The Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) suggests that the terms 'corporate responsibility', 'corporate social responsibility', and 'sustainability' are used interchangeably. Monash University in Australia broadly defines CSR as the acceptance by a corporation of responsibility for the social impact of its activities, including effects on the natural environment.

The International Organization for Standardization as part of its work on the Guidance Standard on Social Responsibility, ISO 26000 says: "Social Responsibility is the responsibility of an organisation for the impacts of its decisions and activities on society and the environment, through transparent and ethical behaviour that:
- contributes to sustainable development, including the health and the welfare of society
- takes into account the expectations of stakeholders
- is in compliance with applicable law and consistent with international norms of behaviour; and
- is integrated throughout the organization and practised in its relationships."

Although the definition is still debated widely, many describe CSR as a company's approach to managing their business processes to maximise their positive impact on stakeholders both within the company and in wider society. What ever definition you have, at its best, CSR should be aligned with corporate ambition, integrated into business processes and a reflection of corporate and employee values.

The world of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Environment Social and Governance (ESG) and Sustainability is full of jargon and acronyms. To help you navigate your way and to better understand this sector, we have produced an sustainability glossary. Please use it freely.

If you have recently moved into a role where you have responsibility for the TBL / CSR / Sustainability - here's an extensive list of organisations and websites (listed alphabetically) we suggest you take a look at, if you would like to expand your knowledge base.

AccountAbility
AccountAbility is a leading global organisation established in 1995 to provide innovative solutions to the most critical challenges in corporate responsibility and sustainable development. Their focus areas are Research, Standards and Advisory Services.

Amnesty International (AI)
Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all.They work to improve human rights through campaigning and international solidarity.

ARIES
Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability based at Macquarie University, Sydney. ARIES adopts an innovative approach to research with a view to translating awareness of sustainability issues into action and change. ARIES is concerned with how we inform, motivate and manage structural change towards sustainability.

Australian Conservation Foundation
The Australian Conservation Foundation is committed to inspiring people to achieve a healthy environment for all Australians. For over 40 years they have been a strong voice for the environment, promoting solutions through research, consultation, education and partnerships. ACF work with the community, business and government to protect, restore and sustain our environment.  They also run the Climate Reality Project Al Gore's climate change leadership program across the Asia Pacific Region.

Books on CSR and Sustainability. We are not big on reinventing the wheel, so rather than have our own book store or book review, wy not check out the latest array of books on CSR and Sustainability from CSR Wire covering a wide range of topics including books on sustainable investing, guidebooks on running a sustainable and ethical business, MBA guides and much more.

Boston College Centre for Corporate Citizenship
Founded in 1985, the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship is a membership-based research organization associated with the Carroll School of Management.  They help business leverage its social, economic and human assets to ensure both its success and a more just and sustainable world.

Below 50
Below 50 is a collaboration of organisations (producers/technology suppliers, consumers and investors) who publicly commit to support sustainable fuels that produce at least 50% less CO2 emissions compared to conventional fossil fuels.

B Team
Created by Sir Richard Branson and Jochen Zeitz, the B Team aims to create a future where the purpose of business is to be a driving force for social, environmental and economic benefit.

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
The website covers the human rights impacts (good and bad) of over 5100 worldwide. It also provides access to over 240 corporate human rights policies.

Business Ethics
Rutgers Online -  guide to ethical principles in business.

Business in the Community
A unique UK movement of 700 member companies committed to continually improving their positive impact on society. It is an independent charity with over 25 years experience of achieving significant public benefit by working with companies to improve the positive impact of business in society.

Business for Social Responsibility
A US based non-profit global research and advisory organisation that helps member companies achieve success in ways that respect ethical values, people, communities and the environment. BSR member companies have nearly $2 trillion in combined annual revenues and employ more than six million workers around the globe.

Business Respect
It provides commentary, news and resources on how business can successfully meet these expectations to the benefit of the business and of society. It aims to support organisations and individuals worldwide who are promoting corporate social responsibility from a pro-business perspective.

Canadian Sustainability Indicators Network
The Canadian Sustainability Indicators Network Aims to accelerate progress toward sustainable development by furthering sustainability indicator best practices in Canada.

CDP
CDP - Formerly Carbon Disclosure Project works with companies and cities to disclose their environmental impacts, giving decision makers the data they need to change market behavior.

CERES
The Ceres is a European coalition of investor groups, environmental organizations and investment funds engages directly with companies on environmental and social issues. Ceres members seek to attain long-term business value and to improve management quality through stakeholder engagement, public disclosure and performance improvements.

Clean Energy Regulator
The Clean Energy Regulator is the Australian Government body responsible for administering legislation that will reduce carbon emissions and increase the use of clean energy. It administers the Carbon Pricing Mechanism, the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) scheme, the Carbon Farming Initiative and the Renewable Energy Target.

Climate Change - Earth is having a fever. Photographer James Balog shares new image sequences from the Extreme Ice Survey at TED using a network of time-lapse cameras recording glaciers receding at an alarming rate, some of the most vivid evidence yet of climate change.

Climate Council
The Climate Council (funded by the public after the Abbott Government abolished the Climate Commission) provides Australians with an independent and reliable source of information about the science of climate change, the international action being taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the economics of a carbon price.

Climate and Health Alliance
The Climate and Health Alliance is a national charity that is an alliance of organisations and people in the health sector working together to raise awareness about the health risks of climate change and the health benefits of emissions reductions.

