CSR – what lies behind the letters

In 1987, the United Nations’ World Commission on Environment and Development established the following definition: ‘sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’. This is voluntary action: companies do more for society than regulations require from them. To promote these principles, Hungarian Business Leaders Forum (HBLF) founded a prize in 2000, called ‘Business sphere for the environment’. Mónika Agócs, Dreher Sörgyárak Zrt.’s corporate affairs manager summarised their philosophy as follows: – These days a company is responsible not only for its consumers and business partners, but also for solving the problems, social and environmental alike, of the world around us. The company built a Biogas Development and Waste Water Treatment Plant in 2008, by the use of which Dreher reduced its annual energy consumption by 10 percent. What is more, 62 percent of the company’s products are packaged in recyclable material. Éda Pogány, the communications director of Coca-Cola Magyarország describes the company’s CSR strategy as follows: ‘Everybody, ever day, everywhere’ – meaning that not only the executive director or the CSR manager, but every employee do their work in line with the principles of corporate social responsibility. Coca-Cola’s CSR programmes concentrate on four fields (market behaviour, communities, environmental protection and workplaces). Their ‘Wake-up call for the body’ programme was launched in 2005 and its objective is to involve as many people in sports as possible. For instance, they regularly organise the Coca-Cola Running Gala for Women. Krisztina Suhajda, Nestlé Hungária Kft.’s communications director emphasised that the company had its own strategic approach to CSR, called ‘Creating Values Together’. They believe that long-term success is only possible if the company’s shareholders and the society share the same values. In Hungary, they focus on four fields: products and consumers, employees, production and ecological footprint and philanthropy. Nestlé’s NUTRIKID programme (www.nutrikid.hu) teaches children about healthy eating. According to Györgyi Nagy, the PR advisor of SIÓ-ECKES Kft. most of their CSR activities are now considered traditions. The Eckes-Granini Group (EGG), of which SIÓ-ECKES Kft. is part of, always focuses its CSR activity on the specific conditions of individual countries and on the local culture. EGG provides a safe background for its affiliates to implement their programmes. For example, each year Eckes Family Foundation supports the best 3 programmes that apply for funding from the different countries, e.g. SIÓ-ECKES’ Thank you, SIÓ! Schoolbag Programme is one of the regular beneficiaries. They also have a drawing contest and the company developed, in cooperation with Gondolkodj Egészségesen! Alapítvány, a skill-developing game that focuses on a healthy diet. Mónika Hackl, external communications manager of Tesco-Global Áruházak Zrt. told us that three principles governed corporate social responsibility at Tesco: participating in local communities’ life, cooperating with shoppers and treating employees and partners like Tesco would like to be treated. In 2009, the company organised its Health Day three times, in cooperation with the Hungarian Red Cross. On the World Food Day the company organised food collection at hypermarkets. In 2009, Tesco launched a programme with Procter&Gamble that supports the Mosoly Alapítvány.