“The business approach to Corporate Social Responsability” (Eurico Sousa, Executive Director of the Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSD) Portugal) Session 2, Topic 5: "Corporate Social Responsibility" ISLE Professionalization Fair. Lisbon, Portugal, 8-9/11/2011 www.isle-project.eu

1. Business aproach to Corporate
Social Responsability
Eurico Sousa
November 9th, 2011

2. Content
BCSD Portugal
Business role: CSR
Case Study

3. Business Role:
BCSD Portugal Case Study
CSR
Non-profit organisation founded in 2001
133 Members in 2011
Our mission is to provide business leadership as a
catalyst for change towards Sustainable
Development (SD)

4. Business Role:
BCSD Portugal Outros desafios
Case Study
CSR
Our goals
Disseminate & promote sustainability principles and practices
Provide members with the necessary services and tools for an effective
implementation
Demonstrate the business contribution to sustainable development
solutions and to share leading practices among members
Observe and participate in policy development

6. Business Role:
BCSD Portugal Case Study
CSR
Regional Network Member of
WBCSD – World Business Council for Sustainable Development
CEO-led coalition of over 200 multinational companies
 economic growth
 environmental balance
 social progress
Business platform to…
… explore Sustainable Development
… share experiences and best practices
… advocate the business case in a variety of forums
… partner with governments, non-governmental agencies and
inter-governmental organizations

7. Business Role:
BCSD Portugal Case Study
CSR
The concept of sustainable development has introduced
two main areas of concern into public and private decision-
making
The need to diminish our impact on Earth’s natural
environment
While at the same time
Improving living and social standards throughout
the world

8. Business Role:
BCSD Portugal Case Study
CSR
Tomorrow’s Society
key issues globalization
population
poverty
environment
key issues how they affect and are affected by business
globalization ADAPTATION. Business acting as a global company
population GREATER NEEDS & NEW MARKETS
poverty CONTRIBUTION. There are business companies larger
and richer than some countries.
environment EFFICIENCY. Resource scarcity and worldwide impacts

9. Business Role:
BCSD Portugal Case Study
CSR
1st STEP
Understand how those questions affect each business
daily performance + outcomes
2nd STEP
CHANGE. Philanthropy is not the answer.
...as traditional allocation of funds to randomly chosen projects...
vs. investment in projects aligned with
• Business strategy
• External Stakeholders interests’
NEXT STEP is to transform world problems into
OPPORTUNITIES

10. Business Role:
BCSD Portugal Case Study
CSR
Source: WBCSD (2004) Doing business with the poor: a field guide.

11. Business Role:
BCSD Portugal Case Study
CSR
Strategy & methodology
EX: Addressing Poverty

12. Business Role:
BCSD Portugal Case Study
CSR
New business
models
SUPPLY
Products and services that Fulfillment of basic needs.
e.g. water and sanitation, access to
meet the needs of poorer Virtuous cycle:
communities energy, shelter, food, education,
business connectivity
development and
Successive upgrading leading Local employment
socio-economic job creation , local markets and
to demand for goods and
services benefit resilience to economic shocks
DEMAND
Purchasing
power

13. Business Role:
BCSD Portugal Case Study
CSR
...as a result...
BUSINESS will strategically allocate INVESTMENTS in social
causes OR through their own products/services
Non-profit agencies will have to be MORE STRATEGIC &
GOAL ORIENTED in order to establish sound investable
solutions for business
Society will BENEFIT from solution-oriented projects with
medium and long-term funds

14. Business Role:
BCSD Portugal Case Study
CSR
«Action Tank: business & poverty»
Business aliance for the creation of inclusive and social business in Portugal
Raise awareness among business & society for the URGENT NEED of
NEW BUSINESS MODELS
Identify business opportunities that can benefit vulnerable population
sectors – either along the value chain OR from an inclusive/social
business perspective
Interact with stakeholder towards creating a more FAVOURABLE
context to the emergency of inclusive business

15. Business Role:
BCSD Portugal Case Study
CSR
«Action Tank: business & poverty»
Business alliance for the creation of inclusive and social business in Portugal
Pioneer projects (ex)
Danone/Sumol+Compal: creation of new trade channels
Goal: Use economic activities to promote the inclusion of a
specific population group
Target: women with more than 45 y
CGD: Microcredit and microfinance projects for social
business with
Analysis of social micro franchising models

16. www.bcsdportugal.org
eurico.sousa@bcsdportugal.org