CSR in Supply Chains of Brewing Industry - Technology Management for Sustainable Production and Logistics - page 95

shareholders and employees, but also for the society, environment or suppliers.
Companies must start neutralising the negative effects of their operation and
supporting the principle of sustainable development. This paradigm is realised in
economic practice by the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR). ISO
26000 defines CSR as “an organisation's social responsibility and commitment
to including social and environmental aspects in the decision-making process
and acceptance of responsibility for the effect of the decisions and activity on the
society and environment” (Gadomska-DziǛcioł et al. 2012 ).
It may seem that the conception of corporate social responsibility is another
short-lived fashion for a specific manner of management, similar to the conception
of total quality management (TQM) or knowledge management. Many managers
still approach this subject with distrust, treating CSR activity only as an addi-
tional cost and a waste of time. Their scepticism may also be justified by saying
that they fear changes which implementation of environmental management sys-
tems carries. It should, though, be noticed that economic, social and ecological
responsibility stops being “good practice” and becomes a necessity. The authors
of “Green growth, green development” (Henzelman et al. 2011 ), however, claim
that “similarly to the previous changes, the green revolution will sweep away from
the market those companies, or even whole industry branches, which will miss or
ignore signs thereof (…). The present revolution does not have to influence the
competitiveness of enterprises negatively. They can use it as a springboard to get
to the first league, providing they take active part in transforming the industry and
establishing new rules of the game”.
The conception of socially responsible business is effectively supported by
the United Nations Global Compact initiative inaugurated in 2000 by the UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The UN Global Compact is a “leadership platform
for the development, implementation and disclosure of responsible and sustainable
corporate policies and practices” (UN Global Compact 2010 ).
By means of a wide spectrum of activities, co-operation with the private sector,
non-governmental organisations, scientific institutions and other stakeholders, the
UN Global Compact propagates and supports implementation of ten UNGC prin-
ciples, which have been divided into four areas: human rights, labour, environment
and anti-corruption. With nearly 12,000 corporate participants in 145 countries,
the UN Global Compact is currently the world's largest corporate sustainability
initiative. The UN Global Compact is not a regulatory instrument, but rather a vol-
untary initiative that relies on public accountability, transparency and disclosure to
complement regulation and to provide a space for innovation and collective action
(UN Global Compact 2010 ). The Global Compact initiative is a response to the
rapid globalisation processes, whose negative effects include, among others, deep-
ening disproportions and unsustainable development.
Entrepreneurs aware of the current conditioning actively participate in the
development of business policies based on environmental aspects. A particularly
high level of ecological awareness and a desire to reduce the negative impact on
the environment are demonstrated by the European brewing sector. The largest
European beer producers, also operating on the Polish market, the SABMiller