Your Business Sustainability Partner

Social Responsibility

 
  1. Social responsibility has the organization as its focusand concens an organization's responsibilities to society and the environment. 
  2. An over arching objective of an organization's social responsibility be to contribute to sustainable development

 

7  Principles of Social Responsibility
 
  1. Accountability
  2. Transparency
  3. Ethical Behaviour
  4. Respect for stakeholder interests
  5. Respect for the rule of law
  6. Respect for international norms of behaviour
  7. Respect for human rights
 
Accountability
The board should present a balanced and understandable assessment of the company’s position and prospects;
The board is responsible for determining the nature and extent of the significant risks it is willing to take;
The board should maintain sound risk management and internal control systems;
The board should establish formal and transparent arrangements for corporate reporting and risk management and for maintaining an appropriate relationship with the company’s auditor, and
The board should communicate with stakeholders at regular intervals, a fair, balanced and understandable assessment of how the company is achieving its business purpose.
  1. The board should present a balanced and understandable assessment of the company’s position and prospects;
  2. The board is responsible for determining the nature and extent of the significant risks it is willing to take;
  3. The board should maintain sound risk management and internal control systems;
  4. The board should establish formal and transparent arrangements for corporate reporting and risk management and for maintaining an appropriate relationship with the company’s auditor, and
  5. The board should communicate with stakeholders at regular intervals, a fair, balanced and understandable assessment of how the company is achieving its business purpose.

 

The Board of Directors are given authority to act on behalf of the company. They should therefore accept full responsibility for the powers that it is given and the authority that it exercises. 
 
 
The Board of Directors are responsible for overseeing the management of the business, affairs of the company, appointing the chief executive and monitoring the performance of the company. In doing so, it is required to act in the best interests of the company.
 
 
 
 
Accountability goes hand in hand with responsibility. The Board of Directors should be made accountable to the shareholders for the way in which the company has carried out its responsibilities.
 
 
Transparency
 
 Transperancy means : reports material facts in real time, stakeholders will have more confidence in the management. Consequently, they will be more willing to invest in the company, thereby reducing the cost of capital. 
 
Transparency also helps those in charge to avoid fraud and put measures in place against it.  
 
Principle of good governance is that stakeholders should be informed about the company’s activities, what it plans to do in the future and any risks involved in its business strategies.
 
Transparency means openness, a willingness by the company to provide clear information to shareholders and other stakeholders. For example, transparency refers to the openness and willingness to disclose financial performance figures which are truthful and accurate.
 
Disclosure of material matters concerning the organisation’s performance and activities should be timely and accurate to ensure that all investors have access to clear, factual information which accurately reflects the financial, social and environmental position of the organisation. Organisations should clarify and make publicly known the roles and responsibilities of the board and management to provide shareholders with a level of accountability.
 
Transparency ensures that stakeholders can have confidence in the decision-making and management processes of a company.
 

Ethical Behaviour

 
Ethical behavior tends to be good for business and involves demonstrating respect for key moral principles that include honesty, fairness, equality, dignity, diversity and individual rights. If a business always runs with ethical behavior then it shouldn't ever have any big legal problems to worry about.
  • Show respect for people
  • Tell the truth
  • First, do no harm
  • Practice participation
  • Always act when you have the responsibility to do so
  • Obey the law

Respect for stakeholder interests

 
  • Identify opportunities for engagement and ensure the level of engagement is proportionate to the nature of the protection issues and their context. 
  • Initiate the process as early as possible, and develop a sustainable implementation plan
  • Enable an open, inclusive and transparent stakeholder engagement process
  • Seek out and involve relevant stakeholders and experts
  • Ensure that the roles and responsibilities of all participants, and the rules for cooperation are clearly defined 
  • Collectively develop objectives for the stakeholder engagement process, based on a shared understanding of issues and boundaries
  • Develop a culture which values a shared language and understanding, and favours collective learning
  • Respect and value the expression of different perspectives
  • Ensure a regular feedback mechanism is in place to inform and improve current and future stakeholder engagement processes. 
  • Apply the Code of Ethics in their actions within these processes to the best of their knowledge.
 

