Third European MarketPlace on CSR
The third European MarketPlace on Corporate Social Responsibility, hosted by CSR Europe, took place in Brussels on 29 November 2007. A record number of 650 participants from companies, NGOs, national governments, media and the European Commission attended this unique peer-to-peer event.
Highlights of the MarketPlace included:
- Around 90 CSR solutions presented by some of the world's leading companies
- Information stands and co-building sessions of 16 CSR Laboratories in which business and stakeholders tackle key CSR challenges together
- Awards for the most outstanding solutions and Laboratories chosen by a stakeholder panel and the public
- Launch of CSR Europe's new website with a special section on the European Alliance for CSR
Watch the MarketPlace video!
Read more below and check also images from the event, speeches and other documents, and the press page.
Sharing CSR Solutions at the MarketPlace
More than 90 CSR practitioners from different companies presented their top CSR solutions at the MarketPlace made of small market stalls divided in thematic sections.
Compared to the previous years, the third MarketPlace saw an increase in the number of solutions related to mainstreaming CSR and equal opportunities. For the first time, skills and competence building surpassed environmental protection as the category with the most solutions. This MarketPlace also featured a record number of solutions from companies in the Central and Eastern European region.
The 90 solutions presented at the event were selected among a total of 180 solutions submitted by CSR Europe's members and partners. All submitted solutions are now available online in CSR Europe's solutions database. CSR Europe members can also download the printed version of the MarketPlace catalogue.
Co-inventing Solutions in CSR Laboratories
The CSR Laboratories launched during 2007 under the umbrella of the European Alliance for CSR were presented at the MarketPlace through information stands and co-building sessions.
The information stands allowed participants to gain insight into Laboratory projects involving companies and stakeholders across sectors and addressing key societal challenges, such as wellbeing in the workplace, responsible supply chain management, demographic change, and many others.
The co-building sessions invited participants to provide input into the work of the Laboratories and to contribute further even beoynd the event itself.
The MarketPlace featured Laboratory co-building sessions on topics such as
- Sustainable Business at the Base of the Pyramid, led by Danone
- Skills for Employability Enhanced through Employee Community Involvement, led by Citi, KPMG, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
- Demographic Change, led by BASF, Evonik, SAP
- Responsible Supply Chain Management, led by HP, Titan, Volkswagen
- Mainstreaming Diversity in the Company, led by L'Oréal
- Science in Schools, led by IBM
- CR and Market Valuation of Financial and Non-Financial Performance, led by Telecom Italia, Lloyds TSB
- European Alliance for Skills for Employability, led by Microsoft, Randstad, Cisco, State Street
Read more about these and other CSR Laboratories in the Alliance section of our website.
Awards for Outstanding CSR Solutions and Laboratories
At the closing session of the MarketPlace, an international stakeholder panel of 12 participants from academia, press, NGOs, consumer organisations and public sector presented awards for the 5 most outstanding CSR solutions and the 4 most outstanding CSR Laboratories presented at the MarketPlace. In addition, all MarketPlace participants had the opportunity to vote for their favourite CSR solution. Read more about the awards.
Engaging in the European Alliance for CSR
CSR Europe is a key partner of the European Alliance for CSR, an open partnership for enterprises committed to innovative and responsible business practices. The MarketPlace offered Alliance partners the opportunity to exchange views on the mid-term progress of the Alliance launched in 2006.
At the opening session, European Commissioners Günter Verheugen and Vladimir Spidla stressed the important role that companies' CSR initiatives play for the success of the European Strategy for Jobs and Growth. The Commissioners also called for closer cooperation between all actors in society, a goal that the Alliance has set our to pursue. Read the speeches.
At the closing session, CSR Europe invited Members of the European Parliament Richard Howitt and Philip Bushill-Matthews to share their views on the challenges and opportunities for corporate social responsibility.
As part of its contribution to the Alliance, CSR Europe launched its new website featuring a section dedicated to the Alliance. Read more about the European Alliance for CSR.
Event Sponsors
The third European MarketPlace on CSR was made possible with the support of HP, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Suez and Volkswagen.
