The pharmaceutical industry must respond to growing expectations for product safety, the conduct of clinical trials, access to therapeutic care and the environmental impact of medicinal products and manufacturing. Servier Group formalized its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy to integrate and communicate the actions it is taking in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
What is CSR?Corporate social responsibility (CSR) encompasses activities taken by companies, typically those that go beyond legal requirements, to reduce their environmental impact and enhance the social well-being of their employees and members of their communities — and the world. CSR is important as large companies have significant influence over sizable groups of people, from their customer base to politicians, and measurable impact on the environment. With CSR, that influence is used to achieve positive change.
In 2018, many companies are ramping up their activism and investment in issues that impact their employees, customers and communities.1 Some of the areas they are focusing on, according to Susan McPherson, CEO of McPherson Strategies and contributor to Forbes, are workplace harassment and inequality, diversity, privacy and data protection, brand activism, climate resilience and supplier standards.1 She notes: “As 2018 unfolds, it’s likely that companies will continue taking unprecedented action to accelerate social and environmental progress.”
ISO 26000:2010
The International Standards Organization first published ISO 26000 – Social respon-
sibility in 2010.2 This standard consists of a set of voluntary guidelines for implementing a CSR strategy and operating in a socially responsible manner. The goal of the guidance is to help companies understand the principles of CSR and to translate them into programs using best practices. It was developed with input from approximately 500 representatives of various governments, NGOs, companies, consumer groups and labor organizations from around the world.
Why CSR in the Pharma Industry?It is the manufacturer’s responsibility to ensure all medications are produced at the highest levels of quality and safety, using processes with minimal environmental impact. Workers and communities must be protected and supported, and the medications must be accessible to patients. Although most pharmaceutical companies take these responsibilities very seriously — and despite tremendous advances in the treatment of diseases and the exciting promise of next-generation biologic drugs — public perception of the industry has declined in recent years. CSR strategies provide a clear mechanism by which pharmaceutical companies can demonstrate and communicate their commitment to social and environmental issues.
Source: pharmasalmanac
