The companies featured in the report include: Abbott Laboratories; Alcan Inc.; Aveda Corporation; Baxter International Inc.; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; The Coca-Cola Company; Dow Corning; Florida Power & Light Co.; Hospira, Inc.; J.C. Penney Company, Inc.; and Pfizer Inc.
The report includes a blueprint for building a solid citizenship and sustainability program. Below are some of the key insights gleaned from the case studies:
Build the right team
The report finds that most C&S team leaders tend to come from corporate communications, public affairs or environment, health and safety departments. They may also include representatives from human resources and supplier management/purchasing. Because they have access to such a wide variety of functional viewpoints, these teams, which may be either formal groups or loose networks of contributors, can have a broad strategic focus. Since the strong support and involvement of top management is critical, CEOs, executive committees and corporate boards should also be active participants in sustainability programs.
Your mission statement is more than a slogan
The mission statement is a verbal framework that can provide a common understanding of citizenship and sustainability goals across the organization. In addition to internal statements about a company's commitment to citizenship and sustainability, external codes can also offer a way to share a vision with other firms. While they may not be tailored to a company's specific culture or needs, popular codes like the United Nations Global Compact can provide immediate credibility.
If your goal sounds like an empty promise, that's what it will be
Whether your sustainability goal is connected to your strategic plan or issued separately, it should be simple, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-based. Such goals enhance focus and accountability throughout the organization and serve as metrics for evaluating performance, rewarding employees and allocating resources.
Plan and execute the rollout with great care
During the initial stages of a citizenship and sustainability program, you should: choose a management system that enables continuous improvement; determine the organizational path and boundaries of each initiative; take workloads into account when blending new C&S tasks into old jobs; appeal to employees' heads as well as their hearts when asking them to be accountable for corporate clean and green goals (conscience is great, but cash can also inspire.)
Keep the momentum going by engaging internal and external stakeholders
Stakeholders want open dialogue, and you can offer them opportunities for feedback through advisory boards, webcasts and other communication tools. Partnership with governments and NGOs can build trust and polish a company's public image.
Citizenship initiatives don't stop at the door of your corporate headquarters
Your supply chain is part of your business footprint – often the most significant part. A solid citizenship and sustainability ethos can help your supplier relationships avoid risks (negative publicity caused by suppliers with poor workplace conditions or substandard environmental practices) and reap benefits (significant savings from waste reduction, positive press). Managing citizenship and sustainability risks and opportunities along the supply chain requires communication and collaboration, which should start with formal supplier standards or guidelines and an evaluation process for making sure those standards are being met. These initial steps should be followed by further interaction via networks, forums or other exchanges.
Says William R. Blackburn, Senior Research Fellow at The Conference Board Center for Corporate Citizenship & Sustainability, and author of the report: "Most companies' green intentions are similar: integrate sustainable practices into plans, policies, procedures and practices in a way that influences daily decision making and strikes a balance between flexibility and consistency. While there is no single formula for success with C&S frameworks, these steps are a good place to start."
