Organising corporate social responsibility in international product chains

This article focuses on how companies can efficiently implement corporate social responsibility in international product chains by taking into account the particularities of their supply chain relationships. The way in which companies can organise chain responsibility will depend on both the diversity and the complexity of the product chain, the power of the company in the chain and the level of ambition set. On the basis of these four factors, a step-by-step plan has been developed to offer guidance to companies in choosing their own appropriate way of organising chain responsibility. In developing this plan, use was made of the experiences of 12 companies who participated in the programme entitled ‘CSR in an international context’ organised by CSR Netherlands.