Working with industries
Most large companies in the UK and worldwide take responsibility for the environmental impact of their operations. This is part of what is known as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which basically means that a company is actively responsible for the impact of its activities on customers, employees, shareholders, communities and the environment.
Over the past 12 years or so, CSR has become an integral part of company life.
Quality of life
It goes beyond any legal requirement, say, on dumping waste, or health and safety. It means that companies need to take further steps to improve the quality of life for employees and their families, as well as for the local community and society at large.
The UK Government runs a CSR website which encourages industry and business to match up to high CSR standards. Business Link, part of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, also has its own website which encourages UK businesses to understand the environmental impact of their activities.
Business in the Community, an independent business-led UK charity, runs a Corporate Responsibility index which provides a systematic approach to managing, measuring and reporting on business impacts in society and the environment. It also runs training courses for companies who want to implement CSR in the workplace.
What UK companies are doing to help the environment
Some of the UK's largest companies are heavily committed to reducing the effects of their operations on the environment. Their activities range from reducing use of water and producing socially beneficial forestry products, to 'clean' paint-spraying operations and saving large amounts of CO2. Visit their sites below to see what they have been working on:
Environmental scrutiny of business and industry
The Corporate Responsibility (CORE) Coalition and the FTSE4Good Index Series scrutinise UK companies' environmental performance.
The first, CORE, campaigns for tougher UK laws as it does not believe there are enough rules in place to reduce the impact of businesses on society and the environment.
The second, the FTSE4GoodIndex, measures the performance of companies which meet globally-recognised corporate responsibility standards.
Climate change
There are a number of organisations associated with business and industry that are concerned about the impact of climate change, including the Energy Saving Trust and the Climate Group. Find out more in our climate change section.
