A new year traditionally sparks resolutions around health and well-being. Indeed, about 60 percent of Americans make resolutions, but just eight percent faithfully keep those resolutions.

But there are more ominous trends. Reports show that as Americans continue to struggle to change risky behaviors linked to chronic disease — like smoking or poor eating habits — they are paring back spending on preventative care, often failing to schedule follow-up appointments or refill prescriptions. Access to affordable health care is clearly a factor, but personal behavior is a key driver.

As a health-care insurer with a strong commitment to corporate responsibility, Humana considers this a scary path. Americans are putting their immediate health at risk while making any illnesses they do acquire more expensive to treat later, especially those that become chronic illnesses. Read the rest of this entry »

More than 250 representatives of business, government, academia, NGOs and investors came together recently to participate in the New England Green Chemistry Networking Forum. Organized by EPA Region 1 and held at MIT in Cambridge, Mass., the Forum created opportunities to begin strategic discussions and collaborations around new ways to achieve a safe and green sustainable future. I found the event to be highly inspirational and full of energy. It helped raise awareness, connect people and chart new strategies for advancing Massachusetts’ green economy.

The EPA defines green chemistry (also known as sustainable chemistry) as “the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances.” There are 12 principles of green chemistry such as prevention of waste, design for energy efficiency, and design for degradation and use of renewable feedstocks, among others. Through its Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge awards program, the EPA recognizes and promotes innovative chemical technologies that prevent pollution and have broad applicability in industry. Since 1996, many companies and other organizations have received the prestigious award. Among the 2010 award recipients honored for their collaborative innovations are Dow Chemical and BASF, Merck & Co. and Codexis, and Easel Biotechnologies LLC and the University of California at Los Angeles. Read the rest of this entry »

What is ISO 26000?

November 1, 2010 marked the official launch of ISO 26000 – the social responsibility guidance standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization. The standard was launched after five years of work, which included 450 participating experts and 210 observers from 99 ISO member countries and 42 liaison organizations. Developed with the active involvement of six stakeholder groups (industry; government; labor; consumers; nongovernmental organizations; and service, support, research and others), the standard provides guidelines (it is not a certification standard) applicable to any organization – public or private, small or large, based in developed or developing country.

ISO 26000 defines what social responsibility is and outlines the seven main principles of social responsibility: accountability, transparency, ethical behavior, respect for stakeholder interests, respect for the rule of law, respect for international norms of behavior and respect for human rights. It includes seven core social responsibility subject areas: the environment, community involvement and development, human rights, labor practices, fair operating practices, consumer issues, and organizational governance. A key part of the standard is the guidance on how to integrate social responsibility throughout an organization. Read the rest of this entry »

Aman Singh, corporate responsibility editor at Vault.com, just posted this article on Forbes about the Center’s newest Profile of the Practice. She had some interesting insights and observations…

Earlier this year, the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship (BCCCC) came out with a survey that displayed a unique profile of the typical CSR and sustainability professional. Now the Center has released a new study that gives us a deeper understanding of behind-the-scene workings of the corporate citizenship team.

The objective: To capture the current state and identify trends in corporate citizenship structure, strategy and management.

One thing is clear: While many companies haven’t set up formal corporate citizenship teams, most do have a formal corporate citizenship strategy in place—albeit with a tendency to be informally managed. Read the rest of this entry »

Nearly 20 years ago the folks from Center member McDonald’s sat down with the Environmental Defense Fund, a group that had been one of McDonald’s biggest critics for its use of Styrofoam containers, and entered into a partnership that was met by many with skepticism and scorn. What was then seen as a risky move eventually became the model for a paradigm shift in how NGOs and corporations can work together.

A recent Huffington Post article by Bob Langert, VP of Corporate Social Responsibility, McDonald’s Corporation, and Gwen Ruta, VP of Corporate Partnerships, Environmental Defense Fund, looks at how this new type of partnership changed not only the environment movement, but the very nature of corporate partnerships with groups that were once considered adversaries. Read the full post here.

On December 1 we hosted a webinar on the findings of our newest research report, “Profile of the Practice: Managing corporate citizenship as a business strategy”.

The event featured Jim George, vice president, corporate social responsibility, The Hershey Company; Sarah Martinez, vice president, corporate responsibility, ProLogis; and Sylvia Kinnicutt, the Center’s lead researcher on the Profile of the Practice 2010.

Among the questions addressed in the webinar were:

• What does a successful corporate citizenship strategy looks like?
• What are the most common ways to structure a corporate citizenship?
• How are companies assigning staff and resources to this area?

If you missed the webinar, it is still available for viewing on demand in our online Member Community. Center members can view the webinar here.

Nobody wants to reinvent the wheel but everyone wants to know if someone has come up with a better way to build it.

The just-released Profile of the Practice 2010 offers just that kind of insight by examining how corporate citizenship is being managed behind the scenes in today’s companies. Building upon the 2008 edition, this report contains the latest data on the corporate citizenship strategies, operational structures, and management and leadership tactics at 190 companies.

The purpose of the biennial Profile of the Practice study is to capture the current state and trends over time in corporate citizenship structure, strategy and management. This information has proven useful to companies for strategic planning as well as benchmarking purposes.

Some key findings from the Profile of the Practice survey include:

• Most companies report having a written corporate citizenship strategy
• Addressing environmental issues, community and local economic development, and employee well-being are top goals of company strategies
• More companies direct corporate citizenship cross-functionally from the executive level
• Board involvement is increasing but most boards are not fully informed
• More companies are establishing senior positions for managing corporate citizenship

With formal titles, department structures and management systems in place, corporate citizenship has become a part of competitive business strategy. The data from the Profile of the Practice 2010 survey suggest that amid a global recession, corporate citizenship has survived and is becoming more essential to businesses.

The 2010 Profile of the Practice Executive Summary is available to all viewers.

Center members can download the full 2010 Profile of the Practice report and the following company examples:

• American Electric Power
• Blackbaud
• Boeing
• Campbell Soup Company
• The Hershey Company
• Mitsubishi International Corp.
• ProLogis