NEWS

What is corporate social responsibility?
Corporate social responsibility is:

the responsibility of an organization for the impact of its activities on society and the environment.

This is through transparent and ethical behavior that:

- contributes to sustainable development, including health and the well-being of society

- takes into account the expectations of stakeholders

- Is in accordance with the applicable legislation and in accordance with international standards of conduct

- is integrated throughout the organization and implemented in its relationships.

The 6 core topics are

Human rights
Working Conditions
Area
Honest methods
Consumer Affairs
Involvement and development of the community

Principles
The most important actions of Corporate Social Responsibility are that companies:

• Support and respect the protection of human rights. Make sure they are not complicit in abuses in their operations and try to eliminate all forms of forced labor

• Promotion of equality and elimination of discrimination with regard to employment

• Take responsibility for all environmental impacts of the company

• Adhering to ethical business practices, including anti-corruption measures, whistle-blower mechanisms and responsible marketing.

• Extend this responsibility to their supply chain and ensure that these principles are maintained by their suppliers, partners, distributors and other third parties.

• Includes transparency and reports on the company's progress on corporate social responsibility issues.

CSR themes and criteria

EcoVadis defines the scope of corporate social responsibility and includes the following themes and criteria:

Environment Social ethics
Sustainable purchasing activities
Energy consumption & greenhouse gases
Water
Biodiversity
Local and accidental pollution
Materials, chemicals and waste
Article
Product use
Product life cycle
Health and safety of customers
Environmental services and advocacy Human Resources
Health and safety of employees
Working conditions
Social dialogue
Career management & training
Human rights
Child labor, forced labor and trafficking in human beings
Diversity, discrimination & bullying
External stakeholders human rights • Corruption
Anti-competition practices
Responsible information management
Environmental practices of suppliers
Social supplier practices

More information? Read about these criteria and the 21 indicators that are integrated in EcoVadis CSR scorecards in the comprehensive guide to the methodology applied by Lentink.