Last week the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Leaders Summit convened in New York, gathering more than 1,200 corporate executives, government officials and civil society leaders. The UNGC is an initiative that gathers businesses committed to the ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption. Launched ten years ago, it grew from just a handful of participants to about 8,000 today, with an ambitious goal to reach 20,000 participants by 2020.
As the UNGC grows, however, it is crucial that new participants go beyond just signing their name on a dotted line, that they move from ideas and statements to action. Practical examples of successful implementation of the UNGC principles are of key importance here. CIPE, in cooperation with the UNGC and the Social Accountability International (SAI), set out to highlight such examples in a joint publication From Principles to Practice: The Role of SA8000 in Implementing the UN Global Compact.
This publication features six case studies of companies from around the world that use SA8000 social accountability standard for decent working conditions developed by SAI as a tool to meet their commitments as participants of the UN Global Compact. They use SA8000 to address the UNGC Labor Principles in the broader context of compliance with all ten UNGC Principles.
Companies profiled in this study come from different countries (Brazil, Thailand, Italy, Bolivia, Argentina, Turkey) and different industries (apparel, appliance controls, chemicals, electrical transmission, jewelry, transportation). Yet, their success in moving from principles to practice when it comes to good corporate citizenship illustrates that enterprises of all sizes, sectors, and regions can act upon the principles of responsible business they share.
As the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon put it, “our hope is to create a truly transformative movement. Our aim is to reach a tipping point towards a new era of sustainability.” There is a long path still ahead but the stories of companies profiled in the joint CIPE-UNGC-SAI publication certainly showcase the progress being made.
Published Date: July 01, 2010