Corporate Social Responsibility in Poland during the COVID-19 Pandemic and UN Sustainable Development Goals

Ewa Jastrzębska

Abstract


Theoretical background: In 2015, the UN announced 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which set global lines for action by 2030. It is quite common to believe that the COVID-19 pandemic will negatively affect the implementation of SDGs. Business is both a partner and a recipient of SDGs and without its involvement achievement of sustainable development is not possible. In addition to the studies on business activity in the pandemic era, initiatives collecting good business practices have begun to emerge. One of them is the action called #BiznesReagujeOdpowiedzialnie of Responsible Business Forum.

Purpose of the article: An attempt to assess Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) business leaders’ actions in Poland undertaken in response to socio-economic consequences of COVID-19 pandemic, made from the point of view of the concept of corporate social responsibility and the UN SDGs.

Research methods: A critical analysis of literature on this subject and web research.

Main findings: Actions of Responsible Business Forum’s strategic business partners are primarily an ad-hoc and direct response to the pandemic, focused on the groups most affected. While some actions will certainly have positive long-term effects, it is currently difficult to assess their long-term netto effect on sustainable development.


Keywords


sustainable development; UN Sustainable Development Goals; business; good practices; COVID-19 pandemic

Full Text:

PDF (Język Polski)

References


Bremmer, I. (2020). The Best Global Responses to COVID-19 Pandemic. Time, June 12.

CarbonBrief. (2020). Analysis: Coronavirus set to cause largest ever annual fall in CO2 emissions. Pobrane z: www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-coronavirus-set-to-cause-largest-ever-annual-fall-in-co2-emissions

Carlowicz, M. (2020). Nitrogen Dioxide Levels Rebound in China. Pobrane z: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/146741/nitrogen-dioxide-levels-rebound-in-china

Clift, K., & Court, A. (2020). How are companies responding to the coronavirus crisis? Pobrane z: www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/how-are-companies-responding-to-the-coronavirus-crisis-d15bed6137

Deloitte. (2020). Aż 91 proc. członków kadry kierowniczej odczuwa wpływ zmian klimatu na funkcjonowanie ich biznesu. Pobrane z: https://www2.deloitte.com/pl/pl/pages/press-releases/articles/biznes-a-zmiany-klimatu.html

Du Pisani, J.A. (2006). Sustainable development – historical roots of the concept. Environmental Sciences, 3(2), 83–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/15693430600688831

Duer, J. (2020). Pomógł opanowywać koronawirusa, teraz się rozpanoszy. Tak właśnie cofamy postęp. Pobrane z: https://wyborcza.pl/7,155290,26075457,pomogl-opanowywac-koronawirusa-teraz-sie-rozpanoszy-tak.html

Edwards, G. (2020). To prevent the next pandemic, we must transform our relationship with nature. Pobrane z: https://medium.com/@WWF/to-prevent-the-next-pandemic-we-must-transform-our-relationship-with-nature-c42ce9dffc62

Emond, L., & Maese, E. (2020). Evolving COVID-19 Responses of World’s Largest Companies. Pobrane z: www.gallup.com/workplace/308210/evolving-covid-responses-world-largest-companies.aspx

European Commission. (2001). Green Paper. Promoting a European framework for Corporate Social Responsibility, 18.07.2001, COM(2001) 366 final.

FOB. (2020a). Biznes zaangażowany w walkę z pandemią. Pobrane z: http://odpowiedzialnybiznes.pl/aktualno%C5%9Bci/biznes-zaangazowany-w-walke-z-pandemia

FOB. (2020b). Główne działania Grupy Kapitałowej LOTOS dot. przeciwdziałania rozpowszechnianiu się koronawirusa. Pobrane z: http://odpowiedzialnybiznes.pl/aktualno%C5%9Bci/glowne-dzialania-grupy-kapitalowej-lotos-dot-przeciwdzialania-rozpowszechnianiu-sie-koronawirusa

FOB. (2020c). Jakie dobre praktyki realizuje biznes w dobie pandemii koronawirusa? Nowa infografika Forum Odpowiedzialnego Biznesu. Pobrane z: http://odpowiedzialnybiznes.pl/aktualno%C5%9Bci/jakie-dobre-praktyki-realizuje-biznes-w-dobie-pandemii-koronawirusa-nowa-infografika-forum-odpowiedzialnego-biznesu

FOB. (2020d). Mapa zaangażowania biznesu w obliczu pandemii koronawirusa. Pobrane z: http://odpowiedzialnybiznes.pl/aktualno%C5%9Bci/biznesreagujeodpowiedzialnie-mapa-zaangazowania-biznesu-w-obliczu-pandemii-koronawirusa

