CSR: follow in the footsteps of the pioneers

The commitment made at the highest level of government to obtain a label for gender equality and eco-socio-responsible certification as part of the organization of the G7 is a strong signal. Like businesses, public actors cannot ignore the social and environmental challenges of their activities. Form and substance must be consistent. To achieve greater consistency, and therefore greater trust, these actors, large and small, can rely on the voluntary standards we publish and the recognition marks based on published benchmarks.

Once designed to harmonize product specifications and structure electrical or mechanical industries, voluntary standards now provide benchmarks on a wide range of socio-economic issues: vocational training, geographical origin of products, sustainable land use, circular economy, etc. Voluntary standards are curious objects, often mistakenly equated with regulatory constraints, but so useful! A voluntary standard collects and structures best practices, provides a framework for action, reference methodologies, and a common language. Let us salute all those who agree to promote a culture of consensus by sharing their expertise in standardization committees. They are thus close to 19 000 every year, with our help, to co-write the voluntary standards that will be used by the community tomorrow. These standards are intended to reflect current practices, while also serving as a key tool for dialogue and economic intelligence, since 90% of voluntary standards are developed at the European or international level.

Acting through channels

It is no longer enough to do good and say so. As current events have shown over the past decade, self-declarations will always be less reliable than the opinion of an independent and credible third party. Organizations have understood this well, for example when demonstrating their commitments to biodiversity prevention. This mechanism will probably be favored to explain their "raison d'être." The Pacte law on business growth and transformation, which was definitively adopted by MPs on April 11, will encourage them to do so. Many sectors have anticipated these challenges, which are now enshrined in the Civil Code. Construction and agri-food companies were among the first to do so. While not all of them are (yet!) exemplary in this area, some companies are leading the way, as evidenced by their participation in the experimentation of sectoral corporate social responsibility labels, supported by the CSR Platform. Defined by the international standard ISO 26000 nine years ago, the concept of social responsibility of organizations/companies (SRO/CSR) is becoming more and more concrete every day, as evidenced by the now widespread use of the term "stakeholders," which was previously neglected.

The interest generated by the Engagé RSE label also speaks volumes. Awarded to nearly 500 organizations, it demonstrates the urgent need to promote expertise in a spirit of objectivity and impartiality. By including stakeholders in the assessment process, this label provides organizations with a means of questioning their methods, structuring their projects, and reporting on their actions in line with the famous SDGs, the sustainable development goals defined by the United Nations.

Once again, it is up to organizations to decide where they want to place the emphasis in their communications. Why not take the initiative by also highlighting their areas for improvement? The evaluation reports they receive allow them to do so.

Improving, again and again

The primary purpose of the social and CSR labels we award is to encourage organizations to progress by demonstrating the reality and sincerity of their commitments. The Diversity and Professional Equality between Women and Men labels, displayed by companies and several public bodies, are useful tools in this regard. We must continue to raise awareness of them, separating fact from fiction. No, these labels do not indicate that the labeled organization is exemplary in this area. Yes, they signal the existence of a solid foundation and a real commitment to progress by implementing an optimal organization—according to the 250 criteria in the government's specifications—to improve on these specific issues. To verify this, regular independent assessments are carried out. These assessments enable the national commissions for each label to determine whether or not the resources mobilized are sufficient to achieve the objectives set by the label holders themselves.

On this subject, as on many others, there is no single "right way" to do things. Regulation guides organizations toward a more virtuous path—that is a fact. Voluntary standards, like the recognition programs we manage, are useful tools for marking out this path, while leaving room for innovation.