Definition

A Vision of Corporate Responsibility.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) challenges us to rethink old patterns, because it acts as a social, environmental and economic compass that points the way towards sustainable and modern corporate management. And this is not just voluntary: in Switzerland, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) expects companies based or operating here to fulfill their responsibilities in all their activities, both at home and abroad, in accordance with internationally recognized CSR frameworks and guidelines. In addition, CSR is strongly linked to the Paris Climate Agreement and to legal requirements. Their implementation, in turn, is vital for the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

CSR is the moral and ethical commitment of companies in the contemporary treatment of employees (working conditions including health protection), human rights, environment, prevention of corruption, fair competition, consumer interests, taxes, and transparency. The implementation of CSR requires the consideration of the interests of various stakeholders such as shareholders, employees, consumers, local communities and non-governmental organizations.

The Tradition of Responsibility

The concept of Corporate Responsibility is not new. Even ancient civilizations were concerned with the question of how the returns from good economic activity could benefit not just a few, but society as a whole. After similar considerations in the Middle Ages, during industrialization and in the mid-20th century, the concept of CSR was continuously modernized due to new global challenges such as environmental degradation, poverty and social inequality.

At the same time, CSR is not a process with a clearly defined deadline, such as the Paris Climate Agreement, which calls to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. CSR is, rather, a self-contained cycle of constant optimization: Targets are defined after an initial analysis, and once achieved, new goals are developed on the basis of an improved starting position.

Those who choose Corporate Social Responsibility still go further than legal requirements (compliance) dictate. You make an important contribution to sustainable development in all social, ecological and economic areas, as set out in internationally recognized reference documents on Corporate Responsibility – in particular the ILO Declaration of Principles concerning Business and Social Policy, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the UN Global Compact or ISO 26000 Social responsibility.