Responsible Business Forum, Poland

Focus on a Partner - September 2011

FOB Poland organised a CSR event under the Polish Presidency on September 5^th. Could you please tell us more about this event and the added value for participants?

The Polish Presidency is a great opportunity to popularize the idea and emphasize the role of CSR in the EU. The aim of the “Shared Responsibility - How to Increase the Visibility and Effectiveness of the EU CSR framework” conference is to use the experiences of the public administration and of the social and economic partners to increase the visibility and effectiveness of CSR in the EU. During the conference the results of the “Vision 2050 for Poland” project will be presented, and during the parallel workshop sessions, the expectations of the private sector and of social partners will be identified in the key areas important for further development of CSR, such as: consumers, dialogue, innovations, management standards, measuring, monitoring, social economy, and responsible investing.

The ambition of the conference is that it becomes a forum of dialogue between representatives of various communities involved in the development of CSR. The invited guests will discuss on the possibilities to increase the role of the private sector and social partners in the process of shaping and implementation of EU policy for CSR.

The Ministry of Economy in Poland has launched a CSR National Action Plan in Poland. To what extent was FOB Poland involved in setting up this plan and how would you describe the main challenges and achievements of the social dialogue between the Polish Government, NGOs & businesses?

Unfortunately, we do not have such an action plan. In 2004 FOB’s Management Board met with Deputy Prime Minister Jerzy Hausner to establish the Polish Council for Corporate Social Responsibility comprising members of the central administration, NGOs and businesses. The Council was supposed to develop the national CSR strategy in Poland. However, after the changes in the government, the idea of the Council was abandoned.

In 2009, a CSR Team was established by Prime Minister within the Ministry of Economy with four working groups: promotion of CSR, responsible investment, CSR and education (FOB is a leader of that group), and responsible consumption. In 2011 the Team has issued a publication with recommendations for further implementation of CSR in Poland.

In June 2010, the Council of Ministers adopted a new three-year “National Action Plan on sustainable public procurement for 2010-2012” setting out the objectives, timing and system of coordination and monitoring of actions concerning both green and socially responsible procurement.

In the “Focus on Partner” Interview in 2009 you mentioned that 89% of SMEs think that CSR will be more important for them in the future, according to a research study. What actions is FOB Poland taking to promote CSR in SMEs?

In 2010, we launched an international project called RespEn together with Pomerania Development Agency, Pomeranian Chamber of Handicrafts for Small and Medium Enterprises and Swedish Industrial Development Centre in Kalmar County. The project aims to improve the competitiveness of micro, small and medium companies from the province of Pomerania, and the Swedish region of Kalmar through implementation of the strategy of Corporate Social Responsibility.

What the Project offers to companies is participation in workshops, study visits and cooperative business meetings; it also allows Polish and Swedish companies to become acquainted with the principles of Corporate Social Responsibility and possibilities for international business co-operation. In 2011 a seminar "Supply Chain Responsibility" was organised within the project which hosted about 100 guests.

We also actively encourage SMEs to send their good practices to our annual “Responsible business in Poland. Good practices” Report. In the 2010 edition, nine practices from SMEs were included in the Report (out of 117). Also, in September we will be organising a seminar addressed to SMEs in Poland.

We support regional initiatives thanks to EU funds and co-ordinated by regional trade unions or employers’ organizations.

What are the next key milestones for FOB Poland and how do you see FOB Poland evolve in the next 10 years?

In 2000, Responsible Business Forum was formed, and its first business partner became ABB followed by BP. In 2001, a conference was held marking the launch of FOB’s five-year programme entitled ‘21 businesses for the 21st century’. The aim of the programme was to gather and disseminate other countries’ experiences in implementing CSR solutions and to adapt them to Polish needs. The same year the first extensive CRS publication in Polish was published, entitled ‘More than profit – responsible business. Programmes, strategies, standards’. In 2002, a website dedicated to CSR was launched at www.odpowiedzialnybiznes.pl. The same year FOB became a National Partner of CSR Europe, the first organisation from an EU candidate country to do so; and an educational programme for students was created.

In 2003, FOB launched its first annual report ‘Responsible business in Poland in 2002’, summarising Polish companies’ observance of CSR guidelines and providing an overview of other CSR initiatives launched that year. The same year FOB organised the ‘Responsible business – a new strategy for growth’ conference in partnership with the World Bank and CSR Europe. The event was attended by more than 300 participants from 18 countries. In 2004, FOB and Global Compact organised the 1st Good Practice Forum – ‘How business can contribute to social development?’.

In 2005, FOB organised the first Polish MarketPlace on CSR conference, which brought together 38 participants. The event was held as part of the European Roadmap for a Competitive and Sustainable Enterprise campaign initiated by CSR Europe. In 2006, FOB launched ‘Talking about responsible business’, a series of meetings addressed to NGOs, businesses and the public sector with the aim of initiating a public debate on CSR issues. The meetings are held once every three months to these days. The same year FOB organised the First Responsible Business Academy, a conference addressed to university students, as part of the Responsible Business League project, and I became the President of FOB.

In 2007, Good Company Ranking, the first CSR ranking in Poland was published under the auspices of FOB. The same year the first Social Reports competition for the best CSR report, organised in a joint effort by FOB, PricewaterhouseCoopers and CSR Consulting was launched. In 2008, FOB signed the Global Compact initiative. The same year working groups within FOB’s Partnership Programme were created and FOB joined the CSR360 Global Partner Network, a Business in the Community initiative.

In 2009, FOB and PricewaterhouseCoopers developed the first Polish version of GRI guidelines. The same year FOB signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Economy and the World Business Council on Sustainable Development. In 2010, FOB and the Responsible Business Institute organised the CSR 2.0 conference and held a Gala Event celebrating the Forum's 10th anniversary.

More information on Responsible Business Forum can be found here.