SUM

Recognising the social and ecological impacts of entrepreneurial activity, thinking and acting responsibly, examining entrepreneurial decisions for their sustainability, benchmarking of the own performance in relation to CSR, these are all important competences for today’s corporate world. SUM wants to prepare budding and young entrepreneurs better to properly engage with CSR issues, provide them with guidance and support them to build the necessary capacities in an innovative way. The goals of SUM therefore include:

Championing the value of sincere and professionally implemented CSR in companies, especially start-ups.
Increasing the participation rate of start-ups in the CSR process through more welcoming services and improved institutional culture.
Support in creating a better understanding of what constitutes CSR (corporate social responsibility), its origins, dimensions, business imperatives and opportunities for start-ups.
Contribution to further clarification on what exactly is expected of start-up companies in order to fulfil the requirements for their corporate social responsibility.
Capacity building in start-ups for the implementation of responsible entrepreneurial action.
Emphasise corporate transparency as an important element for start-ups to maintain a reliable and trustworthy organisation; and demonstrate approaches of transparent design of CSR. Promote a reward system for start-ups that rewards the most outstanding and transparent start-ups.
Strengthening networks and sharing new insights on embedding a CSR culture in start-ups, as well as good practice and quality resources on CSR.