The Federal Council’s position paper and action plan inform companies about the Federal Council’s expectations and defines the Swiss Confederation’s role regarding corporate social responsibility.
- The position and action plan adopted by the Federal Council in 2020 provide an overview of the Swiss Confederation’s current and future CSR-related activities. The Swiss Confederation plays an important role in the development of framework conditions and standards, particularly in multilateral forums such as the OECD, the International Labor Organization, and the United Nations.
- CSR assumes compliance with laws (for example, employment laws or environmental protection laws) and social partnerships. Society’s expectations, which may go beyond legal obligations, are also to be considered. The Federal Council expects companies to take responsibility for all activities they perform in Switzerland or abroad in accordance with internationally recognized CSR standards and guidelines. They are urged to encourage their commercial partners, suppliers and sub-contractors to comply with the CSR principles.
- In addition, the Swiss Confederation educates and supports companies during the transition to CSR. It thus informs, encourages dialog with company stakeholders (suppliers, partners), incorporates these aspects into public/private partnerships and leads by example by adopting responsible behavior in its activities. It therefore supports the “Sustainability Compass” platform (only in German), which advises Swiss SMEs and the public sector in choosing and applying environmental and social criteria during acquisitions. It also funds the Swiss network of the United Nations Global Compact as a platform for dialog on CSR issues and for the dissemination of good practices relating to the ten principles of the Global Compact.
