Development Aspects Impressum Editors

Corporate social responsibility (CSR)

CSR is a self-regulation mechanism integrated with a business model that compa- nies use to comply with ethical standards and international regulations. It is based on close cooperation with stakeholders and integrates all sustainability considera- tions (social, environmental and economic) into business operations. CSR affects the lower portion of the management pyramid and its proper utilization ensures that the changes brought about during the project implementation are properly communicated to the stakeholders of the business.

In the TEST methodology, the sequential introduction and the integration of these five management tools:

1. 
   Gives priority to the preventive approach of cleaner production (systematic preventive actions based on pollution prevention techniques within the pro- duction process) and considers the transfer of additional technologies for pol- lution control (end-of-pipe) only after the cleaner production solutions have been explored. This leads to a transfer of technologies aimed at optimizing environmental and financial elements: a win–win solution for both areas.
   
2. 
   Links the managerial aspects of environmental management to the technologi- cal aspect by introducing tools such as EMS and EMA.
   
3. 
   Puts environmental management within the broader strategy of environmental and social business responsibilities by leading companies towards the adoption of sustainable enterprise strategies.
   

2. TEST implementation roadmap

As described in figure 2, the TEST is implemented in three stages.

First, the project needs to select the participating companies. For this, a pres- entation of the methodology and its past successes is made to a broad range of stakeholders and industrial actors in the region of interest. An initial review of the companies interested is then undertaken in order to identify the best sites for the project implementation. This initial review follows a set of predefined steps in which companies are visited and production and financial data are collected to then allow the project team to select the companies according to a set of objective criteria.

Once the companies have been selected, the second stage is initiated and fol- lows three phases. In the first phase, the CPA and EMA allow the identification of the areas of interest for potential improvement in the industrial process. This also provides the baseline for the environmental and economic performances. Low- costs changes are introduced in the companies where an EMS is already in place. This then is amended to accommodate the new information emanating from the CPA and EMA findings. When there is no EMS, steps are taken for its development.
The second phase starts with a new EMA analysis in order to provide a sec- ond baseline, measuring the environmental and economic benefits of the changes introduced. This is an essential step in order to confirm the interest of the man- agement of the company and ensure their willingness to continue with the more investments-intensive changes needed. These are identified in the application of the EST tool, which assesses the best available technologies and the best environ- mental practices for the industrial process concerned. The project is then imple- mented in close relation with the management of the company in order to match the investment proposed with the means of the company. Several options can be offered but each with clear financial information on the return on investment. The EMA tool provides the necessary financial data. During this phase, the EMS system is either reinforced or implemented depending on the initial situation.