Thai bourse’s 2012 CSR plan to strengthen companies’ CSR
BANGKOK, February 1, 2012 – Corporate Social Responsibility Institute (CSRI) of The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) and Thaipat Institute announce that their 2012 corporate social responsibility’s (CSR) direction will focus on strengthening listed companies’ CSR activities by providing guidelines and training to cope with natural disasters and other crises.
This year’s CSR plan is under the concept “CSR & Sustainability: Reinforcing your CSR” and is co-organized by Thaipat Institute (The Foundation for Thailand Rural Reconstruction Movement under Royal Patronage).
SET President Charamporn Jotikasthira, said: “A company with good CSR will be able to build strength and sustainability into its business. This is proved by the recent flood crisis, where companies with well-prepared CSR plans gained positive returns to their organizations. Thus, listed firms are now adjusting their CSR plans and activities to cope with unusual situations and emergencies.”
To strengthen listed company’s CSR activities, CSRI and Thaipat have launched “Guidelines for Social Responsibility” and “Guidelines for CSR Report,” which are essential in making CSR activities and reports to investors and all other stakeholders more effectively. CSRI will also provide workshops and other training on how to use the guidelines as working standards.
“Since the flood disaster, the SET has enhanced listed companies’ ability to assist and rehabilitate the victims and society through various channels. The Thai Stock Market Flood Relief Fund, set up by the SET and other capital market organizations, is also assisting flood victims to resume their livelihoods and rehabilitate their dwellings in order to complement the government’s assistance.”
CSRI and Thaipat have also gathered case studies of ten listed companies and the SET in giving aid during the floods in line with the Environment, Society, and Governance standards (ESG). These studies will be gathered and published as “Good Practices and Business Cases” in the second quarter of this year, Charamporn added.
Pipat Yodprudtikan, director of Thaipat Institute, said: “Strengthening companies’ CSR and sustainability is the key highlight to attract companies to pay more attention to their CSR activities, from preparation through risk reduction, response, and recovery to prevent business interruption and damage to stakeholders.
Thaipat has also established an information source, called Thai DRN, to provide knowledge of disaster management and post-disaster rehabilitation for the private sector, under the “Build Back Better” concept. It also promotes a green economy, which is based on sustainable development and an ecological economy. Green economy will be a key agenda item of the United Nations conference on sustainable development, or Rio+20, in June.
For more information of CSR & Sustainability in 2012 and related issues, please read the “Six CSR & Sustainability directions in 2012” report by Thaipat Institute, call 0 2930 5227, email info@thaipat.org, or visit www.thaipat.org
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