Corporate Social
Responsibility
(CSR)
Information Centre Guide
June 2004
1
INTRODUCTION
The year 1982 is seen as the key date in the development of corporate social responsibility
(CSR) in the UK with the launch of the Business in the Community initiative. This initiative
was launched by a group of British companies with the aim to improve the effect of business
on the community.
Corporate social responsibility is an increasingly common policy issue for businesses across
the UK. It’s key concept is the effect of business on staff, suppliers, the community and the
environment and how to balance this with sought after profitability.
There are strong differences as to how CSR policy in the UK is applied compared to the US.
In the UK, CSR is based on the integration of social responsibility in core operations while in
the US, CSR customarily involves a charitable donation from the profits, at the end of the
business cycle. This fact sheet will focus on CSR as it is applied in the UK.
CSR in the UK has become increasingly regulated and looks set to continue along this path as
a result of the European Commission’s decision to produce a white paper on corporate social
responsibility at the end of 2004.
It is anticipated that this fact sheet which tracks the developments and identifies key issues
will provide an invaluable source of advice and information on CSR.
The SME community has initially been slow to respond to CSR and it is hoped that this fact
sheet will encourage greater awareness and participation in this field.
London Chamber Information Centre
June 2004
 London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
33 Queen Street, London EC4R 1AP
2004
2
CONTENTS
What is Corporate Social Responsibility?
Page 3
Key Corporate Social Responsibility Issues
Page 3
Benefits to business
Government policy
Corporate governance
Company reporting
Staff welfare
SMEs
Ethical trading
Community welfare
Environment
Education
Human rights
Current Legislation
Page 10
Key Dates in Corporate Social Responsibility Development
in the UK
Page 11
Recent Corporate Social Responsibility News
Page 13
Future of Corporate Social Responsibility
Page 14
Additional Reports on Corporate Social Responsibility
Page 15
Sources of Information
Page 16
 London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
33 Queen Street, London EC4R 1AP
2004
3
WHAT IS CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY?
CSR can be an extremely broad term and different organisations have varied definitions
depending on factors such as the nature of business, company size and operational areas.
Below is a core definition taken from "Corporate Social Responsibility: Making Good
Business Sense" published by The World Business Council for Sustainable Development,
authors Richard Holme and Phil Watts.
Website: www.wbcsd.org/DocRoot/5mbU1sfWpqAgPpPpUqUe/csr2000.pdf
"Corporate social responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically
and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce
and their families as well as of the local community and society at large."
KEY CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ISSUES
Benefits to business
Many companies have reported that a CSR policy can directly contribute to improvements in
shareholder value, revenue, operational efficiency, customer attraction, staff retention,
competitiveness and brand value. This indicates that embracing CSR has the potential to raise
the ethical standing and reputation of a company as well as improving the balance sheet.
Business in the Community research from 2002 shows that 40% of businesses reported
having new business ideas as a result of their activities within the community and 85% of
companies surveyed believed that a reputation for being a socially responsible organisation
would lead to competitive advantage.
‘Cause related marketing’ is one example of a CSR policy which can benefit the company in
equal measure to the cause. As well as helping raise funds for charity, the alliance can raise
the company profile.
Website: www.bitc.org.uk/news/news_directory/global_mclass.html
Surveys have found that a growing number of jobseekers are selecting employers based on
company ethics, be it in terms of trading policies, environmental priorities, community
involvement or supply chain attitudes.
Website: www.workwithus.org/give/payroll.asp
Government policy
“Promotion” and “mainstreaming” are the catchwords characterising the Government’s
approach to corporate social responsibility, which centres on encouraging good practice not
only in the UK but also internationally. The Government’s dedicated CSR website launched
by the DTI can be found at: www.societyandbusiness.gov.uk. This gives details of
approximately 60 Government CSR related initiatives currently in place, some of which are
noted in the following pages of this fact sheet.
Website: www.dti.gov.uk/sustainability/weee/corp_soc_resp.pdf
 London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
33 Queen Street, London EC4R 1AP
2004
4
Corporate governance
In January 2003 the Derek Higgs’s report, “Review of the role and effectiveness of nonexecutive directors”, was published and this is a significant marker in the development of
CSR discussion in terms of director responsibility.
