New project to develop sustainability reporting capacity for SMEs11 January 2012

​A new project initiated by the Catalan Chambers of Commerce is uniting small businesses in Catalonia with a commitment to sustainability and GRI reporting. The Transparencia project guides the suppliers of large companies in implementing sustainability reporting and management practices. 64 suppliers of 11 multinationals are participating. This number is set to rise; and to inspire other chambers of commerce, business associations and multinationals to embed sustainability among their suppliers and member companies.
GRI’s Global Action Network program has partnered with the Catalan Chambers of Commerce to deliver GRI sustainability reporting training for the project. Certified Training partners and specially-trained local consultants guide participants’ through their first GRI sustainability reporting cycle.

In troubled economic times, effective sustainability reporting can add value for small businesses and the large companies that depend on them; helping to protect against risks, identify opportunities, and build the sustainability profile of an entire business group.

Narcis Bosch, CEO of the General Council of Catalan Chambers of Commerce, explains the motivation behind the project. “The present economic situation has sent a clear message: Those businesses that want to remain competitive in the long term must prioritize increased transparency, stakeholder dialogue, and responsibility for the major impacts of their activities.

“In Catalonia we already have interesting examples of large companies that are very committed to Corporate Social Responsibility. But we detected a triple threat to Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which represent 98 percent of our business: the absence of CSR practices and their benefits, difficulties in applying CSR methodologies within organizations, and the tendency for large companies to ask their suppliers to implement CSR strategies without many SMEs knowing why or how to do so.”


Read the complete document at :- http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=23100