FOB. (2020e). Międzynarodowi liderzy biznesowi uruchomili inicjatywę na rzecz ożywienia po COVID-19. Pobrane z: http://odpowiedzialnybiznes.pl/aktualno%C5%9Bci/miedzynarodowi-liderzy-biznesowi-uruchomili-inicjatywe-na-rzecz-ozywienia-po-covid-19/?fbclid=IwAR3s5V5rJfy-4NrWEgyNKIigG0BOpuyODmGo98DrcXby03wFBzaV3cq85V4

FOB. (2020f). Reakcje firm na epidemię COVID-19. Pobrane z: http://odpowiedzialnybiznes.pl/aktualno%C5%9Bci/?src=3065&y=2020

FOB. (2020g). Robot dezynfekujący opracowany przez Siemensa wspiera walkę z koronawirusem. Pobrane z: http://odpowiedzialnybiznes.pl/aktualno%C5%9Bci/robot-dezynfekujacy-opracowany-przez-siemensa-wspiera-walke-z-koronawirusem

JUST Capital. (2020). The COVID-19 Corporate Response Tracker: How America’s Largest Employers Are Treating Stakeholders Amid the Coronavirus Crisis. Pobrane z: https://justcapital.com/reports/the-covid-19-corporate-response-tracker-how-americas-largest-employers-are-treating-stakeholders-amid-the-coronavirus-crisis

Komisja Europejska. (2011). Komunikat Komisji Do Parlamentu Europejskiego, Rady, Europejskiego Komitetu Ekonomiczno-Społecznego i Komitetu Regionów. Odnowiona strategia UE na lata 2011–2014 dotycząca społecznej odpowiedzialności przedsiębiorstw, KOM(2011) 681 wersja ostateczna.

KPMG. (2017). The road ahead. The KPMG Survey of Corporate Responsibility Reporting 2017. Pobrane z: https://assets.kpmg/content/dam/kpmg/xx/pdf/2017/10/kpmg-survey-of-corporate-responsibility-reporting-2017.pdf

Kruczkowska, M. (2020). Tajskie miasto Lopburi opanowały małpy. Napadają na ludzi i okradają sklepy. Pobrane z: https://wyborcza.pl/7,75399,26073224,tajskie-miasto-lopburi-opanowaly-malpy-napadaja-na-ludzi-i.html

Kumi, E., Yeboah, T., & Kumi, Y.A. (2020). Private sector participation in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Ghana: Experiences from the mining and telecommunications sectors. The Extractive Industries and Society, 7(1), 181–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2019.12.008

Latapí Agudelo, M.A., Jóhannsdóttir, L., & Davídsdóttir, B. (2019). A literature review of the history and evolution of corporate social responsibility. International Journalof Corporate Social Responsibility, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40991-018-0039-y

LePan, N. (2020). Visualizing the History of Pandemics. Pobrane z: www.visualcapitalist.com/history-of-pandemics-deadliest

Nawrot, R. (2020). Szczury Poznania zmieniły swoje zachowania podczas epidemii. Pobrane z: https://poznan.wyborcza.pl/poznan/7,36001,26043500,szczury-poznania-zmienily-swoje-zachowania-podczas-epidemii.html

OECD. (2020). Global economy faces a tightrope walk to recovery, says OECD. Pobrane z: www.oecd.org/coronavirus/en

ONZ. (1991). Nasza wspólna przyszłość. Raport Światowej Komisji do spraw Środowiska i Rozwoju. Warszawa: PWE.

ONZ. (1992). Agenda 21. United Nations Conference on Environment & Development Rio de Janerio, Brazil, 3 to 14 June 1992.

ONZ. (2015). Przekształcamy nasz świat: Agenda na rzecz zrównoważonego rozwoju 2030. Rezolucja przyjęta przez Zgromadzenie Ogólne w dniu 25 września 2015 r. Pobrane z: www.unic.un.org.pl/files/164/Agenda%202030_pl_2016_ostateczna.pdf

Patrick, S.M. (2020). Another Victim of COVID-19: Sustainable Development. Pobrane z: www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/28732/another-victim-of-covid-19-sustainable-development

PKN. (2012). Norma PN-ISO26000. Wytyczne dotyczące społecznej odpowiedzialności. Warszawa.

