Chinese city looks at CSR certification

Authorities in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen are considering the introduction of some kind of CSR certification scheme for local companies after concluding that corporate responsibility practices among businesses there are in need of swift improvement.

According to a study from the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Labour and Social Security, while there are some examples of good CSR in the city, notably from larger companies such as Pingan (insurance), Vanke (property) and Huawe (telecoms), corporate responsibility is not generally strong among firms based there, especially small and medium sized enterprises, which make up the majority of businesses.

A survey of people in the city found that a fifth thought CSR performance in Shenzhen was ‘poor’ , while half felt it was only ‘average’. The report says that most CSR problems in Shenzhen relate to bad labour relations, with many companies still forcing employees to work overtime and providing less than one day-off per week.

The Shenzhen municipal authorities say that as a result they are planning to draft a CSR certification scheme for local businesses later this year.