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Companies of all sizes will soon be able to qualify for a new corporate responsibility kitemark.
The SEE Stamp, which should be available within the next couple of months, has been devised by a private London-based business, SEE Companies, in consultation with non-governmental organizations. Companies interested in qualifying for the stamp will need to fill out a 35-part online questionnaire and pay between £350 and £10,000 ($700–$20,000), according to turnover.
Applicants will have to give further information if asked and to provide evidence to confirm their data. If they satisfy all criteria they will be awarded the stamp for use as a logo on marketing materials, but they will have to seek renewal annually.
Once a company is accredited, its answers will be posted on the SEE Stamp website ‘for public scrutiny’. The questionnaire covers areas such as community relations, human rights, corporate governance, the environment, workplace standards and corporate giving. Many of the criteria have been developed with pressure groups, including the Tax Justice Network and the British Union for the Abolition for Vivisection.
SEE Companies says it will refuse accreditation to any company ‘likely to compromise our ability to establish the SEE Stamp as a widely trusted symbol of business responsibility’. It adds, however: ‘We are prepared to accredit companies with some controversial policies and practices, or a chequered past.’ SEE Companies, which is profit-making, says fees of up to £10,000 are needed for ‘the marketing and development of the initiative’.
Despite several enquiries from EP, representatives of SEE Companies have been unable to provide any details of who is behind the business, how funds for the venture have been raised, or whether any companies have yet shown interest.
The SEE Stamp, which should be available within the next couple of months, has been devised by a private London-based business, SEE Companies, in consultation with non-governmental organizations. Companies interested in qualifying for the stamp will need to fill out a 35-part online questionnaire and pay between £350 and £10,000 ($700–$20,000), according to turnover.
Applicants will have to give further information if asked and to provide evidence to confirm their data. If they satisfy all criteria they will be awarded the stamp for use as a logo on marketing materials, but they will have to seek renewal annually.
Once a company is accredited, its answers will be posted on the SEE Stamp website ‘for public scrutiny’. The questionnaire covers areas such as community relations, human rights, corporate governance, the environment, workplace standards and corporate giving. Many of the criteria have been developed with pressure groups, including the Tax Justice Network and the British Union for the Abolition for Vivisection.
SEE Companies says it will refuse accreditation to any company ‘likely to compromise our ability to establish the SEE Stamp as a widely trusted symbol of business responsibility’. It adds, however: ‘We are prepared to accredit companies with some controversial policies and practices, or a chequered past.’ SEE Companies, which is profit-making, says fees of up to £10,000 are needed for ‘the marketing and development of the initiative’.
Despite several enquiries from EP, representatives of SEE Companies have been unable to provide any details of who is behind the business, how funds for the venture have been raised, or whether any companies have yet shown interest.
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