In July 2003 the Combined Code on Corporate Governance was updated from the original set
of guidelines published in 1998. The 1998 code was based on recommendations of the
Cadbury, Greenbury and Hampel reports on corporate governance. Although voluntary, listed
companies are strongly recommended to comply with the Combined Code and, if they do not,
are obliged to give justification for their decision.
Website: www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/ukla/lr_comcode2003.pdf
In 1999 “Internal Control: Guidance for Directors on the Combined Code” (The Turnbull
Report) was published by The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. The
report underlined the need for internal control as best practice for managing risk and the
importance of responsibility for this across the board.
Website: www.icaew.co.uk/viewer/index.cfm?AUB=TB2I_6342&tb5=1
Most recently, the Government has confirmed it will publish a draft bill on corporate
manslaughter designed to make companies more accountable for failures in health and safety
policies. Further details are to be disclosed in Autumn 2004.
Website: www.sourceuk.net/indexf.html?03405
Company reporting
The reporting of CSR performance by organisations is increasingly called for by stakeholders
and other interested parties and without this transparency there can be no real measure of
responsibility.
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) was established by the Coalition for Environmentally
Responsible Economies (CERES) to improve sustainability reporting by businesses in 1997
and was a step forward in terms of company disclosure.
Website: www.globalreporting.org/
www.mallenbaker.net/csr/CSRfiles/GRI.html
The first Corporate Responsibility Index in 2002 was launched by Business in the Community
(BITC) as a benchmarking tool for companies to measure their CSR policy in four key areas:
Community, Environment, Marketplace and Workplace. The index ranks performance and
highlights best practice.
Website:
www.bitc.org.uk/programmes/key_initiatives/corporate_responsibility_index/index.html
The 2nd CSR Index was carried out in 2003 and a third is due in 2004.
Website: www.bitc.org.uk/news/news_directory/cr_index.html
www.bitc.org.uk/press_office/press_releases/cr_04.html
Another index, compiled by the Decision Magazine, measures companies by annual
charitable donations, based on annual report disclosures.
Website: www.grant-thornton.co.uk/pages/how_we_help-charities_and_not_for_profittechnical_matters/$FILE/decision+business+magazine-speakers+included.pdf
 London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
33 Queen Street, London EC4R 1AP
2004
5
The GRI and Corporate Responsibility Index are both voluntary and to date, very little CSR
reporting is obligatory. However, the Government has recently announced a consultation on
draft regulations which aims to ensure that the Operating Financial Reviews issued by larger
companies cover customer and staff policies, together with information about the business’
impact on the environment.
Website: www.dti.gov.uk/cld/financialreview.htm
Staff welfare
Staff welfare is a major topic in the corporate responsibility debate and encompasses human
rights law, employment law, health and safety law and best practice guidelines. It also covers
a wealth of topics such as remuneration, benefits, holiday entitlement, training, flexible
working and work/life balance policies. As with all the CSR issues mentioned in this fact
sheet, it is not possible to discuss them in any depth, but only possible to give a brief outline
and links to further information.
“Directors’ Responsibilities for Health and Safety” is the guidance report issued by the Health
and Safety Commission on the health and safety responsibilities of company directors and can
be found at: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg343.pdf. This is one of many pages detailing
health and safety law and best practice guidelines on the Health and Safety Executive’s
website.
Director responsibility is also discussed in the document “Internal Control: Guidance for
Directors on the Combined Code” as previously mentioned (See Corporate Governance
section).
Website: www.icaew.co.uk/viewer/index.cfm?AUB=TB2I_6342&tb5=1
The Government has numerous initiatives in place regarding responsible workforce practices,
covering racial equality, funding for work/life balance awareness projects and disability
policies. These can be viewed at the following website:
Website: www.societyandbusiness.gov.uk/
Business in the Community, in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Personnel
Development and the Future Work Institute, produced a useful report in 2003 called
“Responsibility: driving innovation, inspiring employees” which underlines some of the
issues of responsibility to the workforce faced by HR Directors.
