It was a real treat attending the Merton Chamber of Commerce – Business Masterclass Series: Succeeding in Sustainability, especially as Alex Hughes Owner at Auxilium Business Consulting, was an expert panel speaker.

The event was held at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, or Wimbledon Centre Court as I know it.

Alex was joined by Hattie Park, Sustainability Manager AELTC and Alexander Woolf, Chief Operating Manager at Romulus. The discussion focused on how SME’s can start (and continue) their sustainability journeys. The session provided encouragement and inspiration to the many delegates that attended. CSR Accreditation are also delighted to support both Alex and Merton in supporting the chambers members.

Thanks also to Charlotta Harbour for the invitation, much appreciated.

CSR-A run the only CSR Accreditation scheme in the UK and now operate globally.
The CSR Accreditation is an effective way to benchmark what you are already doing with regard to environmental and social responsibility. It is a process in which you collate, measure and report on your organisation’s environmental and socially responsible activities. An accreditation will also provide you with a sustainable roadmap for planning future activity.

This is a fully holistic and inclusive approach that allows for all organisations – private, public and third sector and is for all sizes from sole traders to large corporations. It employs a white paper approach that promotes an organisation’s individuality.

The application process provides a simple and straightforward template where you record activity against the Social Responsibility ‘Four Pillars’ of environment, workplace, community and philanthropy. Each Social Responsibility Pillar is designed to help you impact report on areas such as energy performance, recycling, staff engagement, health and well-being, community engagement and support for local and national charities.

The establishment of a CSR Accreditation is a crucial component of a company’s competitiveness and something that should be led by the business itself. For companies, the overall aim is to achieve a positive impact on society as a whole while maximising the creation of shared value for the owners of the business, its employees, shareholders and stakeholders.