Global corporate responsibility (placeholder)
There is currently no appropriate indicator for illustrating global corporate responsibility.
In accordance with the provisions of the German Commercial Code, some large corporations have already been reporting on non-financial aspects in their reviews of operations since 2006, including issues such as environmental and labour concerns in so far as they are relevant to their business situation and company results. The so-called CSR Directive 2014/95/EU, to be implemented by December 2016, provides for reporting to be expanded and extended to include other social issues such as human rights, corruption and equality.
Many German companies have been involved with CSR activities and reporting for a number of years. In some cases, non-governmental organisations are allowed to study their supply chains and evaluate them or create rankings. Environmental reports in the form of audited "environmental declarations" have been available to view in Germany's EMAS register since 1995. The Round Table for Sustainable Palm Oil has even made available maps of certified cultivation areas as open data.
Standards for corporate sustainability reports are provided by the German Sustainability Code drawn up by the Council for Sustainable Development and supported by the federal government (this Code is increasingly attracting attention in Europe), and by the Global Reporting Initiative.
As part of the National Action Plan for Business and Human Rights, in future businesses will be required to make a regular survey of the implementation status of the elements contained in the Action Plan.