CSR and Competitiveness European SMEs - KMU Forschung Austria

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16 CSR and Competitiveness - European SMEs’ Good Practice - Consolidated European Report often means working together with local community organisations or institutions such as schools and hospitals, environmental groups, cultural organisations, relevant leisure and sports clubs etc., but also with public authorities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). This is sometimes also referred to as Corporate Community Investment (CCI). Nevertheless, also activities for the benefit of the wider society (e.g. developing countries) are to be included in this field. 10 • Environment: CSR activities in the field of the protection of the environment and sustainable development focus on an efficient use of resources and the reduction of waste and pollution by using instruments such as environmental management systems, ecodesign tools, eco labels or cleaner production techniques and technologies. These broad categories are, in general, also relevant for CSR activities of SMEs although the distinct design of individual measures may vary between large and small companies. So, for example, SMEs’ activities in the field of marketplace will – in contrast to larger enterprises – hardly consider credit institutes or public authorities as well as competitors. Nevertheless, all of the above-mentioned categories are covered by the case studies of Good Practice analysed in this study (also see Appendix 1), supplemented by “comprehensive approaches” dealing with at least two of the above-mentioned target groups. An overview on the considered target groups can be given in the following graph: Graph 2 Overview on the Target Groups of SMEs’ CSR Activities Market Employees Environment Source: Austrian Institute for SME Research CSR in European SMEs Comprehensive approaches Society 10 Due to this fact, in this study this category is referred to as “society” rather than “community” as in other publications.
CSR and Competitiveness - European SMEs’ Good Practice - Consolidated European Report 17 4 (Semi-)Public Actors and Their Strategies with Regard to CSR in Europe 4.1 European Level Since the upcoming of the CSR debate a range of supra-national actors has started to engage in this area by either providing framework structures (e.g. definitions or strategies) or (direct) support to enterprises and/or organisations intending to introduce socially responsible activities. In the following, a brief overview on some of the relevant actors and their initiatives is given. Thereby, it has to be kept in mind that at least some of these initiatives have been triggered by international initiatives going beyond Europe. Box 3 Selected CSR Initiatives at International Level At international level, CSR reference standards have been set by a variety of actors. For example, the United Nations launched the initiative “Global Compact” in June 2000. Global Compact is a Code of Conduct including ten principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption as well as a voluntary international corporate citizenship network. 11 The OECD, for example, developed Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises which provide voluntary principles and standards for responsible business conduct in a variety of areas including employment and industrial relations, human rights, environment, information, disclosure, combating bribery, consumer interests, science and technology, competition and taxation. 12 Another important international actor is the World Business Council, an international business network set up in 1995 with the aim to develop closer co-operation between businesses, government and other organisations concerned with the environment and sustainable development. 13 Other important initiatives in the field of CSR refer to different international certificates like ISO 14000 (for environmental management systems), the development of the international norm "Social Responsibility" - ISO 26000, international fair trade or environmental initiatives (e.g. the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO)) 14 or the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) which is a multi-stakeholder process and independent institution whose mission is to develop and disseminate globally applicable Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. 15 Due to the variety of international activities in the field of CSR, also the European Commission aims to stronger consider the international perspective in their work to promote CSR globally, in the context of international benchmarking and with a view to maximising the contribution of enterprises to the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals (European Commission, COM 2006 136 final). So, for example, different Directorates General (DGs) of the European Commission have been dealing with defining “CSR” and/or initiating specific CSR projects. Especially the DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, the DG Enterprise and Industry as well as DG Trade or DG Environment are setting a variety of activities in the field of CSR in relation to their main responsibility, for example by considering CSR in the European trade policy, in environmental agendas or in the field of labour market integration of disadvantaged groups (e.g. by initiating the community initiative EQUAL). A special focus on CSR among SMEs is set by the DG Enterprise and Industry. For example, between 2004 and 2005 they implemented in cooperation with EUROCHAMBRES (European Association of Chambers of Commerce) and UEAPME (European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) a Pan- 11 Source: http://www.unglobalcompact.org/AboutTheGC/index.html 12 Source: http://www.oecd.org/about/0,2337,en_2649_34889_1_1_1_1_1,00.html 13 Source: http://www.wbcsd.ch/templates/TemplateWBCSD5/layout.asp?MenuID=1 14 Source: http://www.fairtrade.net/ 15 Source: http://www.globalreporting.org
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