CSR thought leadership

Transcription

1 This article originally appeared on elcamedia.com December 2012 The Blog on high-performance sustainable business CSR thought leadership Corporate Social Responsibility Raising the bar of CSR in the Arab region Chairperson, Emirates Environmental Group and President, UN Global Compact Network GCC States 2012 ElcaMedia CSR Consultancy

2 The Arabs have traditionally been experts at resource conservation. When you live in the desert, you respect the few oases that you have; you use your water responsibly, you treat your flora and fauna well. But a growing city, with oil-wealth impacting every aspect of its life, changes things; which is why I felt that there was a need for a concerted effort to bring people back to those traditional values. The views and opinions expressed in this article are personal and should not be viewed as professional advice with respect to your business. ElcaMedia, its logo, and Enable More are trademarks of ElcaMedia. The use herein of trademarks that may be owned by others is not an assertion of ownership of such trademarks by ElcaMedia nor intended to imply an association between ElcaMedia and the lawful owners of such trademarks. All rights reserved , ElcaMedia CSR Consultancy

3 President & CEO of the Arabia CSR Network While it has long been recognised for its great wealth and rapid development, the United Arab Emirates is today becoming recognised as one of the leading regions of the world for social cohesion and environmental sustainability. ElcaMedia spoke with Habiba Al Marashi, President & CEO of the Arabia CSR Network, Chairperson of the Emirates Environmental Group and President of the UN Global Compact Network GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) States, about what the Arab region can teach the rest of the world about making sustainability more than just a shade of green. csr & sustainability thought leadership interviews elcamedia Page 3/8

4 Tell us about yourself and how you started this exciting journey to the position where you are today? My journey began in the year 1991, when the environmental movement was next to nothing in the Arab region. I was a young civil servant with a passion to do something more for the country. What concerned me most was that people felt that economic development was everything. The UAE was growing at the speed of light and while it brought a lot of prosperity to its residents, I was able to observe gradual changes in our lifestyles. The Arabs have traditionally been experts at resource conservation. When you live in the desert, you respect the few oases that you have; you use your water responsibly, you treat your flora and fauna well. But a growing city, with oilwealth impacting every aspect of its life, changes things; which is why I felt that there was a need for a concerted effort to bring people back to those traditional values using modern technology. It was then that I started the Emirates Environmental Group with a group of equally passionate volunteers. The EEG initially worked towards two main goals raising awareness of environmental issues; and encouraging people and organizations to recycle. For the former we focused on schools, with a range of wonderful programs like the Environmental Drawing Competition, the Clean Up UAE campaign, My Communitree, etc. Today these programs reach out to almost all schools and colleges across the country, which I believe has been very good for our outreach. In terms of waste management, we serve as the link between thousands of households, schools, organizations and a number of industrial units that recycle paper, plastic, aluminium, glass, tetrapak, cell-phones, batteries and toners. And our numbers keep growing every year. An estimate is that the waste that we have prevented from going to landfills has saved over 34,000 metric tons of CO 2. Over the years, we started witnessing that the corporate sector in the UAE was becoming much more active in sustainability than when we had started. We also began to understand that sustainability was not just a shade of green, rather a rainbow of colors that needed to be addressed. So in 2004, the EEG set up the Corporate Social Responsibility Network to promote the full scope of sustainability throughout the UAE. Gradually, this Network began to have a life of its own, which is how it evolved into a separate entity altogether in 2009 under the label of the Arabia CSR Network. csr & sustainability thought leadership interviews elcamedia Page 4/8

5 Tell us about the Arabia CSR Network and what you are currently working on? The Arabia CSR Network, as its name suggests, is not limited within the boundaries of the UAE. It is a pan- Arab organization that seeks to connect government departments, private companies and civil society organizations across the Middle East & North Africa region to enhance their individual and collective sustainability impact. Based on our experience and the needs of the region, we offer services in two main areas: building capacity for CSR strategy development and implementation and showcasing CSR best practices. The former is done by a series of trainings, workshops and networking events that we regularly organize for interested organizations and individuals to participate in. It is a growing family of organizations that we have in the region, and it s great to learn from each other on how they are tackling local environmental and social issues. Another attractive initiative that we have actually the only one in the 22 Arab states is an Awards program that seeks out companies that are CSR champions. What is unique about this program is that it is not just an empty trophy-giving ceremony. Rather, we have raised the bar of CSR in the region by making companies go through a rigorous application that seeks to analyze performance in a number of critical areas such as human rights and labor policies, environmental management, stakeholder engagement, internal and external reporting, community involvement, commitment by leadership, etc. We have a panel of very experienced judges stretching from New York, the Netherlands, the Nile River (Egypt) to the North of the Philippines who evaluate hundreds of applications every year and provide their objective and valuable feedback. So you can look at the Awards program as an incentive-based approach for companies to understand their gaps in CSR and get their act together to serve as examples, not only for their own markets or their country, but for the entire world. csr & sustainability thought leadership interviews elcamedia Page 5/8

