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CSR Performance Ladder with 33 indicators

Feb 28, 2023 Audit

A significant proportion of entrepreneurs now attach value to Corporate Social Responsibility, or CSR. It’s impossible to imagine today’s business world without it. Many entrepreneurs communicate about their CSR activities, for example by dedicating a page to it on your website. You can also go a step further, for example by grading yourself against the CSR Performance Ladder, the standard for Corporate Social Responsibility. You can be certified against one of five levels on this ladder. We measure 33 indicators for Corporate Social Responsibility that your organization can meet to this end. In this blog you will find more information about certification against the CSR Performance Ladder, the role of People, Planet and Profit, the 33 indicators, and the ladder’s five levels.

Certification against the CSR Performance Ladder

A certificate for the CSR Performance Ladder lets you demonstrate your Corporate Social Responsibility performance objectively. The standard is applicable internationally. The term is known internationally as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and is based on ISO 26000 (Corporate Social Responsibility), AA1000 (Stakeholder Management) and GRI (Global Reporting Initiative, for sustainability reporting). With its 33 indicators, the CSR Performance Ladder is inspired by principles from these guidelines. At first glance ISO 26000 and the CSR Performance Ladder seem the same. The difference is that ISO 26000 is a guideline, while the CSR Performance Ladder is a management system. That means the ISO standard is not suitable for certification, but the performance ladder is.

The role of People, Planet and Profit

The three P's are central in Corporate Social Responsibility:
  • People
    How do you handle their interests and needs? Do you offer them safe and healthy working conditions?
  • Planet
    What effects does your organization have on the environment? And how do you deal with them?
  • Profit
    The three P's are interlinked. Through economic profit you can build a sustainable organization that benefits People and Planet.

The 33 indicators of the CSR Performance Ladder

The CSR Performance Ladder has 33 indicators. These fall not only under one of the three P's, but also under one of the seven core themes. Below is an overview:

    Working conditions


    Fair trade

    1. work and employment
    2. relationship between employer and employee
    3. health and safety
    4. training, education, nature and organization of work
    5. diversity and opportunities    		13. undesirable impacts on community
    14. corruption
    15. public policy
    16. anti-competitive behaviour
    17. compliance

    Human rights
    Consumer issues
    6. strategy and management
    7. prohibition of discrimination
    8. freedom of association and collective bargaining
    9. elimination of child labour
    10. prevention of forced and compulsory labour
    11. security policy
    12. rights of indigenous people    		18. health and safety of consumers
    19. labelling of products and services
    20. marketing communications
    21. customer privacy
    22. compliance

    Five levels

    The 33 indicators are assessed during the evaluation for the CSR Performance Ladder. The results enable you to be classified on one of the five CSR Performance Ladder levels. You decide the level at which you want to be certified. The higher the level, the more transparency you provide about your way of doing business, and the more your organization distinguishes itself from other organizations in the industry. The number of stakeholders you consider also grows. At levels 1 to 3, first the direct stakeholders, then the indirect stakeholders, and finally the industry, play a role. At levels 4 and 5 the chain and society are added. At the first two levels you receive a certificate for one year; from level 3 onwards it is three years.
    Want to know more about the CSR Performance Ladder at DEKRA?
    Discover the benefits of certification against the CSR Performance Ladder, what contribution your organisation can make to a better world and what DEKRA can do for you.
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