PwC. (2015). Make it your business: Engaging with the Sustainable Development Goals. Pobrane z: www.pwc.com/gx/en/sustainability/SDG/SDG%20Research_FINAL.pdf

Sachs, J., Schmidt-Traub, G., Kroll, C., Lafortune, G., Fuller, G. & Woelm, F. (2020). The Sustainable Development Goals and COVID-19. Sustainable Development Report 2020. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Scher, I. (2020). The first COVID-19 case originated on November 17, according to Chinese officials searching for “patient zero”. Pobrane z: www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-patients-zero-contracted-case-november-2020-3?IR=T

Scheyvens, R., Banks, G. & Hughes, E. (2016). The Private Sector and the SDGs: The Need to Move Beyond ‘Business as Usual’. Sustainable Development, 24(6), 371–382. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.1623

Schönherr, N., Findler, F. & Martinuzzi, A. (2017). Exploring the Interface of CSR and the Sustainable Development Goals. Transnational Corporations, 24(3), 33–47. https://doi.org/10.18356/d3e73f33-en

Seetharaman, M., & Gallucci, J. (2020). How Global 500 companies are utilizing their resources and expertise during the coronavirus pandemic. Pobrane z: https://fortune.com/2020/04/13/global-500-companies-coronavirus-response-covid-19-pandemic

Tisdell, C.A. (1996). Sustainable Development and Environmental Conservation: Major Regional Issues with Asian Illustrations. Working Papers on Economics, Ecology and the Environment, 5.

UNDESA. (2020). World Economic Situation And Prospects: April 2020 Briefing, No. 136. Pobrane z: www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/publication/world-economic-situation-and-prospects-april-2020-briefing-no-136

UNDP. (2020a). Brief #2: Putting the UN Framework for Socio-Economic Response to COVID-19 into Action: Insights. Pobrane z: www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/covid19/Brief2-COVID-19-final-June2020.pdf

UNDP. (2020b). COVID-19 and human development: assessing the crisis, envisioning the recovery. Pobrane z: http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/covid-19_and_human_development_0.pdf

UNGC. (2013). Corporate Sustainability and the United Nations Post-2015 Development Agenda. Pobrane z: https://d306pr3pise04h.cloudfront.net/docs/news_events%2F9.1_news_archives%2F2013_06_18%2FUNGC_Post2015_Report.pdf

UNGC. (2016). Zrównoważone miasta. Życie w zdrowej atmosferze. Pobrane z: https://ungc.org.pl/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/GC_ZM_www_060117.pdf

UNIDO. (2020). Coronavirus: the economic impact – 26 May 2020. Pobrane z: www.unido.org/stories/coronavirus-economic-impact-26-may-2020

UNSDG. (2020). Shared responsibility, global solidarity: responding to the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19. Pobrane z: https://unsdg.un.org/sites/default/files/2020-03/SG-Report-Socio-Economic-Impact-of-Covid19.pdf

WBCSD. (2020). SDG Sector Roadmaps. Pobrane z: www.wbcsd.org/Programs/People/Sustainable-Development-Goals/SDG-Sector-Roadmaps

WHO. (2020a). Shortage of personal protective equipment endangering health workers worldwide. Pobrane z: www.who.int/news-room/detail/03-03-2020-shortage-of-personal-protective-equipment-endangering-health-workers-worldwide

WHO. (2020b). WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Dashboard. Pobrane z: https://covid19.who.int/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw0Mb3BRCaARIsAPSNGpUaZo25LqMmlHbNByZYs_YPr-nscivMn_W9zqTNS2pzBf_UcElpRu0aAkymEALw_wcB

WHO. (2020c). WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19. Pobrane z: www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020

WHO. (2020d). WHO Timeline – COVID-19. Pobrane z: www.who.int/news-room/detail/27-04-2020-who-timeline---covid-19

Wyszkowski, K. (2020). Kolejne pandemie pojawią się na pewno. Patogeny są wszędzie. Rozmarzająca zmarzlina może być zabójcza. Pobrane z: https://next.gazeta.pl/next/7,173953,25887918,kolejne-pandemie-pojawia-sie-na-pewno-patogeny-sa-wszedzie.html

Yunus, M. (2020). Nie planujmy odtwarzania gospodarki po koronawirusie. Zaprojektujmy ją od nowa.Odpowiedzialny biznes. Kompendium CSR, 22, 10–11.

Zanten, J.A. van, & Tulder, R. van (2018). Multinational enterprises and the Sustainable Development Goals: An institutional approach to corporate engagement. Journal of International Business Policy, 1 (3–4), 208–233. https://doi.org/10.1057/s42214-018-0008-x

Zikic, S. (2018). A modern concept of sustainable development. Progress in Economic Sciences, 5, 143–151. https://doi.org/10.14595/PES/05/009




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17951/h.2021.55.3.51-65
Date of publication: 2021-11-24 12:10:15
Date of submission: 2021-01-08 13:54:22


Statistics


Total abstract view - 1502
Downloads (from 2020-06-17) - PDF (Język Polski) - 0

Indicators



Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2021 Ewa Jastrzębska

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.