Educating responsible leaders

By Dimitris Yannopoulos, “Athens News”

SERVING as a unique social entrepreneurship model, EuroCharity is a thriving, values-based, independent firm that acts as a catalyst for change in the fields of corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainability and green economy.

It was established in Athens in 2006 by Peter Michel Heilmann, from the Netherlands, who has lived in Greece for the past 18 years. The firm now has an office in Brussels and a worldwide network of members, partners and friends.

Heilmann remains an international social entrepreneur, experienced matchmaker and dealmaker in the green economy for almost two decades and one of the world’s pioneers in the concept and practice of “green business”.

In 1994, he co-founded Eco-Network, one of the world’s first green business-to-business networks with a mission to be “the most effective and hands-on matchmaker of green, clean-tech, renewable energy, zero-waste, climate-resilient and resource-efficient projects, ventures and investments in the regions of South-East Europe and the Mediterranean”.

Returning profits
“EuroCharity is not an NGO or a non-profit organisation but a profit-making, Greek-based social enterprise that thrives in challenging times by ploughing back into the local and international communities the profits from its social and environmental services,” Heilmann told the Athens News in an interview.

“It annually funds hard-needed, not-for-profit projects in Greece that make an impact, with special focus on children, social care, the elderly, refugees, the protection of endangered species, the natural environment and biodoversity,” he noted.

The firm has also financed 12 charitable projects carried out by EuroCharity’s NGO members to date.

All this is made possible, according to Heilmann, by offering innovative online and offline services to a “rapidly expanding family of more than 470 members, clients and partners” — including several multinationals — from the corporate, financial, public and academic sectors, as well as civil society, making the company “the reference point for sustainability in Europe”.

Subscription fees
The company’s earnings come from annual subscription fees paid by a network of members using the regular services that EuroCharity offers, including the right to have their own micro-site on its portal (www.eurocharity.eu), one of the largest such portals in Europe.

“Members can put up in our portal anything related to their CSR, civil society or sustainability activities and they also benefit from participating in our forums and conferences as well as figuring prominently in our yearbooks,” said Heilmann.

By contrast, EuroCharity’s clients pay normal service fees for discrete services including information and guidance offered to facilitate synergies among members and clients and between the corporate and civil society initiatives (NGOs, citizen protection groups and so on).

The company is dedicated to being a 100% “carbon-neutral” firm, Heilmann noted, which entails reducing or avoiding carbon emissions first so that only unavoidable emissions are offset by renewable energy use.

Yearbook on leadership
The publication of EuroCharity’s Yearbook, now in its fifth year, “aims at highlighting critical issues and helping galvanise public opinion into positive action”, said Heilmann.

This year’s theme for the yearbook was leadership for sustainability, because “leadership, more than ever, is needed to create more just, sustainable socio-economic systems, and a viable and thriving world”, he added.

A total of 27 acclaimed guest authors (including leaders in innovative ideas, visionaries, CEOs, entrepreneurs, students and young professionals) as well as 14 CEOs from 16 countries on three continents are sharing their own viewpoints, ideas and proposals on this year’s subject.

“The rich content mix of EuroCharity’s annual, international, multi-stakeholder publication includes useful tables, graphs, facts and statistics as well as extensive photographic material and interesting quotes from classical and modern times,” Heilmann observed.

Published in June 2012, on the eve of Rio+20, the foreword to the EuroCharity Yearbook 2011/12 has been written by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who has acquired the reputation internationally as “the Green Patriarch”.

“We are extremely excited and pleased with the theme, content, contributors and timing of this year’s album, making it a must read for business, political, academic, religious, civil society and the new generation of leaders alike,” said Heilmann.

Why corporate social responsibility matters
A graduate from the production engineering and management department at the Technical University of Crete, where he also obtained an MBA to follow a career in management consulting, Spanos has produced a large body of academic research in the areas of financial management, investment and venture capital appraisal, mergers and acquisitions and portfolio composition.

How does EuroCharity view and promote corporate social responsibility (CSR) within the Greek business environment?
Undoubtedly, CSR assures long life and sustainability for businesses. Greek companies must begin their sustainable journey and integrate social and environmental aspects into all of their core business operations. At the moment, CSR is crucial within the Greek business environment because socioeconomic irregularities that have arisen call for immediate corporate action. Businesses that practise responsibility need to make their action broadly known, since awareness is in general a key to further developing CSR.

EuroCharity supports and promotes sustainability and CSR with accountability, transparency, business excellence and business ethics through fortnightly e-newsletters, member-to-member meetings, support of local, national, European and international events, research and the organising of educational forums. Moreover, EuroCharity promotes best practices and is involved in a growing number of much-needed civil society activities and initiatives.

Is the pursuit of CSR hampered by the well-known obstacles placed by state bureaucracy?
There are numerous major obstacles hindering the application of CSR in Greek companies. EuroCharity helps companies overcome these issues and realise that CSR is an investment worth making even if they have to fight the “monster” of state bureaucracy, among other problems. Lack of awareness, resources and tighter budgets contribute to this situation.

EuroCharity helps companies build a responsible social and environmental profile, communicate their actions and create valuable synergies. It tries to represent stakeholders in any occasion, acting as an intermediate connector between the government and the marketplace. For example, we have recently submitted a proposal to the economic and social affairs committee of the Greek parliament calling for the collaboration of the government, corporate community and civil society to fight poverty with full transparency.

Do a deepening economic crisis and “cash squeeze” in Greece affect corporate costs and incentives to invest in CSR?
The current economic situation has put many corporate plans on hold, making companies think twice about spending money on anything but essentials to their business. Unfortunately, a great number of companies see only the costs instead of the benefits of CSR, struggling as they are to survive and cope with several daily pressing issues. Companies must understand that building a reputation as a responsible business sets them apart from the crowd and offers them a strong competitive advantage.

Can CSR initiatives ameliorate some of the effects of the crisis at both corporate and social levels?
That is the concept of CSR. Environmental degradation, increasing poverty, mounting unemployment, unprecedented crises and the deterioration in quality of life are among the effects of the crisis that companies can combat. EuroCharity donates a percentage of annual pretax earnings to not-for-profit projects that make an impact. To date, we have funded 12 projects, submitted and implemented by registered EuroCharity NGO members. This policy is part of the company’s values and is particularly important in view of today’s major social, environmental, governance and other pressing challenges. Our recent proposal to the parliamentary economic affairs committee for fighting poverty notes that the state should collaborate with companies, indicating the right formula with focus on voluntarism, transparency and reporting.

Is the European Commission’s new strategy for CSR in 2011-2014 applicable to the Greek setting?
The European Commission’s new strategy, COM(2011) 681, is a very important step towards the total acceptance, further adoption and development of CSR, leading to a sustainable Europe. Of course there is a lot of scepticism in many companies regarding the value of CSR, since the concept is by definition voluntary. In Greece, change of mentalities will take some time, as companies facing multiple short-term difficulties seem unwilling to invest in CSR. What’s needed is a strategic approach, via multiple ways such as self-regulation, adoption of international standards, visibility of CSR and so on.

What assessment and quality-control mechanisms are available in Greece for CSR?
Unfortunately, Greece hasn’t put in place any clear national strategy and sustainable development laws or quality-control mechanisms for CSR. It seems that the lack of coordination and responsibility between the relevant ministries and state agencies has left Greece without a National Framework for Sustainability (or CSR), whereas many European countries — even those outside the eurozone — have already taken drafted one. CSR rests with companies’ will and capacity as a strictly private and voluntary initiative