Using corporate social responsibility benchmarking framework to identify and assess corporate social responsibility trends of real estate companies owning and developing shopping centres

Shopping centres that include retail activities have come in for criticism as to their environmental, architectural and social impacts. However, the sector has been applying corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. In an attempt to identify the best practices regarding CSR and trends therein we developed a CSR benchmarking of companies from the real estate sector owning and developing shopping centres. Based on information from websites, annual, environmental and sustainability reports, and customer services department’s information, in 2004 and 2010, a comparative CSR benchmarking was performed on 23 real estate companies with shopping centres based in Europe, China, Australia and the USA. The CRS benchmarking framework focused on reported CSR practices and included categories and sub-categories of evaluation in four domains: (1) external results, (2) internal results, (3) management processes and (4) learning and innovation. The framework was inspired by the sustainability balanced scorecard structure. The United Kingdom real estate sector’s companies studied did relatively well when evaluated by the framework used in this study. The highest ranked real estate companies applied sustainable or environmental buildings standards and did show a commitment to transparency and CSR disclosure. The positive evolution of CSR practices in the 23 companies studied in 2004 and 2010 may reflect efforts to improve competitiveness and the reputation of the companies with shopping centres through CSR initiatives.     

Organising corporate social responsibility in international product chains

This article focuses on how companies can efficiently implement corporate social responsibility in international product chains by taking into account the particularities of their supply chain relationships. The way in which companies can organise chain responsibility will depend on both the diversity and the complexity of the product chain, the power of the company in the chain and the level of ambition set. On the basis of these four factors, a step-by-step plan has been developed to offer guidance to companies in choosing their own appropriate way of organising chain responsibility. In developing this plan, use was made of the experiences of 12 companies who participated in the programme entitled ‘CSR in an international context’ organised by CSR Netherlands.     

Gold mining in Australia: linking historical trends and environmental and resource sustainability

The mining of gold has been and continues to be an important aspect of Australian industry. Gold mining moved quickly from fossicking and alluvial sources in the 1850's to hard rock mining. This paper presents, arguably for the first time, a detailed historical compilation of Australian gold mining production data. This data is then analysed in the context of sustainability, focussing particularly on mineral resource sustainability and the broader aspects of environmental impacts now commonly reported by some mining companies in annual sustainability performance reports. The key trends which are demonstrated by the data include a long-term decline in ore grade, increased open cut mining, substantive increases in tailings and waste rock production, as well as showing the impact of new technologies and economics on available gold resources. The available environmental data on material and energy inputs to and pollutant emissions from gold production is also presented, showing a clear sensitivity to ore grade. In terms of sustainability, these relationships raise significant issues such as increasing greenhouse footprint per unit gold produced, potential impacts on energy and water consumption, as well as overall gold resource sustainability. The paper presents a unique case study of the resource and environmental sustainability of the Australian gold mining sector with major implications for sustainability policy and reporting.     

Environmental reporting in a developing country: a case study on status and implementation in Malaysia

With the increase in awareness of environmental issues, the level of environmental disclosure and stakeholder demands for environmental information is increasing. New developments in the ISO 14000 standards also make it more evident that a company's environmental performance as well as its environmental reporting should be considered as strategic issues in business strategy. Especially for a developing country like Malaysia, many companies are under external pressures to improve their environmental performance.In this study, a review on the image and environmental disclosure, together with the challenges in environmental information management and a short case study are presented. Subsequently, the paper explores some of the strategic implications of environmental reporting as an important tool for improved environmental management.     

Corporate environmental management and regulation of mining operations in the Cyclades,Greece

The mining industry plays an important role in the local economy in many islands of the Cyclades, contributing significantly to overall growth. However, it has simultaneously caused many environmental problems and has had adverse impacts upon other important economic activities, such as tourism. As a result, questions have been raised as to whether mining should be allowed to continue. This paper assesses the mining operations of the Cyclades, examining the corporate environmental management of mining companies and the process of granting permission for mining operations. Specifically, the regulatory and environmental problems of mining operations are assessed, and the process of obtaining a ‘social licence to operate’ is explored. A number of recommendations are made in order to overcome regulatory inefficiencies and promote corporate environmental management in the mining sector of the Cyclades.     

