TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD COMMISSION ON ENTERPRISE, BUSINESS FACILITATION AND DEVELOPMENT EXPERT MEETING ON BEST PRACTICES AND POLICY OPTIONS IN THE PROMOTION OF SME-TNC LINKAGES GENEVA, 6-8 NOVEMBER 2006 PAPER SUBMITTED TO THE EXPERT MEETING* “There are a lot of voices speaking out about corporate social responsibility today.” by Mr. Ton van Lier General Manager, Central Europe The Timberland World Trading GmbH _________________ * The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of UNCTAD. “There are a lot of voices speaking out about corporate social responsibility today.” The Timberland Company Timberland designs, develops, engineers, markets and distributes premium quality footwear, apparel and accessories products for men, women and children under the brand names Timberland, Timberland PRO, Smartwool, Timberland Boot Company, Mion and Go-Lite Thehas Timberland Company Timberland a passionate commitment to engagement as a means of building sustainable, transparent and authentic relationships that inform and enable sustainable social and environmental change Timberland believes in the power of this engagement as a true vehicle of transformative change and industry leadership The Timberland Company “A bunch of passionate people who try to make life better for those who have anything to do with the brand. Either because they develop the product, they produce the product or they market the product. Either because they buy and use the product or they happen to be part of the community in which Timberland operates” CSR Defined (Loosely based on the Boston College description) Minimize Risk: Reduce negative consequences of business operations to stakeholders Maximize Benefits: Contribute to societal and economic well-being Be Accountable to Stakeholders: Build relationships with stakeholders and be responsive to their concerns Incorporate CSR into Decisionmaking: Integrate values into all operational decisions CSR Strategic Planks Global Human Rights: Environmental Stewardship: Community Involvement: Employer of Choice: Global Human rights Protecting Workers' Rights in our Supply Chain Code of conduct Assessment Results From Compliance Audits to Partners in Remediation Local Partnerships Help us commit our limited resources where they'll do the most good 148,000 workers effected Global Human rights & Partnerships - - Food Assistence Program Physically Challenged Employment Program Promoting a Healthy Workplace and Cohesive Community Social Accountability Program for China Continuous Improvement in the Central American Workplace Life Skills Training Integration of the Timberland Code of Conduct into the factory's internal management system - Verite Mobile training program - Enhancing the quality of life for Pou Yuen Factory workers assigned to Timberland products - CEPZ Corp Pilot Project - Continuing Education and job skills training Global Human rights “More engagement is needed by all actors – buyers, suppliers and the public sector – to implement better business practices in more efficient, sustainable, and humane work environments” Kevin M. Burke, President and CEO, American Apparel and Footwear Association Environmental Stewardship Reduce our Carbon Footprint Collaborating to minimize Chemical Use Resource Consumption Identifying the ingredients for social responsibility Employer of Choice Focus on Internal Development Opportunities Employee satisfaction Diversity Improving Health & Safety Community Involvement Keep stakeholders (Employees, Customers, Consumers, Business partners, other socially responsible organizations) informed, inspired, engaged and active in social service, build civic leadership Path of Service Individual Projects, Serv-a-Palooza, Earth Day Investing in the Community through Partnerships e.g. Share our Strength, Building with books, ETVA Escuela Timberland de Vela Adaptada, Berwaldprojekt e.V. September, 2006 This chart aggregates our collective impact around the globe: GLOBAL IMPACT outdoor space conserved or cleaned TOTAL 22,542 sq yards EQUIVALENT CONVERSIONS 13 Miles waterways cleaned 3,329 sq yards 2 Miles recreational trail built or refurbished 8,185 sq yards 5 Miles interior or exterior walls painted 90,775 sq feet 17 Miles area painted with new murals 11,271 sq feet 2 Miles 1,252 people will directly benefit from new or improved housing 3,151 children will benefit from 5 new outdoor classrooms & 23 playgrounds ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY UK: London 1776 HOURS 222 volunteers restored a pond area by introducing rich soil and planting indigenous plants HUMAN SERVICE Paris, France 30 volunteers built educational trails to help disabled people strengthen their navigation skills 240 HOURS HUMAN SERVICE Singapore 374 HOURS 55 volunteers worked with Habitat for Humanity’s Operation Homeworks project in Singapore to clean and renovate homes of the elderly COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION Taiwan 501 HOURS 50 volunteers led children from a local shelter in a fun day of activities and service COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION Turkey Class room BEFORE 1224 HOURS AFTER 153 Volunteers refurbished a primary school with programs for autistic children COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION Argentina 40 volunteers renovated a local school 320 HOURS COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION Brazil 440 HOURS BEFORE AFTER 88 volunteers helped a non profit organization create an onsite thrift store to generate income COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION Venezuela 424 HOURS 53 volunteers renovated a school in La Asuncion COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION BEFORE Clean Up India 840 HOURS AFTER Clean Up For our first SAP project in India, 40 volunteers cleaned 20 tons of trash and helped build a sustainable road through the area COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION Zhuhai, China 3817 HOURS 257 volunteers worked on two schools and one orphanage to make it better near Zhuhai COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION Zhuhai, China 1497 HOURS 107 volunteers refurbished classrooms and the facilities at Shan Jiao School COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION Zhuhai, China 440 HOURS 40 volunteers improved facilities at a local orphanage ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY Chiba, Japan 441 HOURS 49 volunteers preserved and restored a natural forest by cutting a rice field BEFORE AFTER COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION Germany 35 volunteers restored art work and fixtures in a community park 245 HOURS COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION Dominican Republic 1,060 volunteers worked on twelve projects renovating schools and facilities for community partners 8,480 HOURS COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION Belgium 181 volunteers improved facilities at a school for underprivileged children 1,448 HOURS COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION South Africa 402 HOURS 65 volunteers planted trees and helped renovate a community park HUMAN SERVICE Hong Kong 675 HOURS 75 volunteers created a special day of fun activities at a school for mentally challenged children Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean Ryunosuke Satoro What kind of footprint do you leave?