The Bench Marks
Principles for Global Corporate Responsibility: Bench Marks for Measuring Business Performance – widely known as the Bench Marks - are one of the most comprehensive sets of social and environmental criteria and business performance indicators available.
Developed by ECCR and a global network of faith-based partner organisations, the Bench Marks are drawn from a body of internationally recognised human rights, labour and environmental standards and principles. These include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Labour Organisation conventions, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Society increasingly demands that companies act responsibly across a full range of social and environmental considerations. The Bench Marks therefore set out social and environmental expectations for responsible corporate conduct against which business performance can be measured and reported.
The Bench Marks are used to examine how companies behave in relation to:
- ecosystems
- international, local and indigenous communities in which companies operate
- workplace conditions and employee issues related to women, minority groups, people with disabilities, child labour and forced labour
- suppliers, shareholders, joint ventures/partnerships/subsidiaries, customers and consumers
- financial and ethical integrity.
Now in their third edition (2003), the Bench Marks have raised the bar for measuring and reporting on corporate responsibility policy and practice.
