Helsinki, 18 December 2020: FIBS, the largest corporate responsibility network in the Nordic countries and a leading promoter of sustainable business in Finland, has published the Finnish Corporate Responsibility Meter. Its aim is to offer the media and other stakeholders the views of FIBS’s major member companies on current issues related to corporate responsibility and sustainability. The surveys are conducted on topics related to corporate responsibility that arise from the news and public debate. In addition, they include other responsibility issues that are of interest to the general public in light of the latest research or innovations, for example.
More than half of the companies that responded to FIBS’s Finnish Corporate Responsibility Meter estimated that Covid-19 has changed their operating methods somewhat or greatly. Nearly one-third of the companies that responded intend to increase resources for corporate responsibility work next year.
One-fourth of the respondents thought that the Covid-19 virus has changed the way companies implement corporate responsibility a great deal. Every third told that it had changed the operating methods somewhat.
The change in operating methods is visible in practice as investments in the health and safety of employees: for example, risk and emergency plans have been reviewed and safety instructions have been updated, and more attention is paid to hygiene and product safety. The importance of the work on responsibility has increased, and the development measures and safety considerations related to business are emphasized. At the same time, however, the practical work on things like development projects has become more difficult during the pandemic.
More than half of the respondents (57%) think that the resources used for corporate responsibility work will remain the same in 2021. Nearly one third (29%) estimated that their resources will increase.
“Luckily, the coronavirus pandemic has acted as a catalyst of positive changes in the world, which are also reflected in the corporate responsibility activities of companies. According to our first Corporate Responsibility Meter, general interest in issues related to corporate responsibility is increasing, which means that long-term investments in responsibility and against the climate change, among other things, are increasing despite the Covid-19 disease,” says Kimmo Lipponen, the CEO of FIBS.
The Finnish Corporate Responsibility Meter was conducted on 17 November 2020, and 35 heads of corporate responsibility and experts from FIBS’s major corporate members responded to the survey. The panel of respondents to the survey includes heads of corporate responsibility and experts from a total of 45 major companies in Finland. Approximately one half of the panel of respondents represent publicly listed companies.
Full FIBS news story available here
FIBS is a partner of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s (WBCSD) Global Network, an alliance of more than 60 CEO-led business organizations worldwide. The Network, encompassing some 5,000 companies, is united by a shared commitment to provide business leadership for sustainable development in their respective countries and regions.
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Kimmo Lipponen
CEO, FIBS