Website: www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/corpstrtgy/corpsocres/responsibi.htm?IsSrchRes=1
Employers for Work Life Balance is an alliance of employers keen to promote work life
balance as a key business concept. The FastForward Research 2003 project found that 41% of
employees surveyed believed the most important quality of a responsible employer to be the
provision of a good structure for work life balance.
Website: www.employersforwork-lifebalance.org.uk/EfWLB.htm
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is the Government office dealing with all
pensions and work related benefits information and regulations.
Website: www.dwp.gov.uk/
The Financial Times published its annual “50 Best Workplaces in UK” report in April 2004, a
ranking of companies with over 50 employees based on staff surveys and working culture.
Website: www.greatplacetowork.co.uk/news/articles/uk_press_release_280404.pdf
 London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
33 Queen Street, London EC4R 1AP
2004
6
SMEs
For the most part, the CSR debate has centred on large corporations and much less attention
has been given to encouraging SMEs to implement CSR policies, how they might do this or
how the policies might differ from those applicable to larger organisations. As Heledd Jenkins
states in the report “Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Corporate Social
Responsibility”, “the CSR debate has so far failed to engage with SME’s”.
The focus has initially been on large enterprises because these have a visible impact and in
many cases are answerable to shareholders, yet SMEs make up the majority of private UK
businesses and are now increasingly considered as a pivotal part of the debate. Some of the
reasons why SMEs have not embraced CSR are: cost issues, lack of awareness and lack of
pressure from stakeholders. The chief motivators for SMEs adopting CSR policies have been
for the marketing of environmental products or pressure from supply chains.
Below are some useful links to further information on CSR and SMEs.
The SME Key is an online tool which addresses specifically the adoption of CSR policies by
SMEs.
Website: www.smekey.org/english_lan/businesscase_page65.aspx
“Measuring Enterprise Impacts in Deprived Areas” Small Business Service (2002)
Website: www.sbs.gov.uk/content/analytical/research/measuringenterpriseimpacts.pdf
“CSR - Practical implications of the concept for SMEs”
Website: www.erscp2004.net/downloads/presenters/corporatesocialresponsabilityft.pdf
“CSR – A Business Contribution to Sustainable Development”
Website: destinet.ewindows.eu.org/aEU%20Tourism/4/
Links to further information
Website: www.smekey.org/links/default.aspx
Ethical trading
The term ‘ethics’ is at the core of the CSR movement and is the central reason for the many
different interpretations of CSR. If not legislated for, ethics can be very subjective.
A major player in ethical trading is the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), an alliance of
companies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and trade union organisations which
aims to promote the implementation of corporate codes of practice governing supply chain
working conditions. The focus is that working conditions of workers producing for the UK
market reflect international labour standards. The organisation, set up in 1997, had 35
corporate members at the end of 2003.
Website: www.ethicaltrade.org
The Fairtrade Foundation aims to protect producers in the developing world and has just
celebrated the tenth year of UK products carrying the Fairtrade Mark.
Website: www.fairtrade.org.uk
OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises – the only government-endorsed collection of
guidelines for multinational companies.
Website: www.societyandbusiness.gov.uk/
 London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
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2004
7
Natural Resources and Ethical Trade (NRET) seeks to improve the environmental and social
benefits of business in developing economies.
Website: www.nri.org/NRET/nret1.htm
Community welfare
The impact of business on the local community can be significant. It involves issues such as
the employment of staff and salary scales, recruitment of local clients, supporting local
initiatives, sponsoring local facilities and using local suppliers. Businesses impact the wider
community via supply chains, positioning of factories, recruitment and environmental
policies.
Business in the Community (BITC) is an independent business-led charity with 700 member
companies and was set up in 1982 to improve the impact of business on society. Currently the
organisation’s members employ over 1 in 5 of the UK private sector workforce, making it a
leading light in the CSR movement.
Website: www.bitc.org.uk/
One of the Government’s initiatives is the Social Investment Taskforce, set up to encourage
wealth creation amongst under-invested communities.
