CSR requires responsible mindset at all levels, says BGCCI executive director

Executive Director of the Bangladesh German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BGCCI) Daniel Seidl has said that corporate social responsibility requires “a responsible mindset at all levels”.

He was speaking at a leading CSR forum in Germany.
 
“Politicians have to give the framework and enforce law, buyers need to be ethical and pay reasonable prices, factory owners need to strengthen their middle management and think about compliance, HR and environment, and finally customers in Germany need to be educated,” he said.
 
BGCCI is the largest bilateral chamber in Bangladesh.
 
The 11th German CSR Forum was held in Stuttgart on Apr 20 and Apr 21. It is the leading forum on Corporate Social Responsibility in Germany.
 
The forum is themed “Without CSR no business success,” the BGCCI said.
 
More than 800 participants from the private sector, governments, NGOs and universities took part in the conference. 

Prizes have been awarded in six categories for best practices.
 
They include: CO2 avoidance as a contribution to climate protection, gender diversity, exemplary cooperation of a company with NGOs/NPOs, CSR in the supply chain, sustainable urban development and best video on the CSR commitment of a company.
 
Germany is one of the leading destinations for Bangladeshi garments where all products manufactured in Bangladesh have duty-free market access.

The conference also discussed the RGM (ready-made garment) supply chain in Bangladesh.
 
It was suggested that, apart from the policy guidelines, the standards in the supply chain must also improve, BGCCI said.
 
“Companies have their products often manufactured by independent firms abroad and you have no control over whether standards are met,” said sustainability consultant Jan Eggert, former CEO of BSCI.
  
The BGCCI Executive Director said: “At the moment, only the price counts, but this needs to change if we want to have sustainable business models”.