Chairman's Message
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) matters at BSI.
Our people are conscious that what we do impacts on the world we live in and, in light of this, we have some major decisions to make.
However, it is only over the past 2 years, since we started looking at the impact of our business in the world that we have started to truly understand just how central it is to our identity. So embedded are the ethics and separate elements of CSR in our work, that we tend to think of it as business-as-usual.
But normal is not enough. We strive for excellence, to go far beyond the legislative requirements, and have the corporate nerve to do what we think is right. As a major player in our marketplace, we have a responsibility to exert our influence wherever we do business, to take the lead and contribute to positive action. Ethics must play a major part in driving our financial decisions and our quest for excellence.
With CSR, we are working towards long-term objectives and impacts. And we have to live in the real world where we are in the business of doing business, not a perfect fantasy version. But if we set the agenda, prioritise objectives and drive progress, year-on-year, we can all make a very real and practical difference.
Over the past couple of years, our focus has been on health & safety, on our own environmental impact and on our people, all of which are of material importance to the BSI group of companies. As you will see from our annual CSR report, we have made progress but we understand we have much further to go.
We believe that, rather than walking away from challenges, we should instead take a leadership role in raising both awareness and standards. Our responsibility does not start and finish within our own business. For instance, the development of our GuestAware™ programme demonstrates our understanding that, in addition to getting our own house in order, perhaps the biggest impact we can make is by influencing our supply chain. The programme enables our customers make informed decisions about what hotel they stay in or which venue to use for the annual sales conference, based not just on price, but on their CSR credentials as well.
CSR is not a public relations exercise. Not only is it extremely important for the wider society and also for the reputation and financial health of organisations like the BSI group of companies, but the greatest value is in the pride we are able to take in our own work. Our integrity and the collective trust of our colleagues, customers and communities are at stake.
Simon Milsted
Contact Us
To contact us regarding CSR, please email
csr@bsi.co.uk