So, we have now said goodbye to the year 2012 and we are already embracing the New Year of 2013! The question now is what happened last year in the world of CSR and what can be transmitted into 2013? Looking back in a glance, it is apparent that companies realize that climate change is no longer a debate but an on-going threat which is becoming, nothing but bigger and bigger! In response the year 2012 indeed showed an increase in companies acting upon this significant matter and embedded sustainability within their business strategies to reduce their personal impact on the environment! This was seen through 78% of businesses reporting that climate change is being integrated into their corporate strategies, which is up 68% from last year according to the 2012 CDP !

All companies who devoted time and recourses to sustainable strategies and continue implementing methodologies of minimizing the risk of climate change deserve a big applause! These companies lead the way and portray the message that businesses have the will and power to be good corporate citizens!

Positively, 2013 is now here and has been predicted to be a good fiscal year, thus, we should be looking ahead and aiming at even better results than last year! In the arena of CSR Business Green article reported that almost half of the 250 senior sustainability executives indeed expect spending to increase in 2013 and they anticipate a robust growth in:

• corporate reporting initiatives
• smart grid
• energy systems integration
• distributed generation projects
• sustainable product design
• collaborative or shared consumption models

Though this might come as no surprise for some, for others, these areas are key areas to place in the 2013 list of resolutions as they hold the key of gaining competitive advantages simply by acting responsibly and most importantly responding to stakeholders 2013 needs! Therefore, the tip of the year 2013 is that there are essentially no secrets when it comes to Corporate Social Responsibility, only transparency in products and services!

Happy New Year

Nowadays business leaders, government officials, and academics are focusing more and more attention on the concept of “corporate social responsibility” (CSR). Interestingly CSR differs from country to country in the way it is viewed and therefore acted upon, for instance the US works on a ‘duties of care and loyalty’ basis whereas Europe and Japan place greater emphasis on stakeholder participation. Why? Perhaps because as sustainability, CSR still remains a concept that has yet to be defined in one particular manner. Thus, even though it is part of our everyday life each ethical individual addresses it differently and place’s emphasis in different areas and scales.

Even though consumer behavior is crucial to sustain our future, needless to say businesses play a tremendous role in sustaining “our common good”. Academics in the past suggested that most firms view socially responsible actions in the same way that they view more traditional business activities, meaning they engaged in a more limited—but more profitable—set of socially beneficial activities that contribute to their financial goals. Indeed, the engagement in CSR by and large began with investors with large private holdings taking an interest in their companies’ activities and influencing the companies’ actions. But things have now changed, as mature societies strive for economic growth which addresses the triple bottom line. In turn, businesses now see their economic development through a more holistic perspective, through a social & environmental lens. As a result the engagement in CSR nowadays besides rapidly growing in most MNEs, it has also taken a massive step in SMEs which are constantly proving that strategic CSR can succeed if it is addressed in an organized, well planned and holistic manner. The significance of having a good CSR strategy is what makes CSR achievable, but without being consulted, firms risk making inappropriate decisions which could lead to unsustainable CSR, which means in economic terms “being pushed out of business”.

This in turn suggests that whether or not firms are able to engage in CSR depends on managers’ understanding, their incentives and constraints, which are determined by their personal ethical beliefs, business partnerships and goals. This principally means that the business case of CSR must be fully understood but most importantly appreciated. With the right tools and guidance firms can avoid the hidden tricky obstacles throughout the Sustainability journey. CSR and sustainability consultation is invaluable for a firm’s entire spectrum of operations in order to achieve a sustainable growth.

Begin your journey towards sustainability! Found out how CSE can guide you through the journey.

So why are businesses prioritising sustainability? This is a question that puzzles businesses who haven’t yet understood the business case of sustainability and therefore missing out on opportunities but also threatening their businesses future!

Throughout the years there have been countless researchers conducted on the development of Corporate Responsibility and since 2002 universities have created new departments for this movement.  Recently edie along with Sustainable Business and Temple conducted a research to answer this question. Their results are indeed profound and most certainly answer any questions businesses not prioritising sustainability might have!

Seven in 10 businesses (69%) consider sustainability to be a priority business driver for success in 2012, by doing the math you will find that more that 40% of those see it as a high priority, principally placing it at the core of their business! But why is this so?

