Corporate Social Responsibility and Rio+20: Time to leap forward!

Over the last two decades the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) movement grew from something marginal and restricted to few groups of academics, NGOs and businesses, to become a regular topic in the media.

Corporate Social Responsibility goes beyond philanthropy, it has already become an important component of management and an individual field of study, also having its own international references. CSR relates to how business entities manage their negative impacts on society and the environment. It also pertains to the relationship between a business and its numerous stakeholders.

During this period, several initiatives were created to develop all kinds of tools and references for businesses looking for guidance on how to deal with CSR. Management systems, third party certification schemes, performance indicators, committees, codes and reports are some of the tools companies use to deal with its social responsibilities.