Keywords: CSR, Sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility, Environmental Reporting, ISO14000, EMS, GRI, UN Global Compact
Clarks
Market Sector: Footwear Retailer
Year Started: 1825
People: 10,000+
Working with us since: 2008
Benchmark's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Ledger is a powerful, flexible software system that allows organizations to manage their CSR activities and fulfil their social and environmental responsibilities in a time-efficient and cost-effective way.
Developed initially for Clarks International, the software package is not simply a reporting program, but a complete CSR management system.
Clarks' problem was that they needed to manage a large number of different types of information and data, from the total discount given to TAMBA (Twin and Multiple Birth Association) members to the sustainability audits of their Far-Eastern factories. However, they also needed the system to be scalable and adaptable to incorporate new policies, activities and performance indicators, including large volumes of qualitative information, as well as quantitative data like emission figures.
Matt Turner, Head of Social Responsibility at Clarks, said, "We were recording information on our sustainability activities in databases and spreadsheets, but these programs were struggling to cope and we were simply not getting the level of information and reports we needed." They needed a solution quickly.
Matt is also Head of Purchasing for Clarks, so he did some research into software that would help him manage Clarks' CSR activities. "We looked at lots of different packages for managing sustainability, but there was no software that could do what we wanted."
"We knew about Benchmark as they are a local business. We started talking to them and they said they had an idea how they could adapt an existing software package to give us a powerful solution in the short time frame we needed."
One of the key aspects of the software that Clarks needed was the ability to be able to take different types of performance indicators and make them specific to their diverse sustainability activities. Each performance indicator is linked to the specific activity, which is then linked to their overall objectives. Each activity can then be linked to a reporting structure and the data reported on in any way required. So, at any one time, they can see all their performance data, measured against activities and corporate objectives, and according to different reporting structures such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Global Compact principles. There is also the ability to create their own reporting structure.
With 30 years of experience in writing accounting software, Benchmark have applied some of the fundamentals of financial accounting to the CSR Ledger software. They have also placed high importance on usability and simplicity, so the software has a clean and easy-to-navigate interface and can be used effectively with minimal training.
Matt comments that "Some of the features, such as activity history and reminders, have really surprised us in terms of how useful they are from a day-to-day management point of view."
Corporate Social Responsibility is creating new and exciting markets. As it emerges an gathers greater importance Benchmark is continuing to update their CSR software to meet the needs of their corporate clients.
"It will be interesting to see how the Carbon Reduction Commitment and the Copenhagen Summit affect what we have to do for our clients." Said Benchmark's MD Simon Harvey.
