Corporate Social Responsibility
The Dutch government values Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) - also known as Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) - in international business and supports the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. These guidelines set out the CSR standards for entrepreneurs who do business internationally. Although these guidelines were initially developed for multinational companies, they are relevant to small and medium-sized companies and other kind of organisations as well. The Dutch government expects all organisations to make sure their activities follow these guidelines in other countries.
OECD Guidelines
According to the OECD Guidelines, organisations can make a positive contribution to progress in the economy, environment and society. The guidelines also encourage them to make this contribution. However, they also indicate that (corporate) activities can have a negative effect on employees, human rights, the environment, consumers and businesses.
CSR self-scan
Adhering to OECD Guidelines is one of the conditions for taking part in trade missions. To help us decide whether your organisation meets these conditions, we ask you to fill in a CSR self-scan which is integrated in the registration form.
In the self-scan about CSR, we will ask about the activities of your organisation. You can download the document: ‘tips for applying the OECD Guidelines’ for more information related to these questions. This document also offers tips about the OECD Guidelines and how to apply them when doing business abroad or developing international cooperation.
Other practical tips & tools:
- The OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct is a practical guide for organisations to apply the OECD guidelines.
- The CSR Risk Check of MVO Nederland and its CSR Priority Check may also help you to check and find out which international CSR risks your (business) activities are exposed to and what you can do to manage them.
- Via the International Business Academy, RVO offers a free e-learning CSR whilst doing business in China
- Read more about CSR on our website RVO.nl in Dutch and English
- The CSR China factsheet (in Dutch) by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
There are no right or wrong answers. The questions are meant to give you an idea of your organisation's current situation regarding CSR. It is important that your organisation looks at its own activities, but also to be aware of your supply chain or behaviour of local partners.
The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) may contact an organisation that wishes to take part in a mission. In that case, RVO will phone or send you an email to ask for more details about your answers in the self-scan.
Important information
You can decide for yourself who will complete the CSR questions for your organisation. This may also be someone who is not personally taking part in the trade mission.
We will handle your personal data with care. Learn more about our Privacy Policy. For information on specific kinds of processing, visit the GDPR register of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality.
More information
If you have any questions, please contact us by phone. You can reach us during office hours (08:30-17:00 CET) on 088 042 42 42 (local rate). Or visit our website at RVO.nl for other ways to contact us.
