Responsible Business Forum

Chairman

Mirella Panek Owsiańska

Managing Director

Marzena Strzelczak   

Background information      

Responsible Business Forum in Poland is the largest non-governmental organization in Poland, and an NGO with the longest history of operation in the country (15 years). It approaches the idea of corporate social responsibility in a multifaceted way. The Forum is a think-and-do-tank, which promotes a responsible approach to business in a way which takes into account of the environmental and social impacts. We inspire business that changes the world and provide a meeting place for people who change business. We promote sustainable development.

RBF in Poland co-operates with international organizations: CSR Europe, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, UN Global Compact, Business in the Community, CSR360 Global Partner Network. As the first non-governmental organization in Poland became an GRI Organizational Stakeholder.

Activities

Our main activities are as follows:

Promotion of responsible business

• Annual CSR Conferences
• CSR Market Place;
• Comprehensive website www.odpowiedzialnybiznes.pl;
• RESPO Newsletter;
• Publications on responsible business;
• "Writing about Responsibility" competition for journalist;
• Cooperation with the media (Forbes, Rzeczpospolita, Puls Biznesu, Gazeta Wyborcza and many more).

Support business in introducing the principles of CSR. The Forum helps firms in embedding CSR into practice by:              

• Partnership Program  - a complex cooperation program for firms which includes a professional debate on corporate social responsibility, workshops, meetings, a newsletter, review and projects;
• Diversity Charter in Poland - is a written obligation signed by a company which declares to introduce the prohibition on discrimination in the workplace and decides to undertake measures to create and promote diversity. In Poland, the Charter is coordinated exclusively by RBF.
• "Social Reports" Contest - awards for the best social report in Poland.
• The Polish Vision 2050 - RBF is among the main partners to the Polish Vision 2050 developed in response to the global initiative „Vision 2050. The new agenda for Sustainable Development” put forward by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.            

Working with business to benefit society. In cooperation with business, the Responsible Business Forum has initialized a development program for future executive staff promoting social responsibility as a standard business approach by:                     

• Responsible Business League – a Polish network of student organizations committed to promoting the idea of corporate social responsibility.
• "People who changed business" Award- the first award in Poland for specific business actions undertaken to contribute to socio-economic and environmental change and to implement responsible business standards.

Analyzing and developing responsible business. The Forum leads the way in new trends in CSR and builds a favorable social and political climate for the development of responsible business thanks to the following projects:                    

• "Responsible Business in Poland. Best Practices" Report;
• Research projects – "CSR Managers", "Corporate Social Responsibility: facts and opinions" and more;
• Publications.