Ethical trading

Contribute to communities where goods and services are produced

Guide

Businesses are increasingly discovering the benefits of supporting communities in which their goods and services are produced or in which they operate. These include:

  • good PR from promoting their corporate social-responsibility credentials
  • attracting ethically motivated customers and investors and loyal employees

Ways in which you can support communities overseas include:

  • linking up with charities working in the area
  • sponsoring specific workplace projects, such as factory training
  • sponsoring wider initiatives, such as village literacy projects
  • offering employment to disadvantaged groups

Business in the Community (BITC) has developed the CommunityMark standard to recognise the work that small and medium-sized enterprises do in the community, both here and abroad.