Website: www.societyandbusiness.gov.uk/
www.enterprising-communities.org.uk
The Home Office’s Active Community Unit (ACU) encourages people from all sectors
(particularly business) to be active in their communities via the Corporate Community
Involvement & CARES IT initiative.
Website: www.societyandbusiness.gov.uk/
Inner City 100 is another organisation which seeks to encourage inner city regeneration.
Website: www.theinnercity100.org
Environment
Sustainable development is a key part of CSR and is central to environmental CSR policies.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is the Government body
set up in 2001 to “drive forward the Government's programmes on the environment, food and
rural affairs” by means of sustainable development.
Website: www.defra.gov.uk
More specifically, the Government’s sustainable development website aims to nurture
business policies which are responsible and sustainable in the long term. Again, the
Government’s stance is one of encouragement rather than prescription.
Website: www.sustainable-development.gov.uk
In 2001 DEFRA joined with the Department of Trade and Industry and the Confederation of
British Industry to produce the General Guidelines on Environmental Reporting to advise
companies how to produce environmental reports.
Website: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/envrp/general/pdf/envrptgen.pdf
The Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment was established to maintain a
dialogue between Government and business.
Website: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/acbe/default.htm
 London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
33 Queen Street, London EC4R 1AP
2004
8
In April 2004, Sir John Egan’s report “The Egan review – skills for sustainable communities”
was published by the Government as part of its Sustainable Communities Plan. The report
considers the identification and development of skills necessary as a basis for sustainable
communities.
Website:
www.gnn.gov.uk/gnn/national.nsf/Today's+Releases+Frame/0B54D7D8F13870F780256
E7B003ACA7D?opendocument (overview)
www.odpm.gov.uk/eganreview (the report)
The Government’s Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment (ACBE) working
group is raising awareness of the need for sustainable development within companies.
Website: www.societyandbusiness.gov.uk/
Envirowise is another Government-funded programme offering advice to UK companies on
practical ways of improving their environmental performance, by reducing waste at source,
and increasing profit.
Website: www.envirowise.gov.uk/envirowisev3.nsf
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has launched a new website giving advice about making
workplaces more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Website: www.tuc.org.uk/theme/index.cfm?theme=sustainableworkplace
Additional website resources relating to sustainability in business are:
English Tourism Council’s website for sustainable tourism.
Website: www.wisegrowth.org.uk/
Centre for Sustainable and Environmental Management
Website: www.csem.org.uk/
The London Sustainability Exchange promotes sustainable practices in London
Website: www.lsx.org.uk/
EMAS, the European Union’s Eco-Management and Audit Scheme, is a voluntary initiative
designed to improve corporate environmental performance.
Over 2,000 UK organisations are now using ISO 14001 and 136 UK sites are EMASregistered.
Website: www.emas.org.uk/aboutemas/mainframe.htm
The European Union’s Integrated Product Policy aims to reduce environmental degradation
by examining various stages of the product cycle from manufacture to waste disposal.
Website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/ipp/home.htm
European Environmental Management Association (EEMA) is a network of environmental
professionals who support good environmental management.
Website: http://www.eema-net.org/
The United Nation’s report on the 2002 Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development is
a common reference in environmental CSR policy discussion.
Website: www.un.org/esa/sustdev/media/Brochure.PDF
www.johannesburgsummit.org
 London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
33 Queen Street, London EC4R 1AP
2004
9
Education
Education and public awareness are seen as vital means of promoting CSR and below are
some of the Government’s current initiatives:
The Higher Education Reach-Out to Business and the Community Fund (HEROBC) aims to
promote education in business by knowledge transfer and innovation projects as well as
promoting focused skills learning.
Website: www.societyandbusiness.gov.uk/government/
The Education Business Links Policy aims to ensure pupils have a number of structured
business experiences whilst at school..
Website: www.societyandbusiness.gov.uk/
“A Review of Enterprise and the Economy in Education” is a report about businesses
involved in education and provides Governmental guidance to encourage the education of
school children for a career in business.
