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A recent survey by IBM has revealed that 50% of respondents rate the way in which businesses convey their sustainability policies as 'bad' or 'very bad', with only 5% rating 'well' or 'very well'. This seems to be a prevalent problem for many organisations that are striving to implement sustainability policies, but are failing to communicate these effectively to their stakeholders by offering sufficient proof of best practice. As we often say at IMS, 'if you do something and don't tell anyone, you didn't do it'. Given the number of dynamic online communication tools available to businesses, it's a wonder so many choose to remain silent.
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Tuesday, 07 September 2010 09:24
Social media and the future of CSR reportingWritten by Richard WestawayThe past week has seen a flurry of activity in the CSR world, as commentators and websites react to a story in the Wall Street Journal that put forward "The case against Corporate Social Responsibility". The article's author, Aneel Karnani, contends that CSR as a concept is flawed as in most cases, doing what's best for society means sacrificing profits. He argues that executives are hired to maximize profits, and that even if executives wanted to forgo some profit to benefit society, they could expect to lose their jobs if they tried—and be replaced by managers who would restore profit as the top priority. In other words, "the movement for corporate social responsibility is in direct opposition, in such cases, to the movement for better corporate governance, which demands that managers fulfill their fiduciary duty to act in the shareholders' interest or be relieved of their responsibilities". That, Aneel suggests, is one reason so many companies talk a great deal about social responsibility but do nothing—a tactic known as greenwashing. Plenty of commentators in the CSR community have responded to this article, and have stood up to defend the role of, and need for, CSR. But perhaps one of the most interesting reactions came from Fabian Pattberg, who reckons the debate has highlighted how social media is vital for the future of CSR. Platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook need to be used to support the next phase of CSR, allowing and encouraging more people to join in and share their ideas, examples and experiences, to make CSR the business norm. This is an interesting idea, and one that we frequently see the need for at IMS. Plenty of companies are doing very good work on sustainability and corporate responsibility, but many of them are not communicating what they are doing. More effective communication would not only benefit the companies involved in terms of receiving credit (and an enhanced reputation) for what they have already done, but it would allow these same companies to develop their CSR strategies in directions which better meets the needs of their stakeholders. The use of social media, and online communications more generally, would help make this link, and allow companies to interact and collaborate with its stakeholders in innovative ways not seen before.
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Hopes for a greener government will be dashed this month, according to an article published yesterday, as funding for the £20bn 10-mile tidal barrage across the Severn estuary is axed. Without government funding, the private sector is unlikely to back what would be the world's largest tidal energy project. In a report to be published this month, ministers will recommend that feasibility studies are carried out on one of four smaller projects costing £3bn, but with no guarantee that the selected option will go ahead, the outlook is bleak. Doug Parr of Greenpeace said: "Without the right leadership and investment, this will not be the greenest government ever. And there's no way we'll see a sustainable low-carbon economy without the necessary support for our renewable industry. Other clean energy projects must not face the same axe as the Severn barrage."
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Today it has been announced that the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) will be extending its jurisdiction to cover online sources – meaning online marketing and advertising will be subjected to the same regulation as offline media. Popular sites such as Facebook and Twitter will now be regulated; with advertising content falling under the policy but editorial content exempt, to preserve freedom of speech. This is a welcome and long overdue move, with many companies previously getting away with false or misleading claims in their online promotions (one particular area of contention has always been the internet bandwidth speeds advertised by some ISPs). This step by the ASA should help consumers feel more confident and comfortable about online marketing, adding strength and credibility to an already booming medium. For more information see the ASA’s website
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Wednesday, 25 August 2010 07:50
British Gas schemes encourage use of solar powerWritten by Erika RoshdiAs next month's Sustainable Business Breakfast focusing on Feed-in Tariffs approaches, the Guardian's published an interesting article today about two schemes launched by British Gas to encourage customers to make use of solar power to take advantage of Feed-in Tariffs and savings on their electricity bills. Chetan Lad, Policy Manager at British Gas New Energy, will be leading the discussion at the next SBB and will no doubt touch upon British Gas' efforts in this area.
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Despite the fast approaching deadline for registration to the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme (30th September), a recent survey commissioned by the Carbon Trust Standard has revealed that many of the 200 large companies involved in the survey do not yet know their carbon footprints. A high number of respondents also acknowledged that their companies do not have publicly disclosed carbon reduction targets. Read the Guardian's report here. There is a very interesting article in the Guardian today about the carbon footprint of the internet. Well worth a read... What's the carbon footprint of the internet? Incidentally, the piece is co-written by Mike Berners-Lee – no relation to the father of the internet, Tim! A recent study published by the Environment Agency has indicated that using water recycling technologies such as greywater harvesting systems can result in a carbon emission increase of up to 40%. Whilst these types of technologies save water they often use much more energy through treating and pumping, in comparison to the energy used to prepare and transport tap water.
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The UK Green Building Council has published an independent report which contains a number of recommendations on the future of BREEAM, after a recent consultation with its members. BRE Global has supported the consultation process and has committed to consider and respond to the points raised by the UK-GBC. Click for full story.
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A friend invited me to spend a couple of days crewing for him at Cowes Week (last week). It was good to be out on the water, harnessing the power of free wind energy – and posting some very respectable results as well. When I got back on dry land I had a quick look through the event programme. Team Origin, the UK challengers for the America’s Cup, were there, taking part in a one-off series for the 1851 Cup - named after the year the first race took place between British and American yachts. Who do you think might be sponsoring our America’s Cup efforts? A bank – no, a sailmaker – no. You’d probably have to keep guessing a long time before thinking of: - The Carbon Trust. I love sailing, and would encourage any company to look at sponsorship. But The Carbon Trust? The association between a low carbon economy and match racing is slightly lost on me. Can someone please explain?
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