, and even suggestions regarding corporate social responsibility in connection with international cooperation.

Federal Minister Ursula von der Leyen:

"I am impressed by how many companies are already practising corporate social responsibility - on a voluntary basis, above and beyond what is required by law - for the benefit of their employees, for energy-efficient operations and for the good of the communities where they do business. A national CSR strategy will provide fresh impetus for these important activities. I feel that these many good ideas and approaches should be widely adopted.

The report submitted by the National CSR Forum offers valuable recommendations for a national CSR strategy that the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is currently developing together with other ministries and which we plan to adopt in the Federal Cabinet in the form of an action plan this autumn. Of this I am certain: Economic, social and environmental objectives pay off, they go hand in hand with one another and they benefit everyone. And precisely this constitutes the strength and appeal of corporate social responsibility."

The National CSR Forum is comprised of 44 experts from trade and industry, unions, non-governmental organisations and the research community, and has advised the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs since early 2009 in connection with the development of a national CSR strategy.

"Mastering the enormous economic, social and environmental challenges of our times will require seeking solutions on a concerted basis and acting on a concerted basis" is the credo of the recommendation report. The National CSR Forum calls for intensifying cooperation between the political sector, trade, industry and civil society with the aim of strengthening corporate social responsibility.

At the presentation of the report to Minister von der Leyen, the chairpersons of the six working groups of the National CSR Forum stressed that the political sector has the task of formulating clear objectives in the course of a societal dialogue and the task of establishing a foundation that will make responsible conduct on the lines of corporate social responsibility worthwhile for enterprises and society:

"When everyone fulfils their responsibilities, economic, social and environmental goals can be linked together to the mutual benefit of all."

Given the many different interests that are represented in the National CSR Forum, the joint recommendation report also constitutes an important step forward for CSR policy in Germany. For the first time ever, a "Common Understanding" of corporate social responsibility has been laid down in writing. The recommendations that the National CSR Forum has made for concrete objectives and measures are based on this common understanding.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to a company's assumption of social responsibility - on a voluntary basis, above and beyond what is required by law. Corporate social responsibility ranges from

• treating employees fairly, to
• using natural resources prudently and efficiently, all the way to
• ensuring that their operations in the value-added chain are socially and environmentally responsible, and to
• providing transparent information about these activities.

The chairpersons of the working groups of the National CSR Forum are:

• Dr Achim Dercks (Deputy CEO of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce)

• Ms Birgit Riess (director of the Corporate Social Responsibility project of the Bertelsmann Stiftung foundation)

• Jörg Hartmann (head of the Focal Point of the Global Compact Network Germany)

• Michael Vassiliadis (chairman of the IG BCE Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union)

• Professor Dr Josef Wieland (scientific director of the KleM Institute for Intercultural Management, Values and Communication)

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