SRO Stories

Pathways to Social Responsibility: Successful Practices for Sustaining the Future

The stories shown below are all part of this publication distributed at ASQ’s “Sustaining the Future” A Social Responsibility Event” held on Earth Day, April 22, 2009. They are companies and organizations that have embarked on their own paths to social responsibility, providing a broad spectrum of engagement and business success. You can download the entire publication as a PDF or zipped.

University of Wisconsin Milwaukee

At UWM it was the hearts and minds of its biggest stakeholders–the students–that led the social responsibility charge. From faculty to staff, to committees and student organizations, sustainability is a measure of accountability across campus.

Urban Ecology Center

What started as a grassroots organization formed to prevent crime in a park has led to a social and environmental revitalization in two Milwaukee WI neighborhoods.

Northwestern Mutual

Founded in 1857, it is a mutal company that answers to its policyowners rather than stockholders. The Policyowners’ Examining committee (POEC) was established more than 100 years ago, and annually a five-member group of policyowners spend a week at headquarters where they have unrestricted accss to information.

MillerCoors

Corporate responsibiity and sustainable development are recognized by the company as key to sustainable growth and superior financial performance. Results and progress against responsibilities and commitments are tracked using their Sustainability Assessment Matrix which is based on the Global Reporting Initiative G3 guidelines.

Manpower

In the state of Tamil-Nadu in southeast India, two Manpower Vocational Training Centers helped change the culture. Before the tsunami struck in 2004 women needed permission to leave their homes, let alone hold a job. Now these women are learning new skills and earning as much money as a man.

JohnsonDiversey

As a leading global provider of cleaning and sanitation solutions to schools, the company was inspired to find ways to invest in schools and children worldwide.

Johnson Controls

In 124 years of operations, they’ve learned that the sustainable approach is not ony good for the planet; it’s good for business. The company requires its business units to measure and report on 10 key sustainability strategies.

Intel

Intel emphasizes its belief that corporate responsibility is essential to its business success by publishing a detailed annual report on the goal using the GRI G3 Sustainabiity Standards

Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin

Since 2001, the concept of process improvement and the use of Kaizen have helped Goodwill bring efficiencies and save an estimated $2.8 million per year with Naval Station Great Lakes in Illinois.

Baxter

Baxter measures the ROI of Social Responsibility. On average, Baxter has received a return of about $3 for every $1 it has invested in environmental programs.

Aurora Health Care

Social responsibility is the principle that guides Aurora Health Care’s actions as a not-for-profit to imporve the health and well-being of the communities it serves.