Fostering Corporate Responsibility through Self- and Co-regulation

4. Success factors of sector-specific initiatives
Reliability
Reliability
Transparency
Transparency
Sector-specific initiatives are more likely to
perform well when their goals are feasible and
tangible. Likewise, the more specific the goals,
the easier it is to tell whether they have been
achieved. In contrast, generic goals are difficult
to tackle and may lead to disappointment on
the part of the stakeholders given the resources
they have invested. Moreover, specific goals are
easier to measure and therefore foster accountability,
which is very important to companies
and public authorities. While measurable outputs
usually convey relevant information (e.g.,
number of audits, click rates or contracts), outcomes
or results are preferable.
Effinergie (France)
Effinergie is an association founded in 2006
in order to bundle the existing know-how and
develop a French certification standard for
low-energy housing. An expert working group
conceptualised and published what was the
first standard for the energy performance of
new buildings in 2007. Since Effinergie specifies
the parameters for new buildings and renovations
procedures, its goals are quite specific
and easy to measure. In collaboration with the
French Environmental Agency, the association
created the Observatoire BBC, which raises
awareness on low-energy buildings. It provides
related information as well as profiles on lowenergy
building projects in the different French
regions. It also provides the wider public with
information on the number and types of certified
buildings across the country.
Since even the best measurement system is
useless if its numbers are not accessible to the
wider public, transparency is essential for an
initiative’s good performance. This can be done
either through disclosure of information (e.g.,
on websites, in newsletters or in conversation)
or though more formalized reporting, which
often assumes a standardised and comparable
format (e.g., GRI reports). Evaluation is crucial
to establishing transparency, especially if considerable
public funds are involved. An internal
or in-house evaluation can be done by any participant
and be rather informal. However, an external
evaluation performed by a third party in
a methodical manner is generally more objective
and reliable and, therefore, useful.
Frivillig gældsrådgivning
(Denmark)
Frivillig gældsrådgivning (FG) is a partnering
initiative between the Ministry of Social Affairs
and Integration, the Danish Bankers Association
and various NGOs. It helps disadvantaged
people gain a general overview of their personal
financial situations and motivates them
to pay off their debts. Beyond simple outputs
(e.g., number of consulted persons), FG’s goals
refer to aspects such as client satisfaction with
the initiative or the experiences of the bankers
who have voluntarily participated in the project.
Such information was included in an external
report on the FG published by a third
party, which confirmed the initiative’s good
performance.
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