About us
The CSR Risk Check
Customers, governments and civil society organisations increasingly expect companies to do business with respect for people and planet. Companies are demanded to conduct due diligence as required by (upcoming) legislation or the OECD Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct and the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights. Part of due diligence is risk management ; companies are required to identify, prevent and mitigate CSR risks in their supply chain, both upstream and downstream. The CSR Risk Check is an online tool designed to assist you in identifying CSR risks . The tool offers you a quick and straightforward overview of potential CSR risks that you may encounter in your supply chain. Tool usage is free of charge.
About Future Up
The CSR Risk Check was developed by Future Up. Future Up – the platform for sustainable business – champions a business landscape where profit and positive impact reinforce each other. We help companies grow sustainably and stay competitive in a changing economy. Because large-scale market transformation doesn’t happen at the margins; it happens at the heart of the system.The tool was developed in collaboration with Concept7.
About Helpdesk on Business and Human Rights
As part of the German government's support services, the Business & Human Rights Helpdesk provides companies with free, confidential, and individual advice on all aspects of human rights due diligence. The Business & Human Rights Helpdesk is located at the Agency for Economic & Development (AWE). As the first point of contact for initial and referral advice, the helpdesk advisors support companies in making their actions environmentally and socially compatible. Workshops and training courses for companies are also part of the service offering. In addition, the Helpdesk offers various event formats, such as the Berlin Breakfast: Business & Human Rights, which gives companies the opportunity to engage in direct dialogue with associations, ministries, and civil society and to find out about current developments.
To support companies in embedding human rights due diligence along the supply and value chain, the Business & Human Rights Helpdesk offers another free online tool in addition to the CSR Risk Check: the SME Compass. The information portal for SMEs provides concrete guidance and practical tips for implementing due diligence processes. The Business & Human Rights Practice Guide provides useful information and case studies on ten human rights topics.
About UPJ
As a German nationwide non-profit organization, UPJ operates a network of companies and local intermediary organizations, as well as various programs on climate and environment, community investment, pro bono, and sustainable supply chains.
In this way, UPJ aims to promote responsible corporate behavior, corporate citizenship, and cross-sector partnerships in order to overcome social challenges and contribute to sustainable development and equitable change in the economy and society.
About SECO
SECO is the Swiss federal government's center of expertise for all key issues relating to economic and labor market policy. SECO's goal is to contribute to sustainable economic growth, high employment, and fair working conditions by creating the necessary regulatory, economic, and foreign policy framework.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a CSR-Risk?
A ‘CSR risk’ does not refer to a (financial) risk for the organisation, but to a risk related to the topic of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). We define a CSR risk as the potential damage that companies may cause towards people, the environment and society, either by direct involvement, or by indirect contribution via trade partners. It is therefore an externally oriented interpretation of risk (risks for society) rather than a company risk. Causing damage to society could have a negative effect on the company, e.g. reputational damage or financial liability, but those risks will not be discussed in the CSR Risk Check
Internationally accepted CSR-themes include corruption, human rights and environment. This page provides a complete overview of all CSR theme that are included in the CSR Risk Check.
What is CSR Risk Management?
Governments, NGOs and business partners expect from companies to operate with respect for people and planet. Internationally, this is laid down in the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. Companies are urged to identify, prevent and reduce CSR risks in their production processes and supply chain. This approach is also known as ‘due diligence’ or ‘CSR risk management’. We have divided the implementation of CSR risk management into a roadmap with 8 practical steps.
What kind of recommendations does the CSR Risk Check generate?
Based on the same sources that we use to summarize risks by product/service or country, we also write brief recommendations. There are considerably fewer recommendations than risks available, so we make sure that for each theme there is always one generic theme-recommendation with general tips for addressing risks related to that theme.
Would you like more advice for your specific situation? Then contact us via the contact form.
What results do I get from the CSR Risk Check?
The results that appear after completing the three steps of the tool are divided into 22 CSR themes. This report includes all the risks and recommendations in the database regarding the 1) selected country; 2) selected product/service; and 3) country-product combination.
Products and services: There are several levels within the product list. For example, one of the main categories is ‘vegetables and fruit’, under which products are divided into subcategories. If you search for a specific product, like oranges, you will get the results of this specific product AND all product categories where this product belongs to. In this case, the CSR Risk Check will also show the category ‘vegetables and fruit’. If you choose a general product category, you will not receive the information about the underlying products.
Countries: If you only search for a country, you will see the risks from the database for only that country. The results that belong to specific products from that country, will not be shown.
Country-product combinations: If you choose a country-product combination, you will get the results for both this combination, the country-results and the product-results.
Where does the information in the CSR Risk Check come from?
The CSR Risk Check shows briefly described risks identified by us related to countries and/or products & services, on 22 themes. We extract the information on risks (and the related recommendations) from public online sources, so we can refer you to the original source for more information.
Information on CSR risks is not (yet) available for all countries and products, but this does not mean that there are no risks. We are continuously working to ensure that the tool is and remains as exhaustive as possible. If you have any suggestions for interesting tools, or relevant sources for specific countries/products that should be included in our database, please fill out this contact form!