Website: www.dfes.gov.uk/ebnet/download/Review.pdf
Human rights
Consideration of human rights issues plays a large part in CSR policy-making, both for
companies with international operations and for companies with global supply chains. The
area of human rights responsibility is complex. There must be knowledge and consideration
of international human rights laws and individual countries’ legislation and also monitoring of
human rights compliance by overseas partners. It is also a question of how companies should
operate in areas where human rights violation is commonplace and how to differentiate
between governmental responsibility in these countries and individual company
responsibility.
A Review of International Human Rights Law produced by Cardiff University’s Centre for
Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability and Society (BRASS) is a
comprehensive bibliography of sources relating to the debate about the accountability of
multinational corporations.
Website: www.brass.cf.ac.uk/wpaccountabilitymultinationalsTECW0104.pdf
The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre is an independent organisation working in
conjunction with Amnesty International.
Website: www.business-humanrights.org/Home
 London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
33 Queen Street, London EC4R 1AP
2004
10
CURRENT LEGISLATION
Some areas of corporate social responsibility are covered by legislation, such as human rights
law and staff welfare law, whereas many other CSR initiatives are simply voluntary codes of
conduct.
This guide, completed in December 2003, gives details of current legislation governing CSR
in UK companies.
Website: www.lovells.com/PublicationControlServlet?pubId=830
Key European Commission documents
Website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/key_en.html
http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/legis_en.html
The European Commission’s Green Paper “Promoting a European framework for corporate
social responsibility” was published in July 2001. The questions posed by the green paper fall
into five broad categories:
-The role for the European Union
-Companies and CSR
-Main actors and stakeholders
-Evaluation and effectiveness
-Actions to support CSR
To read more detail about the Green Paper and view the pdf document, access the link below:
Website: www.bsdglobal.com/issues/eu_green_paper.asp
A White Paper about corporate social responsibility is proposed for November 2004
Website: www.dti.gov.uk/sustainability/weee/corp_soc_resp.pdf (p.8)
 London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
33 Queen Street, London EC4R 1AP
2004
11
KEY DATES IN CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
DEVELOPMENT IN THE UK
1982: The Business in the Community initiative was established by a group of British
companies to improve the effect of business on the community.
1990: The Investors in People initiative was developed.
Website:
www.iipuk.co.uk/IIP/Internet/InvestorsinPeople/WhatisInvestorsinPeople/Default.htm
1997: The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) was established.
Website: www.ethicaltrade.org
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) was established by the Coalition for Environmentally
Responsible Economies (CERES) to improve sustainability reporting by businesses.
Website: www.globalreporting.org/
1998: The International Labour Organisation (ILO) agreed basic standards of labour in the
Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
1999: The Co-operative Bank produced its first Ethical Purchasing Index (EPI) to record UK
sales of “ethical” goods and services.
2000: The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises were amended (written in 1976).
Mar 2000: The Post of Minister for Corporate Social Responsibility was created.
Jul 2000: Amendments were made to the Pensions Act 1995 to oblige pension funds to
divulge the range of their ethical investment.
Oct 2000: The Prime Minister challenged the top 350 UK businesses to produce
environmental reports by the end of 2001 and the government continues to encourage CSR
reporting.
Website: www.societyandbusiness.gov.uk/government/
May 2001: FTSE4Good was set up by FTSE to monitor companies against four socially
responsible indices.
Website: www.ftse4good.com
Jul 2001: The EC published a Green Paper on CSR.
Website: www.europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/soc-dial/csr/greenpaper_en.pdf
Oct 2001: The Association of British Insurers (ABI) issued social responsibility guidelines,
encouraging businesses to set core operational activities against best practice indices.
Website: www.abi.org.uk
www.abi.org.uk/bookshop/researchreports/csr_report.pdf
Jul 2002: The Employment Act 2002 introduced amendments to the Employment Rights Act
1996 concerning paternity rights, adoption leave and flexible working arrangements.
