China high-tech zones' efforts: Zizhu CSR Alliance founded

On August 26, 2016, the founding conference of Zizhu CSR Alliance (Zizhu-CSRA) and the first CSR Forum was held in the Convention Center of Zizhu National High-Tech Industrial Development Zone (the Zone) in Shanghai. As the first alliance themed with CSR in the national high-tech industrial development zones, it indicates CSR will have greater impact on the healthy and sustainable development of high-tech industrial development zones and economic development zones. 

The Alliance is initiated by 18 enterprises within the Zone, aiming to motivate those enterprises to have the sense of social responsibility and guide them to combine the CSR fulfillment with their daily operations, and further improve their images and brand influential.

The member enterprises of this Alliance signed The Convention on the Founding of Zizhu CSR Alliance,and also promised to integrate CSR into business operation and development, devoting to be the practitioners and promoters of CSR. 

The first CSR Forum of the Zone was held after the conference. Mr. Yu Zhihong, President and Chief Editor of China WTO Tribune, moderated the panel discussion. Representatives from Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau, Coke Cola, China Guangdong Nuclear Power Company, and Pure Destiny shared their ideas regarding to the role positioning of the foundation  within the public ecology in high-tech zones, the function of the CSR department within enterprises, and how to implement CSR for both private enterprises and state-owned enterprises etc.

In the discussion, Mr. Yu held that the high-tech zone is the most appropriate field to promote CSR, and the strength of enterprises decides the quality of the high-tech zone. In addition, Mr. Yu provided some suggestions to the future development of Alliance, namely, organizing relevant lectures to increase the awareness of CSR among employees, and further promoting the overall capability building of CSR within the high-tech zone; building professional groups themed with different issues, like supply chain management, employee caring, community charity; establishing stable channel to improve communication to tell public what alliance is doing and what achievements it has gotten; applying sharing system to create approaches, thoughts, experience and models of CSR building in the Zone so as to provide references to other high-tech zones.

In the end, Mr. Yu said that Zizhu National Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone has presented reliable and diverse CSR practices. Mr. Yu hoped all enterprises can achieve a great sharable result through collaborative working based on the common goals.