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November 26, 2002
CSR Matrix Plots Socially Responsible Business Initiatives Throughout Europe
by William Baue
A new report surveys the status of corporate social responsibility in Europe, representing CSR
initiatives graphically with a CSR Matrix.
SocialFunds.com --
The European Council Summit that convened in Lisbon, Spain in March 2000 resulted in a special
appeal to companies to take a cohesive approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR). One
outcome of this initiative was the establishment of the European Business Campaign 2005 on Corporate Social
Responsibility, whose goals are three-fold. First, the campaign is promoting a number of CSR
conferences throughout Europe to raise awareness of CSR. Second, the campaign seeks to mainstream
CSR practice, theory, and education, particularly through the efforts of the European Academy of
Business in Society. Third, the campaign plans to publish an annual report on CSR initiatives
throughout Europe.
 The Campaign Report on European CSR
Excellence 2002-2003, released last week in conjunction with CSR Europe and the Copenhagen Centre, represents the
first such annual report. CSR Europe was founded in 1996 as a result of the European Business
Declaration against Social Exclusion, and the Copenhagen Centre facilitates the establishment of
partnerships that promote social responsibility.
The value of this report derives from
its scope, documenting for the first time in one publication the diversity of CSR initiatives
happening all across Europe. The report describes these initiatives in its text, as well as
representing them graphically in a "CSR Matrix." The matrix lists national social labels, social
awards, social reporting guidelines, and voluntary codes of conduct happening in 17 countries.
Among other functions, the matrix helps to dispel a pervasive myth.
"[C]orporate social
responsibility is not, as some might have it, solely an Anglo-Saxon or northern European
phenomenon," write Niels Hojensgard and Ayo Wahlberg in the introduction. "Experiences from Italy,
Spain and Central and Eastern Europe show how corporate social responsibility is increasingly
employed to tackle specific challenges all over Europe."
In-depth profiles of the 17
nations covered help illustrate the pervasiveness of CSR initiatives throughout all of Europe. In
addition to documenting existing initiatives, the report also advocates a preferred path for the
ongoing development of CSR in Europe.
"To ensure effective progress in the future, it is
essential that the corporate social responsibility agenda remains a voluntary one, being an
integrated part of sound business strategies," writes Denmark Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen
in the report's preface.
©
SRI World Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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