The Corporate Responsibility Code Book

"The Corporate Responsibility Code Book" should prove a valuable tool for companies developing their own code, but should also be a key tool for companies with a strong track record in CR, seeking to understand the interrelationships among codes and standards to create their own corporate vision.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Keith Jones, Chief Executive, Morley Fund Management Introduction Executive summary of corporate responsibility initiatives 1. Values, principles, norms, codes and standards Part 1: Global initiatives 2. The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises 3. The Global Sullivan Principles of Social Responsibility 4. The UN Global Compact Part 2: Human rights 5. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights 6. The Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights 7. The Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with Regard to Human Rights Part 3: Labour rights 8. International Labour Organisation: Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy 9. Social Accountability 8000 10. Fair Labor Association: Workplace Code of Conduct 11. Ethical Trading Initiative: Base Code 12. Clean Clothes Campaign: Model Code 13. Other major initiatives in the clothing industry Part 4: From environment to sustainability 14. The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development 15. The CERES Principles 16. The Natural Step Part 5: Combating corruption 17. The OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions 18. The Business Principles for Countering Bribery Part 6: Corporate governance 19. The OECD Principles of Corporate Governance Part 7: Company codes of conduct 20. Shell's Business Principles 21. Johnson & Johnson's "Credo" Part 8: Framework, sectoral and regional agreements 22. Framework agreements 23. Sectoral and regional agreements Part 9: Implementation 24. AccountAbility 1000 Framework 25. AccountAbility 1000 Assurance Standard 26. The Global Reporting Initiative 27. ISO 14001 28. The "Sustainability: Integrated Guidelines for Management" (SIGMA) Project Part 10: Visions for the future 29. An emerging consensus

About the Author :
Deborah Leipziger is a consultant in the field of corporate social responsibility, and advises companies on the development and implementation of codes of conduct and standards. Her clients have included the UN's Global Compact, Warwick University and Social Accountability International. She is an adviser to Morley Fund Management, assisting them on their approach to socially responsible investment. Deborah played a key role in the development of the Social Accountability 8000 standard and its Guidance Document. She is the author of SA8000: The Definitive Guide to the New Social Standard (FT Prentice Hall, 2001), and the co-author of Living Corporate Citizenship (FT, 2002) and Corporate Citizenship: Successful Strategies of Responsible Companies (FT, 1998). Deborah resides in The Hague, with her husband and three daughters.

Review :
"This is a guide for companies trying to understand the landscape of corporate responsibility and managing their way through the jungle of sustainability, human rights and CSR standards. The most useful part of the book is the summary, description and text of the most relevant codes of conducts, standards and norms that exist to guide sustainable corporate behaviour. A key reference book for all corporate responsibility professionals", Sustainability Radar, December 2003 "Corporate social responsibility has come a long way in the past few years, and a multitude of codes, standards and practices have now emerged. For those who are setting off down the CSR path, the choices today can be bewildering. Deborah Leipziger's The Corporate Responsibility Code Book is aimed at companies and individuals who are trying to establish which approach to adopt to CSR. She has picked out the 32 key codes and practices covering human rights, labour rights, along with the trio of environment, corruption and sustainability, and analysed their strengths, weaknesses and applications. The book is a useful reference tool, bringing together a wealth of information on CSR. It is well laid out and easy to follow, with a chapter on each code, and the codes grouped under eight themes. When we at BT set out to establish our 'Sourcing with Human Dignity' initiative, which was the overall winner at the CIPS Supply Management Awards 2003, no such reference book existed. We had to spend months searching the Internet and talking with special interest groups to find out which were the relevant codes and standards. This book would have saved a huge amount of effort, and would have given us a real head start. Of course, organisations also need to develop and execute an action plan to make their aspirations live. As well as reviewing CSR performance standards and defining acceptable norms for companies, Leipziger analyses implementation processes and tools. The final section of the book is a comprehensive 'how to' guide, covering stakeholder engagement, reporting, assurance and accreditation standards. I would recommend this book to anyone who has to implement a CSR programme. For those of us in purchasing, we have to step up to the responsibility of ensuring ethical practices throughout our supply chains. Consumers are no longer prepared to allow organisations (especially large companies) to make profits at the expense of those less fortunate. Ensuring socially responsible supply chain practices is a must, and for those just beginning to get to grips with what that entails, Deborah Leipziger's book could be invaluable." Meryl Bushell, Chief Procurement Officer, BT Group, www. supplymanagement.com, 1 April 2004