Corporate Social Responsibilty

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a form of self-regulation which companies integrate into their business operations.

Effective CSR mechanisms allow companies to monitor and adhere to international and national laws, ethical standards and best practices. CSR mechanisms ensure that what can be defined as the public interest is built into the corporate decision-making processes within a company.

Companies with effective Corporate Social Responsibility mechanisms take responsibility for the impact their activities have on communities, employees and the environment.

Corporate Social Responsibility mechanisms may involve a company’s stakeholders – clients and customers – and the company may use an effective CSR mechanism to generate more business from clients and customers who approve of such practices.

In order to formulate effective CSR policies, air cargo and maritime companies which service humanitarian aid and peace-support operations should consider the range of commodities they transport to and from conflict zones and neighbouring regions and what impact these commodities have on the communities affected by their import or export.

In terms of their clients, air cargo and maritime company CSR policies should be aligned to support the principles and objectives of humanitarian aid and peace-support missions to ensure that the aims of these missions are not undermined by other commercial activities undertaken by their logistics partners.

EthicalCargo.org provides CSR training to companies involved in humanitarian aid operations. The United Nations Global Compact provides ten basic principles for committed companies to adhere to, along with a range of online resources and other information.