Corporate Social Responsibility
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is not just about visible programmes of good citizenship. It is a reflection of values and philosophies that are embedded in an organisation and evidenced in day-to-day activities. In this context, ‘social’ encompasses the full range of stakeholders, local communities including indigenous peoples, the environment, and economic considerations beyond financial statements. CSR is responsibility to society for our actions and is fundamental to sustainable development.
In April 2008, the Crown Company Monitoring Advisory Unit (CCMAU; www.ccmau.govt.nz) instructed New Zealand State Owned Enterprises and other Crown Entities to adopt a CSR framework and report on it annually. However, Landcare Research actually published its first CSR report (also called sustainability or triple bottom line reports) in 2000. Since 2001, we have published a fully integrated, printed annual report covering all dimensions of our performance. We assess, set targets for, and report on key aspects of our economic, social, and environmental performance, including the direct impacts of our business (e.g. resource use) and indirect impacts through the application of our science. Our approach and our reporting continue to evolve as we challenge ourselves and are challenged by others.
This year, we have continued our efforts to drive sustainability reporting forward. We have launched an extensive new section on our website that reports comprehensively on our economic, environmental, good employer, and community performances during the year. Web-based reporting gives us much greater scope to make strong links between our management strategies, stakeholder engagement and the impacts of our work. In addition, we have added a section called ‘Voices for sustainability’ that includes and follows on from the invited perspective pieces in last year’s report. In this ‘Voices’ section, we are also highlighting the role Māori and other indigenous peoples have in sustainable resource management.
- Ethics
- Guiding Philosophy
- Māori perspectives and treaty responsibilities
- Our Vision & Values
- Sustainability Policy