Is corporate social investment the soul of your business, or just another box to tick? While CSI has become a recognised part of doing business in South Africa, there are still questions being asked about the value that CSI is able to contribute to development and the rationale for its existence. Using mining companies as a case in point, Trialogue’s managing director Nick Rockey talks about the importance of taking CSI beyond superficiality to implement truly developmental programmes that are relevant to your business.
The vast inequalities that exist within South Africa’s economy are currently being brought to the fore through industry and service delivery strikes. Where do you sit on the sliding scale between the haves and the have-nots? We’ve put together a sustainability quiz to ‘test the dream’.
Deutsche Bank’s recent study found “overwhelming academic evidence” that companies with high ratings of CSR and ESG factors are a lower long-term investment risk. While South Africa ranks highly in the world for its level of integrated reporting, how closely does non-financial reporting align to board agendas? Trialogue director Rob Worthington-Smith points out that to ensure the sustainability of SA’s entire economy, business and investors need to deepen their focus on long-term value in order to avoid short term disasters.
Does the media understand sustainability issues? In an interview, Ferial Haffajee tells us she thinks not. Instead, she believes the media needs strengthening on sustainability issues, especially in terms of seeing the linkages between the different aspects of the subject. She also believes companies have a role to play in developing these strengths.
Not surprisingly, in the last quarter our Sustainability Coverage Monitor has seen a sharp increase in negative coverage of the mining industry. This illustrates the seriousness of labour relations in South Africa and, as the year draws to a close, leaves us pondering the importance of labour relations for the sustainability of the SA economy.