During transition we organized a theme night with the Amsterdam trainees on CSR. I was in a group with Henrique (former MCP Brazil) who has a great passion for this topic. We were discussing whether companies implement CSR policies out the goodness of their hearts or more profit purposes. And does it really matter what the drivers are as long as it happens? Finally we also talked about the future role of companies in the world. Is the world evolving towards a different societal model with companies taking the lead? Anyways, hopefully some food for thought.
See the current situation, based on a survey by KPMG.


Results of a survey by KPMG
Summary of major findings

1. Increase: Corporate responsibility reporting has been steadily rising since 1993 and it has increased substantially in the past three years. In 2005, 52 per cent of the Global 250 compared to 45 per cent in 2002. If annual financial reports with CR information are included, this percentage climbs to 64 per cent.

2. Type of reporting There has been a dramatic change in the type of CR reporting, which has changed from purely environmental reporting up until 1999 to sustainability (social, environmental and economic reporting), which has now become mainstream among G250 companies (70%) and is fast becoming so among N100 companies (50%).

3. Top countries At national level, the two top countries in terms of separate CR reporting are Japan (80%) and the United Kingdom (71%). The highest increases in the 16 countries in the survey are seen in Italy, Spain, Canada, France and South Africa. There have been significant decreases in Norway and Sweden.

4. Industry sectors Industrial sectors with relatively high environmental impact continue to lead in reporting. At global level (G250), more than 80 per cent of the companies are reporting in the electronics, utilities, automotive and gas sectors. But the most remarkable is the financial sector, which shows more than a two-fold increase in reporting since 2002.

5. Business drivers The survey analysed G250 reports of the Global 250 companies to determine why companies are committed to corporate responsibility and what influenced the content of the reports. It concluded that business drivers are diverse, both economic (75 per cent) and ethical (50 per cent). The top three are innovation and learning, employee motivation, and risk management and reduction.
(http://www.ameinfo.com/63633.html)