ASEAN CSR Network: A new birth for CSR in Asia

singapore_compactBy now is it well-known that the South-East Asian countries have joined hands to launch the ASEAN CSR Network during the International Singapore Compact CSR Summit held in Sentosa recently. During the launch, Singapore Compact for CSR president Olivia Lum said that ASEAN has recognised the importance of CSR “not just to achieve the socio cultural objectives of the community but also to drive other ASEAN goals.” This is a wake-up call for naysayers who opine that CSR is a fad that will pass.

The platform will be a store-house of regional knowledge and help build capacity in CSR in the region and promote CSR practices, said Singapore Compact for CSR in a statement. The network which will be based in Singapore will also develop a model of public policy on CSR for members to refer to by 2010. This will be guided by the new ISO 26000 titled ‘Guidance on Social Responsibility’. ISO26000 aims to lay down a common definition and voluntary guidelines for CSR and is set to become the de facto industry standard following its recent launch after five years of research and development. These global developments like the CSR standard are beginning to reshape local approaches to CSR across Asia.

The Network will work towards increasing CSR awareness in ASEAN and will also research the relationships between commercial activities and communities. Subjects that are of importance to the Asian region like human rights, corruption etc will be on the table for discussion according to the Singapore Compact.

The Compact said that its membership grew by 42% over the past year to more than 300 – reflecting the growth in awareness of CSR as a business concern. During the past 12 months, there has been a rise in sustainability reporting as well using the GRI framework. Between 2000 and 2010, the number of companies that have signed up to the UN Global Compact increased from 47 to 8,000 companies in Asia.

According to Richard Welford, Chairman of CSR Asia who was also the summit speaker, the key drivers of CSR are government, politicians, and quasi-public bodies—particularly stock exchanges.  He said that in Hong Kong, Malaysia, China and more recently in Singapore and Thailand, stock exchanges are playing an increasing role in raising the visibility of businesses and encouraging reporting on sustainability.

He noted that the other driver for CSR are businesses themselves, he reckons that in Asia companies are realizing the business case for CSR and dealing with it strategically and impeding the principles of CSR into their business models. He also said that, “the challenge here is capacity, capability, and competency. It is a challenge to find good CSR managers who really understand what it is.”

On the oft confused subject of CSR and philantrophy, he accurately observed that, “Philanthropy is what you do with your profits. CSR is what how you go about making those profits.”  It is exciting indeed that Asia has jumped on the CSR band-wagon – this means that the field is on its way to realizing its full potential. –http://www.justmeans.com/ASEAN-CSR-Network-A-new-birth-for-CSR-in-Asia/33930.html