Belgian Deputy Prime
Minister Steven Vanackere (who is also Finance and
Sustainable Development Minister) told the eager crowd waiting to hear who had
won the Best Belgian Sustainability Report Award that
there is a clear business case for CSR and smart regulation and that the
Belgian government considers it to be extremely important for companies to
act.
Having left the
Belgian Ambassador in charge of the Ecofin Council to pop out to do the honours
of opening the envelopes and presenting the awards, Minister
Vanackere congratulated all the participants as he said said they had
understood the importance of sustainable development in their business
strategy.
He likened sustainable
development to politics in that they are both about working for the greater
good and acting as a society rather than individuals. Vanackere said it's
not a coincidence that companies are integrating sustainability criteria
into business strategy.
He warned against
using CSR as a marketing tool saying that the consumer is informed and prefers
to buy from companies that are seen as ethical. They want to buy
from companies they trust and who respect human rights and the
environment. The consumer also plays a role in the motivation of the
people who work in these companies, he said.
To some extent,
politicians can impose CSR through regulation, for example in health and
environment policy areas but Vanackere stressed that there are limits to what
can be done with regulation.
"Real CSR is an
attitude", he said, "it's more than regulation." There's
authenticity behind real CSR, he said. It's not about just conforming to
the letter of the law but taking care of the social contracts which
underpin it, he said. Certainly, our approach to sustainability is about
going beyond regulation and making a positive contribution. It's reassuring
to hear these messages from a politician.
Vanackere urged the
Belgian sustainability community to work together with policymakers and other
stakeholders. For more on the Award winners, keep an eye on our blog.
Blog by Kathryn
Sheridan
No comments:
Post a Comment