Last month 70 global companies and 27 European business associations, all members of CSR Europe, got together in Brussels to launch Enterprise 2020 – an initiative designed to shape the business contribution to the European Union’s Europe 2020 strategy for sustainable growth.
It listed a number of challenges to be addressed – such things as healthier lifestyles in the workplace – but top of the list came “How can companies embed sustainability into their global supply chains”.
Launching the initiative, Harry van Dorenmalen, chairman of IBM Europe, said: “The world in 2020 will be very different. Global markets, demographic change, scarcity of natural resources, the acceleration of technology will all challenge enterprises to create new solutions that contribute to social as well as economic progress. This is an opportunity. By collaborating across business, government and other partners we can make real progress in creating a sustainable future.”
The initiative has four themes:
* Transforming markets – towards sustainable internal and external markets
* Inclusive societies – people development and social inclusion
* Health and wellbeing – improving quality of life
* Transparency for trust – measuring and communicating ESG (environmental, social and governance) performance
As part of the initiative, CSR Europe has produced a Catalogue of company initiatives and collaborative ventures featuring a collaborative project “managing sustainable supply chains” led by HP, L’Oréal, Titan, and Volkswagen.
The aim, it says, is to “re-examine the complex supply chains that now span the globe, extending to thousands of companies and their workers, and presenting numerous potential environmental, social and health and safety risks”.
Expect to hear more from CSR Europe on supply chain sustainability. In the meantime you can find more details of the Enterprise 2020 initiative at: www.csreurope.org
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