Corporate Social Responsibility

Crecea A/S’ experience with CSR
Søren Albertsen, general manager of Crecea China, opened the meeting with a presentation of the company’s main strategies concerning CSR. He encouraged all companies to incorporate CSR in their corporate strategy, since this is a growing phenomenon in China. Danish companies operating in China are expected to be at the forefront of development and thus to drive a CSR focused business. Therefore, companies should either construct an overall CSR strategy and implement it in various countries where they are represented, or they can construct a CSR strategy for each country they are represented in.

Mr. Albertsen is one of the authors of the latest issue of “Corporate Social Responsibility” published by Børsen Ledelseshåndbøger. To read more about Søren Albertsen and his work with CSR in China, an extract of the article is available here (only in Danish). The full version can be accessed through the website of Børsen Ledelseshåndbøger.

Human Rights Assessment in China: The Danish Institute for Human Rights
Mads Holst Jensen, adviser from The Danish Institute for Human Rights, followed with a presentation about the ‘Human Rights Compliance Assesment,’ which functions as a checklist tool for companies to review their compliance with international human rights standards. The aim is to incorporate human rights into the existing risk analysis and management.
Mr. Jensen also related about how various businesses in China have implemented ‘The Global Compact’ as part of their corporate culture. There is an acknowledgement in China of the rights based approach to CSR, and the Chinese people strongly follow this pattern.

“It is not only about profit, but also about responsibility”: the Case of Carsberg Breweries A/S
Janda Campos, director group Corporate Social Responsibility, Carslberg Breweries A/S, was the last speaker at the meeting, and she revealed that one of their strategic initiatives is to implement CSR in the Carlsberg Group. They have embedded CSR in each part or their operations through cross-functional cooperation and developed some local activities that demonstrate their commitment. According to Mrs. Campos, “it is not only about profit, but also about responsibility,’ and one of their main future goals is to indentify key CSR issues and strategic priorities for the Carlsberg Group.