| An inclusive approach to Corporate Social Responsibility
EFQM
20 years ago Norwegian Prime Minister Brundtland chaired the UN
World Commission on Environment and Development with its
ground-breaking report Our Common Future. The UN saw it was in
the common interest of all nations to establish sustainable
development policies and the Commission’s single aim was to
address global concern about the accelerating deterioration of the
environment and natural resources and the emerging consequences
for economic and social development. The Commission also set up
the often cited definition of sustainable development: development
that meets the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs – which was
also an appeal to governments, corporations and organisations to act.
CSR Still Matters
It is easy to be disappointed about the outcomes of the last two
decades. For example, how is it that it is only very recently that
corporations around the world – with a few exceptions – have started
to realise corporate social responsibility (CSR) is neither a marketing
tool to enhance brand equity nor a method to show good corporate
citizenship, but exemplifies an inclusive perspective for an organisation on
a sound and sustainable strategy which – if executed well – benefits the
environment directly? And from the perspective of (trans)national and
local governments: diverging political interests and a lack of resources
have hampered concrete progress for too long. The required sense of
urgency has been slow in emerging, although energy and climate issues
are now climbing the corporate and decision-maker agendas rapidly,
exemplified by the recent launch of ambitious greenhouse reduction
targets both inside and outside the European Union.
EFQM, established in 1989 and initially focusing on organisational
quality improvement, has evolved into strategy and practice.
Developing and deploying CSR strategies is a core competency. We have
established an inclusive and actionable framework, based on our widely
acclaimed Excellence model, to fully deliver a sound, integrative
approach. In justifying CSR, companies are tempted to use arguments
varying from moral obligation, sustainability issues or corporate
reputation. These arguments mistakenly focus on a presumed tension
between companies and society and perceive them as separate entities
with diverging interests which is why CSR policies and practices are
often not related to a company’s strategic fundamentals.
Our comprehensive CSR agendas respond positively towards societal
trends. The interplay between company and society can be analysed
with the same tools as a competitive position is scrutinised and a
corporate strategy crafted.
EFQM teams up with local, national and European
governments and partners to address CSR issues.
Examples relating to global warming and energy
issues are the ELVA and the 3-NITY project. Two
years ago, we became involved, through
NEPAS (New Energy Performance AS),
in the IEE-funded project ELVA to establish local value chains for
renewable energy heating. We looked into how municipalities could
use the Excellence Model for developing such chains. The IEE
programme (Intelligent Energy Europe) is sponsored by the European
Commission (EC) and supports European projects focusing on
improving energy efficiency and promoting the sharing of renewable
energy sources in industry, building and transportation. The ELVA
project developed a specific methodology with the Excellence Model
ensuring continuous improvement. The project clearly demonstrated
that the Model provides added value to technology-driven projects
such as renewable energy.
EFQM and 3-NITY
The next step was EFQM’s involvement, also in partnership with
NEPAS, with 3-NITY. Funded by IEE, this is a 3-fold approach to
sustainable energy planning at local level which started early 2006
and will run until mid-2008, involving 8 European countries and up to
100 local European municipalities. The project concentrates on three
core areas: sustainable energy planning, sustainable measures and
activities and sustainable excellence.
EFQM has also facilitated the establishment of a European
Sustainable Energy Community of Practice to share knowledge, to
learn and to pioneer new ideas to engage European local authorities
in the global issue of sustainable energy management. Our
commitment to CSR and specific expertise in designing and guiding
tailored energy management tools helps communities and
organisations to deliver the best energy solutions. We undersigned a
memorandum of understanding back in 2003 with the UN’s Global
Compact, to promote good corporate citizenship through the
effective use and distribution of best practices. Since then, the
Compact’s universal principles have been integrated into our
Excellence Model. The Model is used at over 30,000 organisations in
Europe, the Middle East, South America and increasingly in the Pacific
Basin. It is based on a proven track record and seamlessly tailored to
a specific organisation’s characteristics and ambitions.
 W: www.efqm.org |