6 As you are from Dubai, could you tell us about Social Responsibility in this city? For anyone who knows about Dubai, either by reading or hearing about it, or having visited or stayed here, I can tell you that it is one of the most unique cities in the world. I am not only talking from an architectural or infrastructural sense. We have people from all countries in the world peacefully and actively coexisting here. Every recognized religion is allowed to practice their faith with respect. Dubai has always opened its doors for progress and prosperity. Today, it is the shining light for sustainability for other Arab cities. With a very promising renewable energy mix, sustainable urban elements, and a drive for tolerance, health and safety for all, there is much to learn from Dubai. No city in the world is perfect, but we believe in the Emirate s leadership, its sincerity, its honesty and its concern about every resident s well-being. I always say that Dubai is a city that gives everyone a fair chance, which is why every critic should give Dubai a chance to improve. We have seen over the years that there are many positive changes to talk about. We are seeing a shift in interests and values in the business world which is now influencing all aspects of the professional development of young people. What can you say aboout this in the Arab region? This shift is most definitely becoming a veritable force in our country and region, albeit a gradual one. With the influx of thousands of foreign businesses to the region, young residents of the Arab states have a number of options other than traditional industries and organizations. There is a strong demand from the market for organizations to be recognized as a responsible corporate citizen. So yes, I feel that there is a growing demand both at the consumer and the workforce level for organizations to invest in good working conditions, have a low eco-footprint, contribute to society, and stay clean of corruption and so on. I do hope that with our services, the Arabia CSR Network can increase that demand further. I have witnessed the collapse of many organizations that have not respected the societies they operate in, or abused the environment that serves them. People don t forget about these examples. csr & sustainability thought leadership interviews elcamedia Page 6/8

7 What are the biggest Sustainability & CSR challenges you face in the Arab region? Perhaps the biggest challenge we have faced is the understanding of CSR. I realize that CSR and sustainability can be vague terms with flexible definitions. In the Arab region, most companies limit their definition to an act of philanthropy. So you will find companies asking why they did not receive an Arabia CSR Award even though they signed a check worth millions for a local NGO. I tell them that philanthropy is great, especially in countries where governments are not rich enough, but that s only one part of CSR. It s only when companies realize its full potential that they understand that money spent for CSR is not an expense but a much-needed investment that brings value to the organization and its external stakeholders. The other challenge that I commonly hear from people in the business, is the lack of buy-in from senior leadership. Who hasn t faced a boss, or a board of directors that wants nothing to do with contributing to sustainability issues, especially while the organization is going through difficult economic times? However, if you are an industrial company, isn t it in your best interest to invest in the health, safety and capacity building of your workers? If you are a financial institution, isn t it in your best interest to be transparent and show how you are tackling corruption? What business leaders have to realize is that many issues of sustainability already affect our business and will eventually do so even more. So we have to get rid of the feeling of doubt and denial in our minds. Another critical challenge is the lack of benchmarking and comparative credibility of CSR initiatives taken by hundreds of organizations in the MENA region. This is where we the Arabia CSR Network have played a vital role. The Arabia CSR Awards recognizes and honors those organizations that stand above the rest in terms of their sustainability strategies, business ethics and governance. We issue detailed case studies on the winners every year so that others can learn from these best practices. What are the greatest rewards when working with CSR and Sustainability? The greatest reward is when you read or hear about a fellow organization that has created a meaningful impact, no matter how small or big. It s as simple as that. Of course, it is also rewarding when you observe the sustainability momentum gaining in speed and scale. I hope the Arab region will soon serve as an inspiring example, not only for its wealth and rapid development, but also for its environmental conscience, its social equity, its tolerance, its far-sighted vision and its humanity. For more information please visit: csr & sustainability thought leadership interviews elcamedia Page 7/8

8 With this series of exclusive interviews on Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility Thought Leadership, we hope to create a platform that will allow even more people to see the benefits of integrating corporate social responsibility with profitable business. Unique and inspiring interviews among a diverse group of executives from all over the world including CEOs, thought leaders, industry pioneers and government officials will tell you about their ideas, thoughts and opinions on driving profit and growth in organizations and communities. Thanks for following! ElcaMedia CSR Consultancy helps companies meet their evolving sustainability, CSR and environmental responsibilities through effective strategy, management and communications. ElcaMedia CSR is the first agency in the world with accredited marketing consultants for Cradle to Cradle, the MBDC circular economy model. ElcaMedia CSR is a member of VBDO, UKSIF and Eurosif. Founded in The Netherlands in 2004, now with offices in Hoofddorp Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Cambridge and London, United Kingdom; New York, USA. csr & sustainability thought leadership interviews elcamedia Page 8/8