CSR Europe is the leading European business network for corporate social responsibility with around 70 multinational corporations and 36 national partner organizations as members. The organization was founded in 1995 by senior European business leaders in response to an appeal by the European Commission President Jacques Delors. It has since grown to become an inspiring network of business people working at the very forefront of CSR across Europe and globally.CSR Europe’s network of national partner organizations brings together 36 membership-based, business-led CSR organizations from around 30 European countries. In total, the network reaches out to over 5,000 companies throughout Europe.
In October 2010, CSR Europe launched a joint Enterprise 2020 initiative to address societal challenges through collaborative action and shape the business contribution to the European Union’s Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Since its launch, Enterprise 2020 has become the reference initiative for the ideal company of the future and forms the umbrella for all CSR Europe activities.
Based on a shared vision of the enterprise of the future, Enterprise 2020 is a reference initiative for companies committed to developing innovative business practices and working together with their stakeholders to provide solutions to societal needs.
In the context of the EU’s Europe 2020 strategy, this initiative highlights the contribution that businesses can make to achieve the EU goals for building a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy delivering high levels of employment,productivity and social cohesion by 2020.
Enterprise 2020 aims at addressing the local, national, European and global challenges which are increasingly bringing into question our current patterns of living, working, learning, communicating, consuming and sharing resources.
Today’s companies are expected to develop their business strategies based on an understanding of how the world will and should look like in the future. Through Enterprise 2020, CSR Europe also aims to provide value added services to members that will not only restore faith in corporate leadership, but will allow for continuous improvement and the transition to a sustainable economy.