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Corporate social responsibilityPosted: 25 Jan 2006
There is a growing awareness in business that environmental issues are only part of the sustainability equation and that social and developmental aspects also fall within companies' sphere of responsibility.
As a result, issues like population, corruption and poverty are starting to appear on the business radar, as corporations realise that their future growth and market success depends to a large extent upon having a healthy, wealthy, educated labour force and customer base to draw on.
The following key facts affect this need:
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- Programmes to provide immunization for all children in the developing world would cost annually $3 billion, $5 billion to eradicate illiteracy and $37 billion to provide clean water and sewerage systems.
- A World Bank study projects that on average 1.8 million people will die annually between 2001 and 2020 due to air pollution.
- By 2010, the United Nations EnvironmentProgramme expects there to be some 50 million environmental refugees worldwide.
- In 2003, socially responsible investing totalled $2.63 trillion worldwide, of which $2.16 trillion was in the US.
- In 2004, US aid spending amounted to $20.7 billion, of which over a quarter went to four countries, Israel, Egypt, Columbia and Jordan, none of which are among the poorest countries in the world.
Source: Worldwatch Institute, Vital Signs 2005
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