It is the tenth time that we have the pleasure to present you with Report on Responsible Business in Poland. Good practices. This anniversary offers an opportunity to introduce a new formula. In accordance with ISO 26000, the Report is divided into 7 core subjects (Governance, Human Rights, Empolyee Practices/Aspects, Natural Environment, Fair Market Practices, Consumer Issues, Local Community Involvement and Development). Over 300 practices were submitted this year for inclusion in the Report. We selected 209 practices and divided them into the above-mentioned categories. Experts contributed articles in which they discussed highlights of the past year and projected trends for 2012. A review of research studies and a selection of press highlights are recommended reading. The Calendar section offers a review of the most important CSR events, meetings, campaigns and conferences that took place in Poland. The Report is also available as an eBook, with an added bonus of multimedia features.

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2011 was the first year in which the Responsible Business Forum organised a contest for journalists and awarded “A Pen of Responsibility” (Pióro Odpowiedzialności). Several hundred representatives across all sectors gathered at the international conference organised by the Responsible Business Forum and the Ministry of Economy as part of Poland’s EU Presidency to discuss corporate social responsibility in European enterprises and organisations. We contributed to the events celebrating the European Year of Volunteering: our Strategic Partners prepared educational scripts and videos on responsible business and we started working on the Polish Diversity Charter. We undertook discussions on topics ranging from the responsibility of law firms to responsible tourism and supply chains. We examined the situation of socially responsible investing in Poland, the responsibility of marketers and the CSR challenges for small and medium enterprises in Poland and Sweden. We published the guidebook for teachers: “How to teach social responsibility and sustainable development. A guide for teachers” (Jak uczyć o społecznej odpowiedzialności i zrównoważonym rozwoju. Przewodnik dla nauczycieli). We continued our discussions on CSR 2.0 and social media. The Responsible Business League and its ambassadors provided several thousand students with an opportunity to learn about the sustainable development
agenda.

The Corporate Social Responsibility Task Force and the Working Groups continued their work in Poland. The Corporate Responsibility Coalition published the Responsible Business Code and the monthly Forbes granted awards to Sustainable Development Leaders. The Responsible Company Ranking recognised companies that led the field in implementing CSR policies, while the “Social Reports” contest selected leaders in reporting. A dozen or so sessions were organised for Polish
managers to discuss business challenges in the context of Vision 2050.

2011 will be remembered as a year of protest. Angry young people occupied Wall Street and took to the streets to demand a new social and economic order. The earthquake in Japan and the failure of the Fukishima nuclear plant rekindled discussions on energy safety and climate change. North Africa was
the most explosive region of the globe, with the people in Tunisia, Egypt or Libya staging mass demonstrations to protest against human rights abuses and demand freedom and better lives. For half a year, Poland presided over the Council of the European Union, taking part in efforts to rescue Greece from bankruptcy. The United States said goodbye to Steve Jobs, one of the greatest innovators of the 21st century.