Second BSR Report Lays Out Impacts, Goals for a 'Reset' World

Published July 08, 2009

The current economic and environmental climate offers a host of challenges to businesses of all types, but perhaps none more so than organizations like Business for Social Responsibility, dedicated to the growth of socially and environmentally beneficial corporations.

With the publication of its second annual report, BSR has laid out those challenges, but also focuses on the organization's impacts in the past year, and its goals for the next.

"This Report arrives in a world that looks very different than it did one year ago," BSR president and CEO Aron Cramer writes in the introduction to the report. "Business is facing a trio of crises: the sharp global recession; increasing evidence of natural resource constraints, especially related to accelerating climate change; and the loss of trust in the private sector. These developments reinforce the importance of innovative, sustainable business practices that lead the transition to a low-carbon economy, promote economic development, and rebuild trust in business."

In attempting to overcome those obstacles, the BSR report lays out five goals for the future:

• Develop business strategies based on long-term trends.
• Innovate for sustainability and value.
• Think big -- develop systemic answers.
• Refocus on partnerships with governments.
• Rebuild trust.

But as is fitting for an organization dedicated to working with businesses to improve their performance, the meat of the report comes in the form of case studies and situations where BSR has shaped a business or region for the better.

Among the notable examples is BSR's assessment of Archer Daniels Midland's supply chain, which included an analysis of the sustainability impacts and growing practices for corn, palm oil and soy in Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia and the United States. As a result of the assessment, ADM has begun hiring people local to each region with sustainability expertise, with the goals of reducing deforestation, improving working conditions, and advancing growing practices.

When Visa launched its IPO in March 2008, the company worked with BSR to develop its comprehensive sustainability strategy, which Visa labeled as "inclusive economic growth." BSR also helped the company identify short- and long-term goals and action plans to achieve those goals.

Beyond its work with individual companies, BSR also partnered with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) on the Better Work project, which aims to improve working conditions in global supply chains while also increasing economic competitiveness for national industries. With assistance from BSR, the number of international buyers in the project doubled, and led to verified improvements in working conditions across the apparel industry and the creation of tens of thousands of new jobs.

More details about the report are available from BSR.org.

Photo CC-licensed by Flickr user elbfoto.

'Organic' Certification Expands in Canada but is Criticized in the U.S. While Canada unveils its own certification system, the U.S.'s label is criticized by consumers....	Cisco: Here's why the Smart Grid Will Dwarf the Internet Recently a Cisco official was quoted as saying that the Smart Grid will be 1,000 times as large as the Internet. That quote, says the Cisco official, was inaccurate -- but she has plenty of good reasons why the Smart Grid will dwarf the Internet....
EcoLogo to Develop Environmental Standard for Toys The EcoLogo Program, which has so far created more than 120 standards covering a wide array of products, has started working on an environmental standard for toys....	Climate Savers: Global Climate Treaty Good for Business Nike, Nokia, HP and 16 other multinational companies launched a campaign this week to nudge world leaders toward agreement of a global climate change treaty by late 2009. The Let the Clean Economy Begin campaign was unveiled as the G8 leaders convene in Italy to discuss climate change and the U.S. Senate begins hearings on climate change legislation....
DesignIntelligence Names Sustainability Role Models Pioneer in cradle-to-cradle benchmarking William McDonough, Rocky Mountain Institute Cofounder, Chairman and Chief Scientist Amory Lovins, U.S. President Barack Obama, global architectural firm HOK, Turner Construction Co. and modular carpet manufacturer Interface Inc. are among the role models named this year by the DesignIntelligence Sustainable Design Survey....	Efficiency, Renewables and Trees Vital to Global Climate Goals A new Climate Group report predicts that scaling up energy efficiency, renewable energy and deforestation prevention can deliver 70 percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions cuts needed by 2020....
IBM Reports Progress Toward CSR Goals IBM made strides in reducing energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, material sent to landfill and hazardous waste, according to the company's latest corporate responsibility report....	Electric Vehicle Roundup: Best Buy and McDonald's Electric vehicles are getting a boost from two major retailers: Best Buy has announced that it will be selling a range of plug-in transport options, and McDonald's has launched an EV charging station test at one of its North Carolina franchises....

Alternative content

Second BSR Report Lays Out Impacts, Goals for a 'Reset' World

Register for GreenBiz Events

Alternative content

News

Second BSR Report Lays Out Impacts, Goals for a 'Reset' World

Register for GreenBiz Events