The emperors new clothes: Sustainable mining?

Over the last few years, the idea of ‘sustainable mining’ has, thanks to industry sponsorship, been working its way into the agenda of many international processes. There is now a push in many countries to invite in multinational mining companies with the idea that there is a “new, sustainable mining” which is different from the old, bad practices of the past. Yet, what has actually changed in the industry to match this shift in rhetoric? From the perspective of mine-affected communities nothing seems to have changed. Their land is still being taken from them without giving their free, prior and informed consent, and they are suffering the same ill effects on their ways of life, health and environment. This paper will illustrate how under this rhetoric, the mining industry ‘emperor’ has the same old naked ambitions.     

Integrating the environmental and sustainable development agendas into minerals education

Changing public perceptions of the environmental acceptability of mining and minerals processing facilities have changed the industry and mining schools have started to respond by adding environmental content to their minerals curricula. Proactive and preventive environmental strategies, including Cleaner Production and sustainable development, are preferred but mining and minerals processing companies and mining schools generally have limited know-how in those areas. Vice versa, Cleaner Production specialists generally have limited experience in the mining and minerals processing sectors, and should endeavour to employ their expertise and know-how to address the environmental and sustainable development challenges in those sectors. The critical task for mining schools is to educate environmentally literate graduates who are able to recognise potentially adverse impacts of mining and minerals processing on the environment and to contribute from a sound background in geology, mining or metallurgy, to the characterisation, minimisation and management of these environmental impacts. This paper focuses on integrating the environmental and sustainable development agendas in minerals tertiary education. It highlights trends in employers' recruitment criteria and in minerals curricula, and argues in favour of strengthening the environmental component of minerals curricula. The paper provides a framework for integrating the environmental and sustainable development agendas in minerals tertiary curricula. Integration of environmental aspects into core disciplinary courses, by means such as environmental examples, cases and problem-solving tasks, is critical to make environmental literacy programmes successful.     

Mining,water and human rights: making the connection

The minerals industry interacts with water in many different ways that can affect the environment and communities. In the context of emerging debates about the status of access to water as a distinct human right and the mining industry’s engagement with human rights discourses, this article highlights points of disconnection between technical, scientific and engineering-based approaches to water management on the one hand and human rights perspectives on the other. We argue that greater understanding and emphasis on the intersecting nature of water and human rights is important from a sustainable development perspective. Better connections will increase the likelihood that mining companies will respect human rights, avoid or mitigate adverse social and environmental risks that occur through their interaction with water and collaboratively identify water-related development opportunities. Discursive, organisational, political and conceptual barriers of these various disconnects are considered and strategies for strengthening points of connection provided.     

Cleaner production in Danish fish processing – experiences,status and possible future strategies

Danish fish processing industry has been one of the pioneers regarding implementation of cleaner production and environmental management systems. This article describes the experiences with cleaner production (CP) among leading Danish industries producing pickled herring and canned mackerel. The article emphasizes two case studies of ‘first mover’ companies, but data from other ‘proactive’ companies are also included.The article provides an overview of different types of CP solutions, improvement potentials, synergistic effects and possible trade-offs. The development of the applied solutions from the late 1980s until today are analysed and recommendations to future strategies at company level and policy level are provided.It is concluded that significant environmental improvements have been obtained for the analysed companies – especially concerning reductions in water consumption, wastewater emissions, and utilisation of fish ‘waste’ for valuable by-products. Still, more focus could be placed on the reduction of energy consumption, change of packaging types, and environmental impacts in other stages of the products life cycle.Authorities and companies have mainly focused on on-site reductions of wastewater emissions, but life cycle assessments show that more attention should be given to the reductions of environmental impacts in other parts of the product chain, e.g. fishing operations and transport as well.     

