RBF Poland: Discover Poland’s Largest Overview of CSR & Sustainability Initiatives

The Polish CSR Network Responsible Business Forum has released “Responsible Business in Poland. Good practices” Report. The 20th edition of the annual report offers the largest overview of Poland’s CSR & sustainability initiatives with 1,677 actions taken by 283 organisations.

Marzena Strzelczak, President & General Director of the Responsible Business Forum, says:

“We are happy to see that there is more and more interest in the report and readiness among companies to share their good practices in the area of sustainability. This means more inspiration for everyone to act and cooperate, and a better insight about responsible business in Poland.“

The activities presented in the RBF’s report are grouped on the basis of the ISO 26000 standard:

Community involvement and development (544 good practices): The most popular category in this area was “Charity & philanthropy”. There has been significant growth in the “Sustainable cities” category, which had the highest representation of good practices of all editions of the report.
Labour practices (420 good practices): Nearly one-fifth of all practices notified for this area concerned the mental and physical health of employees and their families. Practices notified in the well-being area included webinars, training events, and presentations, e.g. on a healthy lifestyle.
Environment (395 good practices): Traditionally, environmental education practices represented the most voluminous group in this category. Many of those involved field activities, such as clean-ups in the neighborhood or national parks. the total number of good practices grew by one-fourth. The need to address the biodiversity crisis is one of the major challenges faced by the business.
Human rights (102 good practices): For this area, the highest number of practices were notified in the “Women in business” category - aimed at supporting women in their career decisions, inspiring their development and supporting gender equality in the workplace. The “Policies & procedures” category shows that diversity management and the creation of an inclusive workplace become more and more important. Many organisations decided to formalize their diversity & inclusion principles and emphasize their commitment, e.g. by signing the Diversity Charter.
Organisational governance (80 good practices): In this area, most practices were management-oriented; the companies’ main focus was on developing strategies in fields such as climate, CSR, ESG or responsible business. These topics also evolve towards the creation of new functions and teams responsible for the implementation of objectives laid down in strategic documents. Certification-related aspects in the sustainable development area were also important.
Consumer issues (71good practices): “Health and safety” was the most represented category in this area, with similar figures for “Educational measures”, which might be further sub-divided into “savings and home budget management”; “proper nutrition and meal planning”; “safe and responsible use of modern technologies”; “proper handling of waste electrical and electronic equipment”; and “responsible consumption”.
Fair operating practices (65 good practices): Most practices in this area focused on market education. The second most-represented category addresses supplier and stakeholder relations. Only one entity notified an abuse-prevention project, which shows that this area has a significant potential for growht.