AIT hosts landmark CSR Asia Summit 2008

AIT President
Prof. Said Irandoust addresses
capacity crowd at the CSR Asia Summit 2008 opening session.

Watch the summit online here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjRDgwGqDew

CSR is good for Asian business in
uncertain economic times, keynote speakers stress

For two days last week the Asian Institute of Technology was the
final destination for representatives of global corporate giants and
civil society who arrived en masse to participate at the CSR Asia
Summit 2008, Asia’s most notable annual conference on the issue of
corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Organized by Hong Kong-based partner CSR Asia, the two-day conference
hosted by AIT Extension from 3-4 November brought together over 350
participants from Europe, North America and Asia, representing wide
array of social enterprises and private sector interests interested in
advancing the cause of CSR in the region. AIT was the first academic
institution in Southeast Asia to host the annual
summit.

Sponsors for the summit included Hewlett-Packard, Coca Cola,
DHL, TOTAL, PTT Public Company Limited, Government Savings Bank, and
Asian Development Bank (ADB), Provincial Electricity Authority of
Thailand, UBS, Schulich School of Business, York University, The
Bangchak Petroleum Public Company Limited.

Amid the looming threat of a global economic downturn,
organizers said corporate social responsibility (CSR) has never been
more important in Asia. Indeed, this was a key message of
the opening session which saw the AIT Center Auditorium
filled to capacity. CSR projects aimed at alleviating poverty, tackling
climate change and fighting disease are vital and will increasingly be
recognized in determining a company’s brand, reputation and overall
competitiveness in the Asia Pacific region, speakers told
participants.

On day one of the summit titled “CSR: The next agenda: pushing the
boundaries of environmental and social responsibility,” prominent
speakers from corporate giants Coca-Cola, Hewlett-Packard (HP), CSR
Asia, as well as the president of AIT, and a former Thai ambassador,
all spoke of the need to push-forward efforts for CSR in Thailand and
across the region.

As host of the event, the president of the Asian Institute of
Technology, Prof. Said Irandoust, welcomed the wide cross-section of
attendees and sponsors and explained AIT’s ambition to be the regional
academic thought-leader for addressing pressing social challenges such
as climate change, environmental degradation and poverty.

The unfolding global economic crisis and its potential
adverse implications for CSR region-wide struck a chord with
participants attending the conference on the first day. “Those
companies that are able to engage with innovative and meaningful CSR
initiatives are likely to better weather the economic downturn than
those ignoring social responsibility,” CSR Asia Chairman, Dr. Richard
Welford, told the large opening day audience.

Fellow keynote speaker Mr. Kasit Piromya, a former Thai
ambassador to five countries and current chairman of Thailand’s Good
Governance Promotion Association, called on the Thai public and private
sectors to deepen their commitment to transparency, accountability and
public disclosure. He also felt governments needed to take the lead in
encouraging companies to adopt CSR practices and to ensure improved
governance standards, telling the international audience that “Asian
governments must make CSR a matter of official national
policy.”

The event also introduced Coca-Cola’s “water neutrality” concept
for reducing its water usage, and recycling and replenishing fresh
water sources to support efficiency in its operation. “As a company
that operates in all but two of the world’s countries, responsible use
of water is integral to our entire global operation,” explained
American Mr. Greg Koch, managing director, Global Water Stewardship,
Coca-Cola, who added his pleasure to be at AIT and to be a sponsor of
this years’ CSR Asia Summit.

Mr. Ernest Wong, supply chain social and environmental
responsibility program manager for Hewlett-Packard, a platinum sponsor
for the conference, agreed that good CSR is good for the corporate
bottom line, saying his firm aims to be not only a world leader in
market and financial performance but also in terms of global
citizenship. “Good environmental awareness is good for business,” he
said.

The cutting-edge nature of the summit’s topics was augmented by
its commitment to achieving carbon-neutrality. Each international
delegate arriving in Thailand was required to purchase
renewable energy offsets to ensure a zero carbon footprint for the
event, Dr. Welford explained. Carbon offset sponsors were Anemone Green
Capital, Climate Care, RESET (HK) Ltd.

Another highlight was the launching of CSR Asia’s CSR
Business Barometer report, which for the first time ranked
companies in the Southeast Asia region
according to their state of CSR disclosure.

The event also attracted a large number of supporting partners
such as APCO Worldwide, the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand,
The Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia
(ASrlA), Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), The British
Chamber of Commerce Thailand, Manpower, The Climate Group,
ChinaCSR.com, Crossroads, CSRchina.net, Edelman, Ethical Performance,
The Hong Kong Council of Social Service, KMAR, Syn Tao, Taiwan
Association for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR Taiwan) Worldwide
responsible Accredited Production (WRAP).

About CSR Asia

CSR Asia is the leading provider of information, training,
research and consultancy services on sustainable business practices
in Asia. Operating as a dynamic social enterprise, CSR Asia
occupies the unique middle ground between civil society
organizations and fully commercial consultancies. This enables us to
provide independent and cutting-edge services and expert insight into
the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) issues facing companies
in Asia. Across the region, CSR Asia builds capacity and
promotes awareness of CSR in order to advance sustainable development.
For more information, please visit www.csr-asia.com.

Opening session speakers, from
left, Prof. Said Irandoust, President of AIT;
Erin Lyon, Executive Director, CSR Asia; Ernest Wong, Supply Chain
Social
and Environmental Responsibility Program Manage,
Hewlett-Packard; Kasit
Piromya, Chairman, Good Governance Promotion Association; Greg
Koch,
Managing Director, Global Water Stewardship, Coca-Cola; Richard
Welford,
Chairman, CSR Asia

CSR Chairman Richard Welford opens the CSR Asia Summit
2008