In a nut shell, “going green” creates opportunities and identifies risks before they are brought to the surface. By prioritising sustainability the report finds that companies are driving down costs by focusing and engaging in energy, waste, carbon and water efficiency.

Shorly it comes as no surprise that energy is the largest issue among all, given that minimizing energy consumption also narrows down the profit margin, but positively carbon also. But then again with energy prices rising, and have no doubt that they will continue raising, and mandatory carbon reports booming in 2013, it makes perfect sense why up to 95% of the largest firms are addressing this matter by “going green”! The same case applies for waste reduction being among the top five priorities businesses are addressing! In turn, increasing efficiencies to drive profit margins is a critical business driver with 43% of businesses saying that it is among their top three priorities for the next three years. In fact 85% of these believe that resource efficiency will become fundamental to their business within in the next two years.

Essentially, the report places it perfectly by stating that “across sectors, most respondents seem to have realised how ‘green’ can also mean ‘lean’ in today’s harsher economic climate”. Facts sheet? Sure, nearly 71% already have energy-use targets in place, whilst 65% of companies have set themselves waste targets.

Businesses who have chosen to not go green should perhaps encounter that by 2014 carbon and waste reporting will be almost be a common practice.

Begin prioritising! Found out how CSE can guide you through the journey of sustainability…

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), once a concept, has now turned into a passport for any leading company, regardless of its sector, to operate in modern society. Indeed the interest in CSR began in the 90’s as businesses undoubtedly began having significant power and wealth, some even wealthier than entire countries!

Yet, as businesses presence and power continued to grow in the 20^th century, so did society’s awareness that businesses also have a massive duty to fulfill towards society, namely acting as good corporate citizens! By and large this a result of the alertness that what makes companies wealthier simultaneously weakens our common good! This alertness was delivered by the risks climate change inherently began showing among the poorest nations of the world. The threats and impacts of climate change were brought to the surface by key conferences in the early 90’s focusing on sustainable development, alike the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro 1992, followed by courageous key authors and documents awakening society as a whole.

The awareness and knowledge about the risk of climate change is now well understood being an issue that needs to be tackled on a global scale, some prefer the term “glocal”. Why? Because society is now also aware that to achieve results, action must be taken from a local scale up the ladder to global, this would suggest individuals doing their own part for the environment as well as acting as responsible consumers by supporting ethical corporations.

Studies alike Cone Communications mirror the movement in society’s ethical behavior as their latest survey found that consumers nowadays do not view CSR as an inspirational mission statement, but something they narrow down their decision making to! The specific survey found that 86 percent of consumers are more likely to trust a company that reports its CSR results, and 82 percent say they are more likely to purchase a product that clearly demonstrates the results of the company’s CSR initiatives than one that does not, according to the report. Such results are profound in comparison to a few years ago and reflect the blossoming of CSR and its significance towards a sustainable development and future!

So why is CSR a passport to leading companies? Well, numbers, at times, speak for themselves and reflect consumers using their choice as a vote, and it is clear to see that their votes honor responsible businesses and essentially punishing the others, simply by not choosing them!!! Are you an ethical consumer?

Sustainability challenges businesses of all shapes and activities around the world to rethink their missions and to re-structure their operations, core business priorities and communication channels.

Sustainability needs not only to be explored as an outcome and a process of enterprising, but also as the catalyst for industry change and organizational innovation.

Pressures for achieving Ecological Balance, Economic Prosperity and Social Development, force organizations to make decisions that simultaneously consider and advance green operations and green business as a whole.

“Becoming Green” for a business is not just a recent trend in international level, but a sign of introspection, where businesses reevaluate the way they work and expand. Although climate change and sustainable development has been in the epicenter of the business community for quite some time, for many industries it remains hard to quantify, define, adopt and communicate the notion of green business.

Encountering the enterprising side of green, means meeting the challenges and assisting the green business sector, businesses with deep social and environmental commitments, emerge and succeed in a new competitive environment.

In order to simultaneously achieve economic development, social justice and environmental protection, each organization will need to strategically plan and implement a holistic approach to corporate social responsibility where the environmental aspect plays a key role.

The latest trends in Corporate Greening focus on new technologies, processes and services that strengthen a company’s business model while generating significant environmental benefits.

