CSR Forum of Federal Government passes resolution – Josef Wieland in the lead

On June 25, 2018, the German Federal Government’s CSR Forum unanimously passed the ground-breaking “Berlin CSR Consensus on Corporate Responsibility in Supply- and Value Chains”. The Consensus unites employers’ associations, unions, business associations, civil society, and member companies of the CSR Forum behind a catalogue of standards that gives the globalised economy directions towards implementing and operating a responsible supply- and value-chain management. The “Berlin CSR Consensus” aims at advising companies of all sectors how to adequately enact due diligence with regard to social, ecological, and human-rights issues.

The “Berlin CSR Consensus” was devised by a work group headed by Director of Zeppelin University’s Leadership Excellence Institute Zeppelin, Prof Josef Wieland, and the head of the OECD Berlin Centre, Heino von Meyer. The document highlights important international standards from which it derives leadership- and management principles for businesses, and explains the pivotal elements of responsible supply- and value-chain management. It also sets out what employers and unions, business associations, and civil society can contribute to support companies in implementing corporate due diligence, and what is expected in terms of Federal-Government support.

The “Berlin CSR Consensus” was compiled by non-governmental stakeholders and complements the Federal Government’s National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights. The members of the CSR Forum emphasised their support for the implementation of the United Nations’ guiding principles for business and human rights in Germany.

The Federal Government’s National CSR Forum is a multi-stakeholder body advising the Government on how to take a coordinated national CSR strategy forward. It constitutes a platform for the Government’s dialogue with stakeholders. Its membership comprises 34 voting non-governmental organisations and two representatives of non-voting international organisations (ILO, OECD). The Federal Government is represented by eleven ministries and the Office of the Federal Chancellor.

The full text of the “Berlin CSR Consensus” is available here [http://www.bmas.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Thema-Arbeitsrecht/csr-konsens-grundsatzverordnung-liefer-wertschoepfungsketten.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=1].

Contact:
Dr Lennart Brand
Managing Director | Leadership Excellence Institute Zeppelin
lennart.brand@zu.de
+49 (0)7541 6009 1144