Respect for rule of law

 
  • Equality before law
  • Checks and balances on the use of Power by individuals and Government
  • Right to silence
  • Presumption of innocence
  • Fair trial & indepenndence of the Judiciary
  • Right to assemble
  • Democracy through formal legal process
  • Access to justice
  • Freedom of speech / Media
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Respect for international norms of behaviour

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  • In situations where the law or its implementation does not provide for adequate environmental or social safeguards, and organization should strive to respect , as a minimum , international norms of behavior  .
  • In countries where the law or its implementation conflicts with international norms of behavior ,an organization should strive to respect ,such norms to the greatest extent possible.
  • In situations where the law or its implementation is in conflict with international norms of behavior and where not following these norms would have significant consequences, an organization should ,as feasible and appropriate ,review the nature of its relationships and activities within that jurisdiction.
  • An organization should consider legitimate opportunities and channels to seek to influence relevant organizations and authorities to remedy any such conflict .
  • An organization should avoid being complicit in the activities of another organization that are not consistent with international norms of behavior.
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Respect for human rights

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  • Business enterprises should respect human rights. This means that they should avoid infringing on the human rights of others and should address adverse human rights impacts with which they are involved.
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  • The responsibility of business enterprises to respect human rights refers to internationally recognized human rights—understood, at a minimum, as those expressed in the International Bill of Human Rights and the principles concerning fundamental rights set out in the International Labour Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
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Social Responsibility at the least, must bench mark the following
Millinium Development Goal (2000 - 2015) Sustainability Development Goal (2016-2030) 
Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger  1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere 
Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education  2. End hunger, achieve food security and adequate nutrition for all, and promote sustainable agriculture 
Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women  3. Attain healthy life for all at all ages 
Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality  4. Provide equitable and inclusive quality education and life-long learning opportunities for all 
Goal 5: Improve Maternal Health  5. Attain gender equality, empower women and girls everywhere 
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and TB  6. Secure water and sanitation for all for a sustainable world 
Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability  7. Ensure access to affordable, sustainable, and reliable modern energy services for all 
Goal 8: Develop Global Partnership for Development 8. Promote strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth and decent work for all 
  9. Promote sustainable industrialization 
  10. Reduce inequality within and among countries 
  11. Build inclusive, safe and sustainable cities and human settlements 
  12. Promote sustainable consumption and production patterns 
  13. Promote actions at all levels to address climate change 
  14. Attain conservation and sustainable use of marine resources, oceans and seas 
  15. Protect and restore terrestrial ecosystems and halt all biodiversity loss 
  16. Achieve peaceful and inclusive societies, rule of law, effective and capable institutions 
  17. Strengthen and enhance the means of implementation and global partnership for sustainable development
8 Goals, 21 targets and 60 indicators  
MDG Report India 2015 SDG Goals : Source ILO

 

Guidance Materials for Social Responsibility

 

Systems approach for Social responsibility

  1. ISO 14000 Family - Environmental Management
  2. ISO 9000 Family - Quality Management
  3.  ISO 45001 - Health and sfaety management system 
  4. ISO 20400 - Sustainable procurement
  5.  ISO 37001 - Anti-bribery management system 

Tools & Techniques for Social Responsibility 

There can not be one single comprehensive list of tools & techniques needed to adress social responsibility. But an attempt has been made here to provide a guide in selecting Tools & Techniques appropriate for the needs in Stake holder engagement, Identifcation off issues, standards codes and practices and reporting
                        Plan                           Do                            Check Act
  planning Control Improvement
  Tools & Techniques
Policy planning      
Management System Planning Hazard Identification / Risk Assessment ALARP Principle test  
Labour Practices and decent work      
Human rights      
Society      
Product Responsibility      
Stakeholder Awareness Sustainability Reporting  Verification of Report Report and track indicators
 

Energy Star:
A joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy that offers guidelines, tools, expert help, a recognition program and information on energy efficiency. A great starting place for anyone with energy-related questions.

