More centres for corporate social responsibility planned

Mariarosa Cutillo (left), Director of Valore Lociale, Mani Tese, with P. Murari, Advisor to FICCI president at the ‘India & Tuscany, Italy perspectives’ workshop in Chennai. Photo: R. Ragu

Having created a Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility (CCSR) in Tirupur for textiles, the Province of Tuscany in Italy will set up CCSRs for other sectors in India and Italy too, said Mariarosa Cutillo, Director of Valore Lociale, Mani Tese, on Tuesday.

“Established in September 2009 on a pilot basis, this Centre will run for three years. Its impact will be assessed mid-way. We also have a similar Centre in Florence. After seeing the results, we will replicate it for other supply chains,” she told The Hindu.

Addressing a workshop on ‘trends and challenges of CSR India & Tuscany, Italy perspectives,’ organised by FICCI, she said that the primary objective was to promote corporate social responsibility as a business tool among Italian garment companies and their supply chain factories located at Tirupur-Coimbatore region and others parts of the country. On February 25, a seminar will be held in Italy on the outcome of this workshop.

Noting that only seven or eight small firms were part of the CCSR initiative, she said the Centre provided training and service facilitation to build knowledge capacity of medium and small firms that were willing to invest in Tirupur textile units. However, more companies should join the initiative to make it successful.

“Many of the supply chain factories in Tamil Nadu are yet to adopt CSR practices in terms of improving social and environmental standards at workplace. There is a need to build awareness on Corporate Social Responsibility and its importance as a business tool in the changing world of exports,” said P. Murari, Advisor to FICCI president.

He also said that the bilateral trade between India and Italy was set to double to reach $16 billion in 2016 from $8 billion registered up to December 2009.

N. Casmirraj, senior faculty, Loyola Institute of Business Administration said that large and good companies should serve the people with humility and they should not trumpet it.

“All large and good companies have high social consciousness, they provided education and healthcare and it was considered philanthropy. Government can’t provide infrastructure, so the companies should take it up as a responsibility to serve the society,” he said.