Albert Heijn winnaar EKO-Award 2001

Vandaag is tijdens de uitzending van het VARA-radioprogramma ‘Vroege Vogels’ de winnaar bekend gemaakt van de EKO-Award 2001. Vrijwilligers van Milieudefensie en Greenpeace hebben de afgelopen maand in 235 supermarkten door het hele land het biologische assortiment onderzocht. De EKO-Award 2001 gaat naar twee filialen van Albert Heijn: het filiaal in Haarlem aan de Mentonpassage en de Albert Heijn in Oss aan het Sterrebos. Beide hebben 178 biologische producten in het schap. Het is voor het eerst dat Albert Heijn de prijs wint. Volgens Milieudefensie en Greenpeace gaat het de goede kant op met het aantal biologische producten in de supermarkten, maar is het assortiment nog steeds veel te klein. ... lees meer

Research Paper on Corporate Global Environmental Standards Wins Moskowitz Prize

For the first time, judges also give Honorable Mention to a paper that provides compelling evidence of no significant cost for actively managed screened portfolios. Multinationals employing the lowest environmental standards possible in their overseas operations would be considered a bad investment by social investors. Those investors would be right on the money, say the winners of this year’s Moskowitz Prize, the social investment industry’s prestigious award for outstanding research in the field of socially responsible investing. ... lees meer

Seminar duurzaamheidsverslaggeving: “Frontrunners trekken andere bedrijven mee”

Op 4 oktober werd voor de derde keer in successie een seminar georganiseerd over duurzaamheidsverslaggeving door adviesburo DHV, SNS Asset Management en de VBDO. Dit keer stonden niet de richtlijnen van het Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) centraal maar de praktijk van duurzaamheidsverslaggeving. Het publiek (circa 100 aanwezigen) bestond dan ook overwegend uit betrokkenen van (grotere) ondernemingen zoals managers communicatie, investor relations, milieu e.d. ... lees meer

Vereniging NCW publiceert publicatie Maatschappelijk ondernemen, een handreiking

De maatschappij verwacht veel van ondernemingen. Ondernemers zijn zich daar steeds meer van bewust en willen daaraan ook, voor zover dat op hun weg ligt, tegemoet komen. In het belang van hun bedrijf én de maatschappij. Dat staat in het voorwoord van Maatschappelijk ondernemen, een handreiking, een gemeenschappelijke publicatie van de Vereniging NCW, Centrum voor maatschappij betrokken management van de Vereniging VNO-NCW, en de Algemene Werkgeversvereniging VNO-NCW. Op 21 september bood NCW-voorzitter mr. Jacques Schraven – samen met AWVN-voorzitter Bernard Wientjes – het eerste exemplaar aan aan dr. Herman Wijffels, voorzitter van de Sociaal Economisch Raad. ... lees meer

Social, ‘Green’ Responsibility are key to sustainable development, says World Bank

World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn appealed to business leaders to further expand their notions of corporate responsibility beyond earnings to encompass obligations to society at large, especially in developing countries. Corporate sustainability today includes recognition of the leadership role that the private sector must take in ensuring social progress, improved equity, higher living standards, and stewardship for the environment, Wolfensohn said yesterday in a World Bank-sponsored workshop. Corporate responsibility is not philanthropy-it is good business, he said. ... lees meer

UK study: “-Green companies sell themselves short in the city”

Listed companies that are leading the way with their environmental and social policies are selling themselves and their shareholders short by failing to make the case to the City, according to research published by Business in the Environment (BiE). When asked to name spontaneously the most important factors to take into account when judging companies, 13% of companies’ own investor relations managers (IRMs) deemed environmental and social issues important – but only 3% of analysts, 4% of institutional investors and 3% of financial journalists. ... lees meer

OECD Report: “Corporate Responsibility: Private Initiatives and Public Goals”

Private initiatives for corporate responsibility have been a major development in international management over the last twenty years. The initiatives include issuance of codes of business conduct, implementation of management systems and broader efforts to improve business accountability. Yet, there is little agreement about what these initiatives mean or how effective they are. The OECD project on corporate responsibility seeks to shed light on various aspects of the corporate responsibility movement: What are firms and business associations doing? How have governments influenced the initiatives? What contributions, if any, have these initiatives made to improving the business sector’s ability to comply with law and regulation and to respond to broader societal expectations? ... lees meer

Companies rise to city’s challenge on CSR

A conference organised by Business in the Environment (BiE), the business-led campaign for corporate environmental responsibility, on 2 October gave clear guidance to companies on how to -bridge the gap’ between investment in environmental and social responsibility, and the value attributed to this by shareholders. The conference followed research published in May which showed that although companies’ investor relations managers believed they were communicating effectively on these issues, investors did not agree. ... lees meer