SECO supports Swiss companies in their corporate social responsibility (CSR). It draws attention to the new brochure «OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises in Practice«.

The Confederation expects Swiss companies to assume their responsibilities in accordance with internationally recognized CSR standards, such as the OECD-GL, in all their activities both at home and abroad. Through their implementation, companies and their value chains make a positive contribution to economic, ecological and social progress worldwide. The OECD-GL cover the disclosure of information, human rights (based, inter alia, on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights), working conditions, the environment, the fight against corruption, consumer interests, etc.

Using examples from the field, the brochure shows how companies can create business benefits and avoid or minimize the potential negative impact of their activities by applying the OECD-GL. A short self-test allows an assessment of the current implementation of the OECD-GL by a company. The brochure also presents the National Contact Point for the OECD-GL, a dialogue platform and out-of-court dispute resolution body whose secretariat is located in the SECO. It also point out that on 31st May 2018, the OECD published a practice-oriented manual for due diligence on companies which has a broad international scope, within others, supported by the UN.

The German, French and English versions of the brochure can be found on the CSR web portal of the Federal Government: www.csr.admin.ch.