From philanthropy to sustainability

Sponsoring art galleries and exhibitions is the sort of philanthropy that once passed for ‘corporate social responsibility’. Times have changed, and today chemical and pharmaceutical companies are shifting their focus onto the impacts of their business activities. Sam Healy, group corporate responsibility director at defence technology company QinetiQ, says it’s now a dynamic landscape: ‘You’ll see quite rapid shifts over time [to respond to] what’s happening in the wider world that connects with business.’ Many companies now accept corporate responsibility as part of their core mission and think it can actually strengthen their businesses. But with sometimes spotty histories of pollution and cover-ups, can companies persuade us that they really mean it?