The Body Shop back into the rinse of CSR

The 2005 Ceres Conference "Building Equity, Reducing Risk" presented current examples of efforts by companies to improve their web-based reporting. In Thursdays last session, the persevering few were able to act as the most intimate of user-groups for Gap, Baxter International and GM as their respective officers presented their CSR/sustainability reports.

Rikke Jarvad Netterstrom is ethical policy manager at The Body Shop. The Body Shop International Plc is a retail franchise with an established network of franchisees that own and operate approximately 70% of TBS stores worldwide. It has an (overshadowing) presence of a founder Anita Roddick who is regarded as a leader in SRI, but recently suffered a stagnant business phase. TBS Franchisees and their business partners are required to live up to the values of The Body Shop International Plc as described in our trading charter and mission statement. Franchisees are also expected and encouraged to participate in global values campaigns.

While halting sustainability reporting seven years ago due to disinterest, TBS has revised the approach going back to reporting in Oct. 2003 Body Shop finances go back to ethical roots. The revised site is trying to figure out:
1. How to drive traffic to the sustainability site and who the audience is
2. What the audience wants
3. How to stay fresh and relevant without costing an arm & a leg.

Apparently still in beta format, we were not able to see the new website. It is interesting to know how the revised site and its role will fit TBS targets for 2005-2006 year for their many franschisees (although the US stores were bought back)
1. Review all ethical policies hierarchy and indicate franchisee responsibilities - Feb 2005
2. Consult franchisees on the development of global KPIs on our values performance - Feb 2005 3. Develop and offer a "service package" on values (e.g. training, publications, values for a), in consultation with franchisees - Feb 2006
4. Explore and consult with franchisees on appropriate Franchisee governance system, e.g. elected advisory committees/boards or Ombudsman function - Feb 2006

Until we see the new site with its indicators for demonstrating performance, the US specific site references the approach of bringing the SR factors directly to the consumer at the point of sale. The current US site references the current campaign against violence in the home. TBS Australia offers the direct link of CSR to business model with the (self-reported) national in-store survey during June 2004 which led to donating $1 to state/territory domestic violence support organisations for every completed customer survey received by TBS Australia. Based on an updated web page TBS reported 3844 customers returned surveys in 2004 resulting in donating $3844 to refuges around Australia. TBS Australia is "one of very few companies in Australia to conduct a stakeholder-driven social auditing process that is independently audited and publicly disclosed". In 2004 TBS Australia commenced their fourth auditing cycle which will be published in May 2005.

For SRI analysts the real test of relevance will be in the quality and quantity of CSR indicators and the authentication of whatever reports are made by a third party.