Website: www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts2002/20020022.htm
 London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
33 Queen Street, London EC4R 1AP
2004
12
Oct 2002: Business in the Community sets up the first Corporate Responsibility Index
Website:
www2.bitc.org.uk/programmes/key_initiatives/corporate_responsibility_index/index.ht
ml
Dec 2002: The CSR Working Group was set up by the Corporate Responsibility Group.
Jan 2003: Derek Higgs’s report “Review of the role and effectiveness of non-executive
directors” was published.
Website: www.dti.gov.uk/cld/non_exec_review/pdfs/higgsreport.pdf
Jul 2003: The voluntary Combined Code on Corporate Governance was updated from the
1998 edition.
Website: www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/ukla/lr_comcode2003.pdf
Nov 2003: The EC proposed the issue of a White Paper on CSR in Nov 2004.
Website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/soc-dial/csr/csr2002_col_en.pdf
www.mallenbaker.net/csr/CSRfiles/page.php?Story_ID=1140
2004: The OECD Principles of Corporate Governance were amended in 2004.
Website: www.oecd.org/dataoecd/32/18/31557724.pdf
Mar 2004: The results of the second CSR Index were published.
Website: www.bitc.org.uk/news/news_directory/cr_index.html
May 2004: CSR Minister, Stephen Timms, called for UK organisations to come forward to
form partnerships with the CSR Academy which is due to launch in July. The Academy’s role
will be to ensure that CSR becomes an integral part of business operations in the UK.
 London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
33 Queen Street, London EC4R 1AP
2004
13
RECENT CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY NEWS
Some CSR issues which have recently hit the headlines are child labour, renewable energy,
ethical investment and the availability of pharmaceuticals.
This snapshot of current news shows the wide variety of business matters affected.
Oxfam calls for end to European sugar price fixing –
Website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3624237.stm
UK ministers pledge to cut gas emissions –
Website: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8209-1089482,00.html
EU ensures medicines are cheaper for poorer nations –
Website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/trade/issues/global/medecine/pr210404_en.htm
Aid agencies sceptical of World Trade Organisation’s cheap medicines deal –
Website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3201219.stm
Campaigners planning to launch ethical flower trade –
Website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3498594.stm
Supply chain labour standards still poorly managed in may UK companies –
Website: www.socialfunds.com/news/release.cgi/2626.html
Jobseekers opt for ethical companies –
Website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3102046.stm
Ethical investment options grow –
Website: http://business.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=289582004
Tesco leads the way in cause related marketing –
Website: www.bitc.org.uk/news/news_directory/crmtesconews.html
 London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
33 Queen Street, London EC4R 1AP
2004
14
FUTURE OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
This fact sheet can only skim the surface of a subject as vast as CSR, giving an overview of
the issues and pointers to further information.
The movement has certainly gathered pace over the last fifteen years as organisations have
become more accountable to the public desire for ethical and social responsibility.
Although an increase in legislation is likely, with the impending White Paper on the subject
(due November 2004), companies are understandably resistant to a rise in legislation in fear
of associated costs and the removal of freedom of choice aimed at competitive advantage.
There will always be a voluntary aspect to CSR implementation. As the Director of the
Association of British Insurers (ABI), Mary Francis, pointed out, if it becomes totally
regulated (even if this were possible), it would become “corporate compliance”, not
“responsibility”.
One way forward then is a development of the way in which companies report on their CSR
activities. According to the ABI, 80% of FTSE 100 companies report to some degree on CSR
performance. However, there is a growing problem with the proliferation of surveys from
dedicated CSR agencies. Companies are expressing survey fatigue and stating that the cost of
processing these surveys is intolerable.
The Stock Exchange is working in partnership with the UK Social Investment Forum to find
ways of reducing this burden, perhaps by the introduction of a single questionnaire. Another
development in progress for greater efficiency in CSR reporting is extensible Business
Reporting Language (XBRL). This XML based coding language would allow rapid retrieval
of company reports on the Internet by allowing companies to tag their data according to
common criteria. As long as there is agreement on definitions, researchers could retrieve
financial or environmental company reports online, removing the need for approaching
individual organisations.
Listed below are some future developments in CSR legislation and CSR reports.