Climate Progress
Climate Progress is a blog about climate science, solutions and politics. Although it is US centric, it has great information on an array of climate subjects including 99 One-Liners Rebutting Denier Talking Points - With Links To The Full Climate Science.

Charities @ Work
Is a US based alliance of four nonprofit federations that serves as the cooperative voice for more than 2000 international, national, and local charities. Their purpose is to provide employers with an efficient way to enhance their employee engagement programs and initiatives and to respond to growing employee interest in a wider range of giving options.

Corporation 20/20
It is an international, multi-stakeholder initiative that seeks to develop and disseminate a vision and pathway for 21st century corporations in which social purpose moves from the periphery to the heart of the organisation.

Corporate Register
CorporateRegister.com is the world's largest online directory of corporate responsibility (CR) reports, past and present, making it the primary reference point for CR reports and resources worldwide.

Corporate Responsibility Index. The Corporate Responsibility Index (CR Index) was developed by Business in the Community (BITC) in the UK in consultation with businesses to challenge and support large organisations to integrate responsible business practices. BITC own the Corporate Responsibility Index which is run under licence in Australia and New Zealand by the Net Balance Foundation.

CSR Academy
A Dutch consultancy which specialises in corporate responsibility and has a strong focus on research.

CSR International
Dr Wayne Visser, author of a number of CSR books, and has now launched his CSR International resource centre CSR International as an incubator for CSR 2.0

CSRwire
This is a leading source of corporate social responsibility and sustainability news, reports, events and information.

David Grayson
MOSS Ambassador Professor David Grayson is a Director of Business in the Community and is the head of The Doherty Centre at Cranfield University, and has a long history of public work promoting social responsibility in business. His speeches and presentations are amongst the best in the field, available from his site for download. His books "Everybody's Business and Corporate Social Opportunity" (which are now out of print) are some of the best in the business and available through MOSS. Email us info@moss.org.au for details.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) United Kingdom
Defra's core purpose is to improve the current and future quality of life. The Department integrates environmental, social and economic objectives by putting sustainable development into practice every day and championing sustainable development as the way forward for Government.

Doughty Centre for Corporate Responsibility Works to empower current and future managers by promoting sustainable management practices. As a research centre within Cranfield University School of Management (UK), it produces a range of key tools and resources to help organisations embed sustainability.

www.Eco-Business.com Eco-Business.com is the leading portal for Asia Pacific's cleantech and sustainable business community, providing FREE news, expert commentary and a wide range of business matching and marketing services that helps Asia Pacific's businesses along an environmentally and socially responsible, low-carbon path.

Ecocide. Ecocide is the extensive damage to, destruction of or loss of ecosystem(s) of a given territory, whether by human agency or by other causes, to such an extent that peaceful enjoyment by the inhabitants of that territory has been or will be severely diminished.

Edelman Trust Barometer
The Edelman Trust Barometer measures the state of trust around the world by exploring trust in institutions, industries, leaders and the impact of recent crises in the banking and financial service sectors. It's released annually in January.

Eradicating Ecocide. Eradicating Ecocide is an NGO established by Lawyer Polly Higgins  to end ecocide by 2020: a world that puts people and planet first - understanding that all life is interconnected and dependent on eachother to survive.  Watch this 15 minute video.

Ethical Corporation
This is a print magazine and website that covers CSR issues in a lively journalistic style with great insights and reports.

Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI)
Based in the UK, ETI is an alliance of companies, non-governmental organisations and trade unions. It exists to identify and promote good practice in the implementation of labour practice codes.

European Sustainability Academy The European Sustainability Academy (ESA) led by Sharon Jackson, is a world class management training and research centre in Crete providing international, high calibre management learning for the development of skills, knowledge and experience necessary to grow organisations through the practical application of sustainable business models.

Forum for the Future
Forum for the Future's mission is to accelerate the building of a sustainable way of life, taking a positive, solutions-oriented approach.

FTSE4Good
FTSE4 Good is designed to measure the performance of companies that meet globally recognised corporate responsibility standards, and to facilitate investment in those companies.

Global Agenda Council on Values: A new Social Covenant.
Created by the World Economic Forum, the council aims to engage its stakeholders - governments, business, civil society groups, faith groups etc - to move away from narrowly defined shareholder economy to a stakeholder economy that includes workers, consumers, rights advocates, the environment, and future generations.

Global Business Initiative on Human rights
The Global Business Initiative on Human Rights (GBI) exists because today there is a pressing need to ensure that corporations respect human rights and in turn benefit from a "level playing field" in relation to their social responsibilities.

Global Reporting Initiative
This is a multi-stakeholder process and independent institution whose mission is to develop and disseminate globally applicable Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. These Guidelines are for voluntary use by organisations for reporting on the economic, environmental and social dimensions of their activities, products and services.

Goodpurpose
The goodpurpose® study is PR firm Edelman's annual global research that explores consumer attitudes around social purpose, including their commitment to specific societal issues and their expectations of brands and corporations.

Green HubThe Green Hub is an initiative created by Greening Australia, Hydro Tasmania, RACV and TasWater so individuals and schools can learn about biodiversity, water, climate change and sustainability. There's great resources for teachers including games, videos and lesson plans. You can also ask questions and test your knowledge with a quiz.

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