CSR Managers in London Call for Chartered Institute of Corporate Social Responsibility

According to a number of CSR managers who met in London this weekend, an urgent need exists for the development of a Chartered Institute of Corporate Social Responsibility as a way to persuade companies to do a better job of integrating environmentally sustainability into strategic, long-term strategies.

At the meeting that was hosted by Acre Resources, a recruiting company, and Verdantix, an analyst firm, the creation of such a chartered entity would assist companies in getting a clear picture of 'core competencies', as well as provide CSR professionals the opportunity to network and exchange best practices over numerous industry sectors with no compromise to competitive advantages. At least that's what Climate Change and Sustainability Services Director for Ernst and Young Doug Johnson had to say. "This whole area needs to be professionalised, and part of that is about building an understanding of what the core competencies are for these individuals and drawing on the experience of a wide variety of different sectors," he adds.

Apparently a few CSR professionals have gone as far as setting up a new entity called the Global Association for Corporate Sustainability Officers. According to CSR adviser Alan Knight, "The profession itself hasn't organised itself, isn't chartered, it doesn't have its own trade association." In his estimation, the role of the CSR manager is now well developed and he thinks that the timing is appropriate for a professional body that promotes best practices and assists newcomers to the door.

Two observations struck me as I read and entertained the comments from Mr. Johnson and Mr. Knight. First, maybe the idea of an institute that standardizes CSR would be a good thing. Right now, especially in the US, however, there are a significant number of academic and professionals programs from the most prestigious institutions to community colleges and consultancies that offer corporate social responsibility programs and 'sustainable social enterprise' certificates and even degrees nationwide. And I cannot underscore the frequency with which I see reference to and hear discussion of CSR topics that don't include the social aspect.

There are as many definitions of CSR as there are centers of excellence that claim to cover the social piece in addition to the environmental and economic ones, when in practice it's often not the case. And if a significant aspect of CSR is clearly missing from the mindsets of folks who only see the 'green' part when they think CSR and not the social criteria (and what that entails in regards to CSR initiatives), I think we run the chance of cranking out more 'trained' professionals who have incomplete training. So before we can unequivocally claim that the concept of CSR is well defined and agreed upon, to say nothing of setting up bodies that certify CSR professionals, I think we need to consider if we're actually putting the cart before the horse.