Council of Europe Criminal Law Convention on Corruption treaty was ratified by the UK
in December 2003 and scheduled to become law on 1 April 2004.
Website: http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/en/Treaties/Html/173.htm
The European Commission intends to implement its EU Action Plan for Company Law on
statutory audit and corporate governance after consideration of the related consultation
process, which closed on 21 November 2003.
Website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/en/company/company/modern/
The Corporate Responsibility Bill (Performance of Companies and Government
Departments (Reporting) Bill) calls for the publication of social, economic, environmental
and financial data by UK companies with a £5 million plus turnover. The first reading was in
June 2002 and the second on 30 January 2004. It looks unlikely that this will now go to
Committee Stage.
Website:
www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200102/cmbills/145/2002145.pdf
www.amnesty.org.uk/business/campaigns/core/febupdate/ - update
 London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
33 Queen Street, London EC4R 1AP
2004
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The Auditing Practices Board has issued the Draft Ethical Standards for Auditors, five draft
auditing standards, which are expected to come into force on 1 September 2004.
Website:
www.accountancyfoundation.com/auditing_practices_board/index.cfm?sectionid=3&act
ion=list&pub_category=Exposure%20Drafts
The International Business Leaders Forum and the Financial Times, in association with the
United Nations Development Programmme, will publish a Special Report on 24 June 2004,
examining the role the private sector can play in development, looking at business models that
have proved successful, asking how much further they can go and assessing what changes
might be needed in order to make relationships between the public, private and non-profit
sectors work better. The FT supplement on business and development, “Business and
Development: A Financial Times special report in the context of the Millennium
Development Goals”, is expected to be distributed globally to over 1.6 million readers.
Website: www.csrforum.com/csr/csrwebassist.nsf/content/f1d2a3b4d5ab6.html
ADDITIONAL REPORTS ON CORPORATE SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY
Business and Society: Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2002
Website: http://www.societyandbusiness.gov.uk/pdf/2002_report.pdf
Companies That Count (2004)
Website: www.bitc.org.uk/docs/Companies_That_Count.pdf
CSR discussion forums
Website: www.goodcorporation.com/en/
“Encouraging Responsible Business” Business Link / Small Business Service (2001)
Website: www.sbs.gov.uk/content/pdf/sbsbrochure1.pdf
Overview “Freedom of Association and Corporate Responsibility” (abstract)
Website: www.oecd.org/dataoecd/57/62/1898226.pdf
The Business Case for Corporate Responsibility (2003)
Website: www.bitc.org.uk/docs/aurr_A4__The_Business_Case_2003.pdf
“The SME Key: Unlocking Responsible Business” is a guide about CSR specifically in
relation to Small and Mediums Sized Enterprises. The project co-ordinator is CSR Europe.
Website: www.smekey.org/uploadstore/cms/docs/SME_Key.pdf
 London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
33 Queen Street, London EC4R 1AP
2004
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SOURCES OF INFORMATION
The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 33 Queen Street, London EC4N 1AP
London Chamber’s Information Centre, European Information Centre, Customs and Trade
Procedures Section and other services, can provide information and advice on many topics,
including CSR.
London Chamber is a membership organisation, but non-members can utilise a number of its
services on a charged basis. Further details of services and activities can be found on the
website of the London Chamber of Commerce.
