Activists urge companies to fulfil their CSR to save the planet

Local and foreign environmental activists on Wednesday urged all private companies to fulfil their corporate social responsibility by helping to minimize the worst impacts of climate change.

They made the plea at a seminar on 'Mainstreaming CSR Towards Climate Sustainability: Imperatives for South Asia' at the auditorium of Daffodil International University.

The programme was jointly organised by Nature Alliance, DIU, Sri Lanka-based Global Sustainability Solutions, Pakistan-based Responsible Business Initiative, Reed Consulting (Bangladesh) Limited and Bizcare.

Nature Alliance convenor Mohiuddin Babar said that apart from the governments, the private companies should take initiative to help people by discharging their corporative social responsibility to save the world before it was too late.

Babar said it was a basic right of everyone to live in a sustainable environment. 

Reed Consulting (Bangladesh) Limited managing director Rodney J Reed said that in Bangladesh the business companies did not

follow corporate social responsibility which was the main cause of the environmental pollution in the country.

He urged the companies to go for cleaner production to reduce environmental pollutions and save different energies like natural gas and electricity.

Uchita De Zoysa, chairman of Global Sustainability Solutions said though countries like Bangladesh were not responsible for different phenomenon like global warming, these countries were the worst victims of climate changes.

Faiz Shah, head of development management department of Asian Institute of Technology, said the private companies should practise CSR and attain people's trust through responsible business.

Executive director of Responsible Business Initiative, Ambreen Waheed, suggested that some vital organisations like the governments, educational institutions, media, and business bodies should work together against environmental, financial and human rights violations.

The speakers also underlined the need for adopting organic agriculture, solar power, awareness build up from school level and re-plantation of mangrove plants to offset the worst impacts of climate change.

Source : New Age