Corporate Social Responsibility Standards

The Minnesota Principles
Under the auspices of the Center for Ethical Business Cultures, this document was developed by a group of business leaders to foster the fairness and integrity of business relationships in the emerging global marketplace. As a statement of aspirations, The Minnesota Principles are not meant to mirror reality but to express a standard against which our often inadequate performance can be held accountable. They grow out of the experience and values of Minnesota Business leaders. We believe they also fairly represent ethical values arising from the culture of North America. 

• The Minnesota Principles
  Toward An Ethical Basis For Global Business
  A project of the Minnesota Center for Corporate Responsibility ~ 1992

• Telling The Minnesota Story
  The Minnesota Principles Attract Interest Around The World
  James J. Renier ~ Chairman, MCCR Board ~ 1994

Bellagio Principles
The Bellagion Principles deal with four aspects of assessing progress toward sustainable development and serve as guidelines for the whole of the assessment process including the choice and design of indicators, their interpretation and communication of the result. The principles should be applied as a complete set.  They are intended for use in starting and improving assessment activities of community groups, non-government organizations, corporations, national governments, and international institutions.

Caux Round Table Principles for Business
The Principles for Business outlines common international standards for business ethics and conduct. The Principles is a statement of the Caux Round Table (CRT), an organization of senior business leaders from the United States, Europe and Japan. The concept for the Principles originated with CEBC (then known as the Minnesota Center for Corporate Responsibility - MCCR) in a document titled The Minnesota Principles: Toward an Ethical Basis for Global Business. Subsequently, CEBC led the effort to incorporate the Japanese concept of kyosei (living and working together) and secure endorsement by the Caux Round Table. CEBC assists the CRT in raising global awareness of the Principles.  

CERES Principles
The CERES Principles provide a framework within which decisions affecting the environment can be made in full cognizance of a company's values. 

Global Reporting Initiative
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is a multi-stakeholder process and independent institution whose mission is to develop and disseminate globally applicable Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. These Guidelines are for voluntary use by organisations for reporting on the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of their activities, products, and services. The GRI incorporates the active participation of representatives from business, accountancy, investment, environmental, human rights, research and labour organisations from around the world. Started in 1997, GRI became independent in 2002, and is an official collaborating centre of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and works in cooperation with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Global Compact.

Global Sullivan Principles
The Global Sullivan Principles of Social Responsibility is a code of conduct built on a vision of aspiration and inclusion. The Principles are inclusive in that they embrace businesses' existing codes of conduct and work in conjunction with them. The aspiration of the Principles is to have companies and organizations of all sizes, in widely disparate industries and cultures, working toward the common goals of human rights, social justice and economic opportunity.

OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
The Guidelines constitute a set of voluntary recommendations to multinational enterprises in the areas of employment and industrial relations, human rights, environment, information disclosure, combating bribery, consumer interests, science and technology, competition and taxation.

United Nations Global Compact
In an address to The World Economic Forum on 31 January 1999, United Nation Secretary-General Kofi Annan challenged business leaders to join an international initiative – the Global Compact – that would bring companies together with UN agencies, labor and civil society to support ten in the areas of human rights, labor, the environment, and anti-corruption. The Global Compact seeks to advance responsible corporate citizenship so that business can be part of the solution to the challenges of globalization.

• United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Center for Ethical Business Cultures

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Business Partnering with the University of St. Thomas - Minnesota