Tel: 020 7248 4444
Fax: 020 7489 0391
E-mail: info@londonchamber.co.uk
Website: www.londonchamber.co.uk
Business in the Community, 137 Shepherdess Walk, London N1 7RQ
Tel: 0870 600 2482
E-mail: information@bitc.org.uk
Website: www.bitc.org.uk
Cause Related Marketing Campaign, Business in the Community, 137 Shepherdess Walk,
London N1 7RQ
Tel: 020 7566 8696
Fax: 020 7253 1877
Centre for Corporate Accountability, Fourth Floor, 197/199 City Road, London EC1V 1JN
Tel: 020 7490 4494
Fax: 020 7490 7191
E-mail: info@corporateaccountability.org
Website: www.corporateaccountability.org/
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), CIPD House, Camp Road,
Wimbledon, London SW19 4UX
Tel: 020 8971 9000
Fax:020 8263 3333
Website: www.cipd.co.uk/default.cipd
CSR Europe, 78-80 Rue Defacqz, Brussels 1060, Belgium
Tel: + 32 2 541 1610
Fax: +32 2 502 8458
E-mail: info@csreurope.org
Website: www.csreurope.org/
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Nobel House, 17 Smith Square,
London SW1P 3JR
Tel: 08459 33 55 77
E-mail: helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk
Department for Work and Pensions, Correspondence Unit, Room 540, The Adelphi,
1-11 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6HT
 London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
33 Queen Street, London EC4R 1AP
2004
17
Tel: 020 7712 2171
Fax: 020 7712 2386
Website: www.dwp.gov.uk/
Department of Trade and Industry, DTI Enquiry Unit, 1 Victoria Street,
London SW1H OET
Tel: 020 7215 5000
Website: www.dti.gov.uk/
Ethical Trading Initiative, 2nd floor, Cromwell House, 14 Fulwood Place,
London WC1V 6HZ
Tel: 020 7404 1463
Fax: 020 7831 7852
E-mail: eti@eti.org.uk
Website: www.ethicaltrade.org
European Commission
E-mail: csr@cec.eu.int
Website: http://europa.eu.int/
http://europa.eu.int/comm/contact/index_en.htm - for full mailing details
Health and Safety Executive, HSE Infoline, Caerphilly Business Park, Caerphilly
CF83 3GG
Tel: 08701 545500
Fax: 02920 859260
E-mail: hseinformationservices@natbrit.com
Website: www.hse.gov.uk
Home Office, Public Enquiry Team, 7th Floor, 50 Queen Anne’s Gate,
London SW1H 9AT
Tel: 0870 000 1585
Fax: 020 7273 2065
E-mail: public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Website: www.homeoffice.gov.uk
Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA), St Nicholas House,
70 Newport, Lincoln LN1 3DP
Tel: 01522 540 069
E-mail: info@iema.net
Website: www.iema.net/
International Labour Organization, International Labour Office, 4, route des Morillons,
CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 79 96 111
Fax: +41 22 79 88 685
E-mail: ilo@ilo.org
Website: www.ilo.org/
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 2 rue André Pascal,
F-75775 Paris Cedex 16, France
Tel: +33 14 52 48 200
Website: www.oecd.org/home/
 London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
33 Queen Street, London EC4R 1AP
2004
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Small Business Service, Kingsgate House, 66-74 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6SW
Tel: 0845 001 0031
E-mail: gatewayenquiries@sbs.gsi.gov.uk
Website: www.sbs.gov.uk/
Sustainable Development Unit, Defra, 4E, 9 Millbank, c/o Nobel House, 17 Smith Square,
London SW1P 3JR
Tel: 020 7238 5811
E-mail: sdudiv@defra.gsi.gov.uk
The ESRC Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability and
Society, Cardiff University, 54 Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT
Tel: 02920 876562
Fax: 02920 876061
E-mail: PercivalA@cf.ac.uk
Website: www.brass.cf.ac.uk/HomePage.html
The Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF), 15-16 Cornwall
Terrace, Regent's Park, London NW1 4QP
Tel: 020 7467 3600
Fax: 020 7467 3610
E-mail: info@iblf.org
Website: www.iblf.org/
The Work Foundation, Peter Runge House, 3 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5DG
Tel: 0870 165 6700
Fax: 0870 165 6701
E-mail: contactcentre@theworkfoundation.com
Website: www.employersforwork-lifebalance.org.uk
World Business Council for Sustainable Development, 160 Route de Florissant, CH-1231
Conches-Geneva, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 839 3100
Fax: +41 22 839 3131
E-mail: info@wbcsd.ch
Website: www.wbcsd.ch
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Disclaimer
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this
Guide, the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry does not guarantee the accuracy of
the information contained therein and does not accept responsibility for errors, omissions or
their consequences.
 London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
33 Queen Street, London EC4R 1AP
2004