Corporate Sustainability

Corporate social responsibility (CSR), or corporate sustainability, is being given an increasingly prominent role within both commercial companies and governments. Many organisations, in the Netherlands and abroad, have already developed CSR policies.

In our view, CSR is not a hype but a long-term vision – not just for reasons of sustainability but also for the sake of profit. CSR creates innovation, with new market opportunities and new jobs. Moreover, stakeholders – ranging from clients and suppliers to consumers – are increasingly demanding sustainable policies. This demand is appearing more and more in tenders and budget proposals, too. Take, for instance, the Dutch government, which as of 2010 will demand sustainability from its suppliers. These and other examples show that CSR is not an obstacle to healthy financial operations, but rather an incentive.

The Triple Bottom Line, or 3P (People, Planet, Profit), is part of this same movement. Here, People refers to respectful social policies, Planet to sustainability, and Profit to a healthy financial policy. Together, these terms represent a sustainable corporate operation. Counteracting climate change is a logical part of this.

You can take more measures than you might think!