And remember: succeeding is not only dependant on a great idea, but on the insight of the state of the green marketplace, on acquiring the right marketing and financial models for the business, establishing measurable sustainability goals and monitor, evaluating and reporting on performance as well as selecting and retaining the right knowledgeable individuals.

The news on CSR reporting are very promising since the number of reports published on 2011 have been increased, followed by a rapid increase in the number of companies which measure their performance by adopting the GRI framework. Sustainability reporting is creating a new dynamic for markets and businesses and no matter the extent or the application level check of the CSR reporting it is very encouraging and promising that more and more companies realize the need and the benefits of reporting and engage themselves to this direction.

Is that a surprise? Why have companies and organizations started to focus more on this direction? Simply because this approach helps them to set goals, measure their performance, shape their strategy and policy and finally to introduce innovation in their organizations.

A sustainability report is not a pr or marketing tool but a key platform for every organization which wants to communicate its economic, environmental and social goals. The process used by larger organizations differs than the process used by small and medium enterprises.

Large Organizations with well established management systems, functions and policies benefit from sustainability reporting since

• Reporting is supported by the GRI framework which provides comparable data, agreed metrics and a holistic approach that forms an integral part of the company’s management cycle and reporting (& vice versa).

• The reporting methodology can be integrated to all functions and operations at all levels, from HR to procurement, corporate affairs and HSE, and can support a reliable and long term business strategy.

On the other hand medium size companies improve their operations and development through reporting as:

• Employee culture drives for better quality, cost reduction, customer satisfaction

• Customer satisfaction is gradually improving to customer loyalty

• Local communities perceive the company as a reliable and responsible citizen

Therefore sustainability report is a vital step for every organization interested to secure the consistency on targets & strategy as well as to invest on a future where profitability is combined with environmental care & social responsibility.

If you want to learn how to create a CSR report based on the GRI framework join us on our next Certified GRI Training on Reporting in Athens, 22&23 October 2012!

The new era of globalization and transparency triggers the efforts concerning Sustainability, a concept explained through many definitions. A general understanding suggests that Sustainability concerns a broad spectrum of duties that businesses are required to recognize and reflect in their actions to survive. Among the issues covered by Sustainability are the responsibility of organizations to fairly treat human resources, customers and suppliers, to demonstrate proper corporate citizenship, and to actively show respect towards the natural environment. These responsibilities should be considered not only as morally and ethically desirable ends in themselves but also as evidence regarding the societal allowance to organizations for long term survival.

Therefore, the embodiment of Green Project management as an element of Sustainability, with a strategic mindset, falls into the operation of all major projects globally and ensures their positive impact on Stakeholders (customers, society, shareholders etc) and the Environment. Organizations following such a framework will not only benefit from generating profits but also from developing sustainably and strengthening its long term positioning.

A successful organization today should take green project management under consideration for a more balanced and Sustainable world.

As organisations start to take an increased focus at all areas and levels of Sustainability, adopting a “green“ view point for project management, may not be the norm yet, but has definitely progressed greatly in the last few years. Over time, an increasing number of short or longer term projects focus on the environment and the impacts of decision making processes.

Taking the environment into account is a model where organizations think green throughout the project and requires changing the way of doing business. Some decisions may seem easy, especially if packaging and transport of a product is involved; however, green project management should go beyond the obvious and tangible.

Creating a Green Project Team culture can be the first step for establishing a culture of responsibility and sustainability that will be the driving force for implementing changes through a Carbon Footprint Strategy and/or Green Product and Service, but is by no means an easy task. Widely available “quick tips” that are scattered in the market for green project management culture and solutions will not be of any effect to an organization; that is, culture is not something you copy-paste from a “top 10 list” but is acquired through experience, knowledge exchange, and value transfer. In order to built a sustainable culture to drive green project initiatives, qualified individuals will need to consider among others the role of stakeholders, the notion of green procurement and business processes, the importance of green marketing, product life cycle analysis, methods for measuring-reducing-offsetting carbon footprint, and the offering of carbon neutral products and services.

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Green project management is a link on a complicated chain of responsibilities that entail decision making, people and change management, strategy formation and deployment, and, therefore can be entrusted to individuals that have the skills and competencies to lead an innovative green business world.