CorpComms Magazine

Business leaders remain focused on sustainability in spite of economic uncertainty, reveals a new study.

Four out of five business leaders are optimistic that CSR and sustainability strategies will form part of their core strategy over the next five years.

More than nine out of ten firms plan to maintain or increase their CSR and sustainability budgets over the coming year and seven out of ten intend to raise the budget for sustainability communications as well, though the projected number of staff in the discipline and investment in some CSR engagement activities have plateaued, according to the State of Sustainable Business Poll 2010 conducted by market researchers GlobeScan on behalf of CSR consultancy Business for Social Responsibility (BSR).

Companies are sceptical as to the amount of trust the public has in the private sector, and are looking to CSR and sustainability programmes both to build public trust and demonstrate leadership. The most important action for building trust was identified as demonstrating 'positive social and environmental impacts'. Creating innovative products and business models for sustainability was considered the best demonstration of corporate leadership. 

Consumer and retail industries were considered by far the most responsible by their peers, with food, beverage and agriculture following in a fairly distant second place. Media and entertainment was rated the least responsible sector.  

Workers' rights and human rights may dominate next year's CSR agenda, selected by three in ten business leaders as 'very significant' priorities, ranking above climate change and sustainable consumption. 

However climate change remains the longer-term focus, identified as a 'significant' priority by the greatest number of business leaders (three out of five). 

Businesses are alert to potential CSR crises, with most believing the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill to be the most significant CSR/sustainability development in the past year, receiving more than double the mentions of any other. Even the positive development of the CSR discipline itself and increased attention to sustainability issues over the past year were heavily overshadowed by the ecological disaster.

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