What does social responsibility mean?
That is for society to decide rather than corporations. Social responsibility must at least mean not damaging society, responding to critical social problems and acting in the social interest. Let’s raise the bar a little. A socially responsible company would have to: • Address climate change Climate change is the major ecological crisis of our time. David King, the UK government’s scientific adviser dubbed it ‘a greater threat than terrorism’153. The UK government has committed to a 60% reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide by 2050 154. At the same time oil companies are constantly exploring to find more oil to burn, energy companies are running gas and coal-fired power stations and pumping more and more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, car companies are promoting gas-guzzling sports utility vehicles and airline companies are taking advantage of the lack of fuel tax to offer cheap flights. A socially responsible company would have to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by cutti