European Ecolabel:
The highest environmental certification available from the European Union. A voluntary scheme designed to encourage businesses to market products and services that are friendly to the environment. Its highly recognized flower symbol allows European consumers to easily identify which products have been certified. The European Eco-label is part of a broader strategy to promote sustainable consumption and production.

Fair Trade Certified,
TransFair USA developed a certification process to assure consumers that strict economic, social and environmental criteria were met in the production and trade of certain agricultural products. Fair Trade Certification is available in the U.S. for coffee, tea, herbs, cocoa, chocolate, fresh fruit, flowers, sugar, rice and vanilla. TransFair USA licenses companies to display the Fair Trade Certified label on products that meet strict international Fair Trade standards. Its principles relate to fair prices, labor conditions, direct trade, transparency in financial investments, community development and environmental sustainability.

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI): 

Considered one of the most important developments in the arena of social audits, the Global Reporting Initiative aims to make reporting on economic, environmental and social performance--sustainability reporting--by all organizations in every sector worldwide as routine and comparable as financial reporting. The GRI Reporting Framework is increasingly recognized as the de facto global standard in sustainability reporting, in large part because it “seeks to reduce confusion [and] harmonize rules of disclosure as much as possible.” 

Green Globe 21:
A popular international environmental certification and benchmarking program specifically for the travel and tourism industry. Green Globes environmental reports demonstrate responsible behavior across the triple bottom line of economic, social and environmental management. Formerly a membership program where signatories simply committed to make themselves more environmentally sustainable, membership now requires third-party verification and is subject to international performance benchmarking. It also offers a certification program.

ISO Standard 14000--Environmental Management Systems:
A systems approach to environmental management that identifies an organization’s efforts and performance toward minimizing environmental harm. A framework of standards used by hundreds of organizations worldwide. Developed by the International Organization for Standardization.

ISO Standard 24000--Social Responsibility:
The International Organization for Standardization is developing an international standard of voluntary guidelines for social responsibility. Publication date: 2008. Because it is voluntary, it won’t be a certification standard.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED):
Run by the Green Building Council, the LEED Green Building Rating System “is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.”

Marine Stewardship Council:
Promotes sustainable fisheries and certifies products as being from sustainable fisheries. The MSC “works to safeguard the world’s seafood supply by promoting the best environmental choice.” The site teaches consumers and business owners about fish, the council’s role in their future and ways to protect ocean resources. WalMart is one of its major partners.

Principles for Responsible Investment:
Created by the United Nations Environment Program Finance Initiative and the UN Global Compact. A framework that helps institutional investors achieve better long-term investment returns and sustainable markets through improved analysis of environmental, social and governance issues in investment process and the exercise of responsible ownership practices. For a list of signatories, visit www.unpri.org/signatories.

Forest Stewardship Council:
Created in 1993 to move forward discussions and practices related to sustainable forestry worldwide. The council “sets forth principles, criteria and standards that span economic, social and environmental concerns. One of the best-known global systems for guiding forest management toward sustainable outcomes. 57 countries current apply FSC standards for forest management.

United Nations Global Compact:
A voluntary, non-bureaucratic initiative of the United Nations designed to stimulate change, promote good corporate citizenship, and encourage innovative solutions and partnerships through the power of collective action. Its 10 principles are followed by more than 4,000 corporations, NGOs and other entities worldwide. 

Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International (FLO) coordinates Fairtrade labeling at an international level. Its standards are designed to tackle poverty and empower producers in the world’s poorest countries. FLO also helps producers to gain Fairtrade certification and develop market opportunities. Locally based Liaison Officers provide training, guidance on certification and facilitate relationships with buyers. FLO’s member organizations around the world produce or promote Fairtrade products. They developed the Fairtrade labeling model and are responsible for decision making within FLO. The Fairtrade certification system is run by a separate company called FLO--‐CERT. By checking compliance with Fairtrade standards, FLO--‐CERT ensures that relevant social and environmental standards are met and that producers receive a fair price. 

 

 
The IOAS is an independent, non‐profit organisation that is committed to cultivating integrity and trust across the organic community. It does this
primarily by providing accreditation and assessment services to certification bodies working in organic agriculture. It currently works as the sole provider
of accreditation against IFOAM Norms and is heavily engaged in working in collaboration with regulators of the organic trade on international and national levels. Since 2005 the IOAS also provides a training service relevant to government authorities, accreditation bodies and certification bodies working in
the field of conformity assessment of organic agriculture.
 
