Bahrain’s Energy Minister Dr Abdulhussain Mirza has called on companies across the country to view employees and the community as essential ingredients to achieve sustainability in the business world.

After opening the Second Bahrain Social Responsibility Conference 2015, Dr Mirza spoke about the capabilities and capacities of those attending and said the time had now come for them to realise that profits are no longer the only goal and that community work and social responsibility is of equal or more importance, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

The minister said the paradigm shift was today more pronounced and companies look for ways to maintain their relations with the community around them and adopt solutions to decrease their impact on the environment and reduce waste.

He added that the companies are now living in a time that has become harmonious with social responsibility as well as with industrial development.

The minister said the event was an occasion to celebrate the institutions that contributed to re-define the business concept and noted that the commitment to corporate social responsibility always paid off and kept owners and the community in tandem with one another.

The event is being held under the patronage of Dr Mirza in co-operation with National Oil and Gas Authority and supported by the Arab Network for Social Responsibility.

GPIC was the diamond sponsor of the event, chaired by its president Dr Abdulrahman Jawahery. It was organised by the Bahrain Society of Engineers.

The minister, quoting opinion polls on sustainability, said eight out of 10 companies believed that those trying to achieve their business objectives were doing so in conjunction with the quest for development of society and the environment.

At least 42 per cent said customers would even go to the extent of rejecting their products if social practices were not followed while 65 per cent said customers would go to another company, which followed such practices.

He said this affirmed that the theme of the conference was of utmost importance, since it went beyond manufacturing and concentrated on sustainable livelihoods and business practices, responsibility and well-being of staff as well as guaranteeing a strong consumer base for their products and services.

Dr Jawahery said he hoped the conference would be a springboard for participants to translate their vision into action and said companies had demonstrated through their actions that the simplest ideas could lead to major changes.

He said the latest relevant, sophisticated and modern developments in the field, as also how to fund community welfare projects were on show at the event.

“Environmental issues get a lot of attention from the GPIC management, which is evident from the number of environmentally friendly projects implemented within the complex.”

The company is also committed to support the efforts of institutions and the government to achieve sustainable real development on the social and economic levels, Dr Jawahery said.

He added the company considers social responsibility programmes an ideal tool to support efforts to achieve its objectives to develop society and meet local needs. - TradeArabia News Service