“The key results of this survey of sustainability business professionals are that corporate social responsibility (CSR) has a high profile inside their companies, that 72% of the survey responders stated that their CEO publicly communicates their company’s commitment to CSR, 47% believe they have the resources needed to achieve their CSR goals and 94% expect environmental, health and safety (EHS) and CSR to have more impact on business strategy over the next five years,” said Robert Accarino, Global Director Environmental Affairs, Abbott, and Chair of GEMI’s Benchmarking Committee. “The survey also points to questions in the minds of these professionals that require further exploration like how effective sustainability reporting is, and how well companies are building sustainability into their overall brand footprint,” Accarino continued.
“The survey provides important, new information about the context in which sustainability professionals operate, and the growing momentum we see to connect a company’s corporate social responsibility efforts to overall business strategies,” said Eric Olson, Vice President, Advisory Services at BSR. “Our work with GEMI provides an insider’s view from professionals who are building stronger businesses by working for a more just and sustainable world,” Olson continued.
The focus of the survey was on different aspects of EHS and CSR program management. The respondents, 54 sustainability professionals who are members of GEMI and/or BSR, came from a broad range of business sectors with consumer product companies representing the largest single business sector completing the survey (35%). Most respondents (89%) were from companies that were headquartered in North America. Annual sales of those companies participating in the survey ranged from $2 million to $95 billion, with an average (mean) of $21 billion. The majority of the respondents (77%) were from BSR member companies and almost half (46%) were GEMI companies. Almost one-quarter (23%) were both GEMI and BSR members.
“Not only does the survey reveal that is there strong senior management commitment to and in support of CSR, but companies are well down the road in implementing specific actions to advance the CSR agenda, including integrating environmental and social considerations into product design and procurement processes, and collaborating with external stakeholders, such as NGOs,” adds Accarino.