Companies of all sizes will soon be able to qualify for a new corporate responsibility kitemark.
The SEE Stamp, which should be available within the next couple of
months, has been devised by a private London-based business, SEE
Companies, in consultation with non-governmental organizations.
Companies interested in qualifying for the stamp will need to fill out
a 35-part online questionnaire and pay between £350 and £10,000
($700–$20,000), according to turnover.
Applicants will have to give further information if asked and to
provide evidence to confirm their data. If they satisfy all criteria
they will be awarded the stamp for use as a logo on marketing
materials, but they will have to seek renewal annually.
Once a company is accredited, its answers will be posted on the SEE
Stamp website ‘for public scrutiny’. The questionnaire covers areas
such as community relations, human rights, corporate governance, the
environment, workplace standards and corporate giving. Many of the
criteria have been developed with pressure groups, including the Tax
Justice Network and the British Union for the Abolition for Vivisection.
SEE Companies says it will refuse accreditation to any company ‘likely
to compromise our ability to establish the SEE Stamp as a widely
trusted symbol of business responsibility’. It adds, however: ‘We are
prepared to accredit companies with some controversial policies and
practices, or a chequered past.’ SEE Companies, which is profit-making,
says fees of up to £10,000 are needed for ‘the marketing and
development of the initiative’.
Despite several enquiries from EP,
representatives of SEE Companies have been unable to provide any
details of who is behind the business, how funds for the venture have
been raised, or whether any companies have yet shown interest.