The mining industry and the regulatory framework in Madagascar: Some developmental and environmental issues

This article offers a critical analysis of some of the issues associated with the emerging mining sector in Madagascar, within the context of the redefinition of the role of the State. First focusing on the development model elaborated by the World Bank and its influence on the adoption of a new mining code in Madagascar, the analysis demonstrates that it is difficult for the sector's new legislation to allow the Malagasy State to manage the social and environmental aspect of the mining industry.     

日照市环保部门对环境检测机构的监管与研究

近年来,随着环境检测市场的放开,社会化检测机构的数量急剧增加.日照市环保局通过探索,在对社会环境检测机构监管方面,摸索提出了"出台管理办法-实行服务承诺-落实项目报备-执行全过程监督检查-持续信息公开"的监管模式,简述了日照市环保局在监管过程中发现的社会环境监测机构普遍存在的问题,并就环保部门以后如何对社会环境检测机构进行监管、规范环境检测市场提出了对策和建议,即:实行环境检测资质行政许可、采取从业人员准入制度、建立信用监控体系和信息化管理服务平台.     

上市公司环境信息披露的模式研究

分析了由于社会责任、公司声誉、法律与政策压力等,导致越来越多的公司自愿或被迫进行环境信息披露。阐述了环境信息披露必须采用适当的披露模式,披露的模式影响披露的质量,决定了是否满足信息使用者决策的需要。提出定性描述和定量披露模式相结合,强制性与自愿披露模式相结合,公开和秘密模式相结合,由独立环境信息披露向综合环境信息披露模式过渡是环境信息披露发展的道路。     

Sustainable development policies in Canada's mining sector: an overview of government and industry efforts

This paper provides an overview of mining sustainable development policy-making in Canada. In addition to documenting the important efforts made by the Canadian government, some of the more recent initiatives undertaken by the Canadian mining industry are highlighted. Following years of sustainable development research and careful planning, the Canadian government finally drafted the national Minerals and Metals Policy of the Government of Canada: Partnerships for Sustainable Development (1996), which sets out the Canadian government's role, objectives, and strategies in areas of jurisdiction for making the concept of sustainable development operational in its mining industry, and seeks to create a legacy that Canadians can pass to future generations. Since its implementation, the primary response of both national mining organizations and selected Canadian mining companies to the challenge of sustainable development has been improved planning, and the development of policies that address key environmental and socioeconomic issues and which build upon the principles addressed in the Minerals and Metals Policy of the Government of Canada. It is concluded that most of the attempts made thus far by both the government and the mining industry to address mining sustainable development through policy-making have been major successes, but further improvements can be achieved if additional industry-government partnerships are formed, more community workshops are held, and selected environmental management practices are researched and developed.     

Qualitative evaluation of three ‘environmental management systems’ in the New Zealand wine industry

The wine growing industry is increasingly important to the New Zealand economy and increasingly its marketing is associated with the country's ‘clean and green’ image. Over 60% of New Zealand's wine companies have adopted at least one of three main environmental management systems: Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand, ISO 14001 and Bio-Gro. We undertook a qualitative, survey based, comparative evaluation of these systems within 15 wine companies. The key findings are that while each system appears to have its own strengths, in general, no one environmental management system is better than the other. However, implementation of an industry specific system, for example SWNZ, in combination with a generic process-based system, for example ISO 14001, aids in the development of a more sustainable wine industry.     

Incorporating sustainability into supply management in the automotive industry – the case of the Volkswagen AG

Companies are perceived as important actors in the drive for sustainability. Linked to this, and in response to increasing demands from various stakeholder groups, companies start to look at their supply chain to enhance their overall sustainability profile. Two major triggers can be identified: (1) focal companies are held responsible for environmental and social problems caused by their suppliers, which become more and more important as (2) an increasing share of value is created at the supplier level. In response to such demands, companies have to find ways to incorporate environmental and social aspects into their supply (chain) management. Therefore, environmental and social standards are integrated into supply management by amending the purchasing processes. This paper presents one approach to integrate social and environmental standards into supply policy and supply management at the Volkswagen AG, a focal company of the automobile industry. Therefore, required changes of the sourcing and supply structures were identified during an action research project, and possible options adaptable for company internal integration are shown.     

