Many responsible enterprises are acting in concert｜A replay of exciting moments at Zizhu National Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone CSR Forum

In the afternoon of Aug. 26, 2016, the inauguration of the CSR Alliance of Zizhu National Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone (the Alliance) and the first CSR forum is held at the convention center.

Shanghai Zijiang Foundation is among the sponsors of the Alliance.

Chen Lin, General Secretary of Zijiang Foundation, points out that most of the enterprises at Zizhu National Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone have carried out varied CSR activities for a long time. In order to join together individual acts to deliver collective power, Zijiang Foundation, among others, launches the Alliance to encourage more enterprises to fulfill their social responsibilities. The Alliance has 18 founding members so far. To make it clear, the Alliance is an open organization and welcomes any responsible enterprise and entrepreneur at Zizhu to join in.

“To be frank, this is my first participation in such a CSR alliance at a high-tech park, and this alliance is initiated by a corporate foundation,” says Zhu Ya, Director of the Department of Foundation Management, Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau. The charity sector is growing into a gallant horse from a pony. National total receipts from donations have risen to RMB 100 billion by 2014 from RMB 10 billion in 2006, and the number of Shanghai-based foundations has increased to 297 to date from 149 in 2014. The number has doubled over just two years, suggesting an inflection point in economic and social development.

Zhu Ya points out that the most important and essential function of a corporate foundation is funding, to drive more enterprises to take part in charity programs; second, it should play a leading role, helping more than one hundred enterprises grow and shaping a sound charity culture at Zizhu; third, it should explore innovations in charity models at Zizhu.

Zhang Jiantao, Greater China and South Korea VP of Coca Cola , shares CSR cases of this multi-national giant.

Coca Cola put together a sustainability team six years ago and stepped into its 2.0 era of sustainability. Public health, community development and environmental protection are three sustainability topics Coca Cola focuses on.

Zhang Jiantao cites the water replenishment project at Coca Cola in particular. Water is the source of life to this beverage giant. In 2004, Coca Cola mapped out three global water resource strategies, that is, Reduce Water Consumption, Recycle and Replenish Nature, 3Rs. It pledges to replenish an equivalentvolume of water used in its manufacturing processes back to communities and nature by 2020. In the Yellow River drainage area, the Yangtze River drainage area and the Haihe River drainage area, among other key drainage areas, Coca Cola is working with its partners on a wide range of water resource conservation projects. I am even more proud that Coca Cola China met100% water replenishment goal as early as in 2014 and 121% water replenishment goal last year. We use water, but meanwhile we return every drop of water used in production back to nature. Every one is so proud from the bottom of our heart……

Jiang Yuan, Chairman of Shanghai PNC Systems Co., Ltd, also talks about how a private enterprise should perform CSR on the forum.

We are very small and so are not doing these things in a systematic way, with a purpose, but we are involved in micro practices. We believe the ultimate aim of CSR is not being seen. I would rather take on CSR as a quiet and nice thing. As long as it makes sense, we will do it. We spent our budget for the ten-year anniversary on a hope primary school, on activities for kids at Zizhu and on NGO youth competency program, among other things. All of these things are done by our staff spontaneously and willingly. We are a group of right people doing the right things. Do something worthing!

Liu Quanzhong, President of CGN Design Institute, Shanghai Branch, shares a central enterprise’s CSR strategy.

China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) has a full-time organization responsible for CSR work and a member of the Party Committee taking charge of CSR. In 2015, we spent RMB 17 million on poverty relief; organized 270 charity events; and created jobs for local residents in our nuclear power plant construction and operation at the Bohai Bay and South China Sea. We are aware that the more powerful and the bigger you are, the more responsibilities you have. We wish to grow into a sharer and leader from a participant in CSR.

Before and after the event, in the interviews by Zijiang Foundation, Yu Zhihong, Editor in Chief of China WTO Tribune, Xing Hexiang, Director of Office of Liaison, ECNU and Xing Yuhui, VP of Shanghai Wicresoft Co., Ltd, elaborate on the significance of the Alliance and their advice. The content of exciting interviews of more insiders will be pushed next week. Please follow us.