A report published annually by the Responsible Business Forum “Responsible business in Poland. Good practices” is the largest review of CSR and sustainable development initiatives in Poland. In the 20th edition, 1677 actions taken by 283 companies were presented. The analysis of reported initiatives shows, among others: growing social expectations regarding the responsibility of business for its impact on the environment. Among them, there were 8 practices reported by companies from the Eiffage group.
Business Report in Poland
The premiere of the Report “Responsible Business in Poland 2020. Good Practices” took place on May 25 as part of the conference part of the 9th CSR Fair at EXPO XXI in Warsaw. The CSR Fair is the largest event in Poland devoted to corporate social responsibility, organized every two years by the Responsible Business Forum. The event aims to present the activities and practices of socially responsible companies and to discuss the most important socio-economic trends and challenges. The report “Responsible Business in Poland. Good practices” is the most important cyclical publication of the Responsible Business Forum, published since 2002. It is a review of the activities of companies that reported their CSR activities and summarizes the most important issues related to responsible business in a given year in Poland. The introductory part contains articles and comments by experts. A permanent element of the publication is also a review of selected press articles and a calendar of events related to CSR.
A record number of companies
In the jubilee edition of the report, the Responsible Business Forum introduced several changes. It was decided not to adopt practices that concerned strictly action-oriented activities and were not related to activities at the strategic level or did not have the value of innovation. In addition, as in the previous year, the organizers set a limit of ten new practices submitted by one company. This time, the restriction also applied to long-term practices. These changes were aimed at encouraging companies to report CSR activities that bring new quality to the report.
Ultimately, the publication presents 1,677 good practices reported by almost 300 organizations. This is an increase of approx. 25%. compared to last year and a record in the history of the publishing house. Even greater dynamics apply to the SME sector. More than 80 micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises sent internships. This is 40% more compared to 2020.
ISO 26000 areas. Social commitment, workplace, and environment are at the forefront
Traditionally, the axis of the publication is the ISO 26000 standard, which is the basis for the classification of CSR initiatives. According to it, the activities presented in the FOB report are grouped. Below is a summary of the number of internships in a given area with a short commentary
Involvement and development of the local community (544 good practices)
The most popular category in this area is charity and philanthropy. There was a large increase in the category of sustainable cities, where the representation of good practices was the highest of all editions of the report.
Work placements (420)
Nearly 1/5 of reported practices in this area concern the mental and physical health of employees and their families. In the area of well-being, we organize webinars, training, and presentations on e.g. how to take care of your health.
environment (395)
Traditionally, the largest group in this category was practices related to environmental education. Much involved fieldwork, such as cleaning up surrounding areas or national parks, combining theory with practice. It is also worth noting that despite the restrictions imposed by the publisher in this area, compared to last year’s edition, the number of good practices increased by 1/4. Among the most interesting trends, it is worth paying attention to the actions whose implementation resulted from the commitments adopted in the long-term strategies of companies, related to e.g. with zero emissions. Reading the report also shows that one of the key challenges facing businesses is counteracting the crisis of biodiversity.
human rights (102)
In this area, most practices were reported in the “women in business” category. Their goal is to support women in professional decisions and inspire them to develop and strengthen gender equality in the workplace. The Policies and Procedures category proves that managing diversity and building inclusive workplaces is gaining importance. Many companies have decided to formalize the rules regarding the area of diversity & inclusion and emphasize their commitment by, for example, signing the Diversity Charter.
organizational governance (80)
In this area, most of the practices concerned management – companies mentioned here primarily the creation of strategies: climate, CSR, ESG, and responsible business. The development of this subject also means the creation of new positions and teams responsible for the implementation of the objectives set out in strategic documents. Issues related to certification in the area of sustainable development were also important.
Consumer issues (71)
The most numerous category in this area is health and safety, and a similar number of educational activities can be divided into several smaller areas: saving and managing the household budget, proper nutrition and meal planning, safe and responsible use of modern technologies, proper handling of waste electrical and electronic equipment and conscious consumption.
Fair Operating Practices (65)
The vast majority of practices in this area concerned market education. The next most numerous practices were those in the supplier relations and stakeholder relations categories. Only one institution submitted an anti-abuse project, which indicates that this is an area with great potential for development.
SDGs. Health and education remain a priority in CSR activities
For the sixth time in the FOB report, good practices have been cataloged in terms of the implementation of individual UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As in the last year’s edition, most actions concern Objective 3 – Good health and quality of life (519 practices) and Objective 4 – Good quality of education (410 actions). The least frequently re-represented are Goal 14 – Living underwater (20 practices) and Goal 2 – Zero hunger (25 practices).