 
The Rainforest Alliance is an NGO working to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-­‐use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. The Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) promotes efficient and productive agriculture, biodiversity conservation and sustainable community development by creating social and environmental standards. The Rainforest Alliance promotes standards developed by the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) for sustainability that conserve wildlife and wildlands and ensure the well-­‐being of workers and their communities. Farms that meet the criteria of the Sustainable Agriculture Network earn the right to use the Rainforest Alliance CertifiedTM seal. 
 
The Rainforest Alliance and the SAN are joint owners of the Rainforest Alliance Certified system.
 
 
 
Social Accountability Accreditation Services (SAAS) supports social responsibility by ensuring the implementation of credible social standards designed to protect people and their communities. SAASevaluates and accredits auditing organisations to assure they are qualified to hold their clients accountable to such social standards. SAAS is the only global accreditation body whose mission is to support implementation of social and labour standards. SAAS supports labour rights and the improvement of workplace environments through social responsibility, accountability and transparency of businesses and organizations. This is accomplished by ensuring the implementation of credible social standards and codes of conduct by providing quality assurance and evaluation services designed assess competency of auditors. SAAS sets strict standards and oversight procedures, evaluating and accrediting auditing organisations to assure they are qualified to hold their clients accountable to social standards like SA8000. SAAS operates a quality system consistent with the requirements of ISO / IEC Guide 17011. This system includes regular review and external audits.
 
 
Social Accountability International (SAI) is a global, multi-­‐stakeholder non-­‐profit organisation dedicated to improving workplaces and communities. SAI works to improve working conditions through the expansion and further development of its SA 8000 standard, a voluntary social standard for decent working conditions based on international human rights and labour conventions. SAI offers training in SA8000 and other workplace standards to managers, workers and auditors. It contracts with a global accreditation agency, Social Accountability Accreditation Services (SAAS) that licenses and oversees auditing organizations to award certification to employers that comply with SA8000.
 
 
The Union for Ethical BioTrade is a not-for-profit association that promotes the "Sourcing with Respect" of ingredients that come from native biodiversity. Members commit to gradually ensuring that their sourcing practices promote the conservation of biodiversity, respect traditional knowledge and assure the equitable sharing of benefits all along the supply chain. Its standards reflect the goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the Millennium Development Goals. The "ethical sourcing of biodiversity" refers to practices that promote the sustainable use of natural ingredients derived from flora and fauna that naturally occur in the sourcing area.
 
 
Farms and cooperatives use UTZ certification to prove that they grow their coffee, tea or cocoa professionally and with care for their local communities and the environment. Producers comply with the UTZ CERTIFIED Code of Conduct, which sets criteria for efficient farm management and socially and environmentally responsible production of coffee, cocoa and tea. UTZ CERTIFIED’s training on good agricultural and business practices enables producers to reduce costs and increase yields without compromising the environment or the people involved. Producers are inspected annually by independent auditors to ensure compliance with the Code of Conduct. UTZ CERTIFIED offers online real-­‐time traceability providing brands and retailers with a tool to incorporate and credibly demonstrate responsible sourcing practices.

 

Gender Equality

 

Here are 19 quotes on gender parity from Davos 2015

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E-Qual receives appreciation from TI Group

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E-Qual receives appreciation from  Mahindra & Mahindra

for knowledge support in implementing Energy Management System to ISO 50001: 2018 

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"We are extremely delighted to have your consultancy for the successful completion of the process

 

Thank You for all your support and guidance"

 

Regards,

 

MRV Infra Management

E-Qual receives appreciation from Salcomp

We are extremely appreciative of the efforts of Management Consultants  E-Qual. 
 
As implementing partner of Assist, they developed skills,  20 QEHS Champions (Quality, Environmental, Health and Safety ) in our supply chain and bringingout  an excellent QEHS implementation handbook for continued guidance in their day to day implimentation
 
Managing Director

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