上市公司环境信息披露法律研究——以环保部门的监管为视角

随着环境信息公开制度的建立和公众知情意识的觉醒,人们对环境信息公开的呼声越来越高。不仅政府基于其环境监督管理的职能需要公开环境信息,企业基于对环境产生影响也需要依法公开环境信息。而上市公司作为具有特殊地位的企业,其在环境信息披露中的重要性不可小觑。近年来屡屡发生的上市公司环境污染事件也一再提醒环境监管部门和广大社会公众,亟需对上市公司环境信息披露进行有力监管。本文试从环境保护监管部门的角度论述目前法律法规对上市公司环境信息披露在披露内容和披露方式上的不足和改进建议。期望能引起环境保护部门和上市公司相关部门的注意,从而推动上市公司环境信息披露制度的不断完善。     

Anatomy of a buzzword: The emergence of ‘the water-energy-food nexus’ in UK natural resource debates

The existence of a water-energy-food ‘nexus’ has been gaining significant attention in international natural resource policy debates in recent years. We argue the term ‘nexus’ can be currently seen as a buzzword: a term whose power derives from a combination of ambiguous meaning and strong normative resonance. We explore the ways in which the nexus terminology is emerging and being mobilised by different stakeholders in natural resource debates in the UK context. We suggest that in the UK the mobilisation of the nexus terminology can best be understood as symptomatic of broader global science-policy trends, including an increasing emphasis on integration as an ideal; an emphasis on technical solutions to environmental problems; achievement of efficiency gains and ‘win-wins’; and a preference for technocratic forms of environmental managerialism. We identify and critique an ‘integrative imaginary’ underpinning much of the UK discourse around the concept of the nexus, and argue that attending to questions of power is a crucial but often underplayed aspect of proposed integration. We argue that while current efforts to institutionalise the language of the nexus as a conceptual framework for research in the UK may provide a welcome opportunity for new forms of transdisciplinary, they may risk turning nexus into a ‘matter of fact’ where it should remain a ‘matter of concern’. In this vein, we indicate the importance of critique to the development of nexus research.     

An exploration of measures of social sustainability and their application to supply chain decisions

Sustainability recognizes the interdependence of ecological, social, and economic systems – the three pillars of sustainability. The definition of corporate social responsibility (CSR) often advocates ethical behavior with respect to these systems. As more corporations commit to sustainability and CSR policies, there is increasing pressure to consider social impacts throughout the supply chain. This paper reviews metrics, indicators, and frameworks of social impacts and initiatives relative to their ability to evaluate the social sustainability of supply chains. Then, the relationship between business decision-making and social sustainability is explored with attention initially focused on directly impacting national level measures. A general strategy for considering measures of social sustainability is proposed, and a variety of indicators of CSR are described. Several of these indicators are then employed in an example to demonstrate how they may be applied to supply chain decision-making.     

新疆哈密地区煤化工产业发展中的环保问题

近年来中国能源、化工产品的需求出现了高速增长,煤化工行业的发展对于缓解中国石油、天然气等优质能源供求矛盾有重要意义,促进钢铁、化工、轻工等其他行业发展,也有重要的作用。在哈密地区的六大矿区内,预测及查明含煤区面积只占矿区总面积的52％左右,规划面积仅占矿区总面积的19％左右。近一半面积的资源未进行勘查,有8成以上面积的资源未列入规划,在哈密地区煤炭资源开发利用有极大的操作空间。煤化工产业是一个高污染、高安全要求的产业,每个生产环节都会产生各种污染物,大多有毒有害但无法回收,稍有不慎还可能造成重大环境安全事故,因此煤化工产业发展必须和环境保护并行。