Press Releases

500 business leaders launch Campaign for Corporate Social Responsibility

CSR Europe (formerly the European Business Network for Social Cohesion) a business-driven membership network promoting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainable development in Europe, welcomed business leaders and political role players to the first European Business Convention on Building Corporate Social Responsibility, in Brussels last week.

This historic event put the spotlight on four important developments:

1) Business Leaders launch the European Campaign 2005 For Sustainable Growth and Human Progress.

  • The Campaign aims to mobilise 500 000 business people throughout Europe on the profitability of CSR, and to mainstream CSR strategies and stakeholder dialogue in everyday business practice
  • It answers the special appeal to business, made by European heads of state and government at the Lisbon Summit in March 2000, to combat social imbalance, invest in people and share practices that make Europe work.
  • A planned special European year on CSR in 2005 will provide the occasion for Campaign leaders to showcase the practical results of Corporate Social Responsibility and commit to targets for the future.
  • Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (Danish Prime Minister, and one of the architects of the Special Appeal to Business on CSR) joined European Commissioners Anna Diamantopoulou (Employment and Social Affairs) and Erkki Liikanen (Enterprise and the Information Society) in welcoming this exciting Campaign.

2) The results of the first-ever European-wide consumer survey on CSR

  • MORI, on behalf of CSR Europe, interviewed 12 000 consumers across 12 countries in September 2000
  • 70% of consumers said that a company's commitment to social responsibility is important when buying a product or service
  • 1 in 5 said they would be VERY willing to pay more for products that are environmentally and socially responsible

3) European Day on Socially Responsible Investing - Towards a European Social Index

  • Daniel Lebègue (CEO, Caisse de Dépôts et Consignations) unveiled the results of a groundbreaking joint effort to identify common criteria for assessing companies' performance on social issues. This initial trial produced evaluations of 46 top European companies.
  • He highlighted the importance of promoting banking services for all, providing better financing for SMEs, and stimulating SRI in Europe
  • Jean-François Théodore (Chairman Euronext) gave his support for a European Day on Socially Responsible Investment in 2001
  • This project will see CSR Europe combine forces with Euronext and the European Commission to highlight the role of Financial Institutions in promoting CSR, and to work towards a European Social Index.

4) The rise in social reporting by companies

  • Results show that, overall, when it comes to communicating about their wider social impact, European consumers expect more from companies than just advertising
  • CSR Europe launched a unique benchmarking tool (the CSR Matrix on Communication and Reporting) to empower companies to update their communication strategies on Corporate Social Responsibility
  • And introduced voluntary guidelines on Corporate Social Reporting, containing a checklist of performance indicators preferred by companies in striving to become more accountable and transparent


Notes for editors:

1. EBNSC changed its name to CSR Europe in November 2000.

2. CSR Europe is a business-to-business network that originates from the European Declaration of Businesses against Social Exclusion, signed in 1995 by former President of the European Commission Jacques Delors and a group of European business leaders. CSR Europe's mission is to help companies achieve profitability, sustainable growth and human progress by placing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the mainstream of business practice. Today, the network has over 50 members and access to more than 1000 European businesses through its 15 national partner organisations.

Contact:

Catelijne Wessels, Communications Director
CSR Europe
Rue Defacqz, 78-80
Brussels 1050
Belgium
Tel: +32 2 541 1610
Fax: +32 2 502 8458
info@csreurope.org
www.csreurope.org

16 November 2000