B4D (Business for Development) Pathfinder
The Southern Africa Trust and SADC Employers' Group initiated the B4D Pathfinder in response to a recommendation by member states at the SADC Conference on Poverty and Development (Mauritius, April, 2008) to develop mechanisms to drive change in the social and environmental performance of both domestic and foreign investors with a view to end poverty.
The Southern Africa Trust and SADC Employers' Group propose a set of management tools (the B4D Pathfinder product offerings) underpinned by the concept of inclusive business. They offer an innovative approach to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by helping companies go beyond corporate giving and integrate sustainable development objectives into their core business.
They also take into account the following:
- emergent nature of inclusive business globally,
- challenges to its implementation in SADC, and
- general status of other CSR and sustainable development frameworks in southern Africa.
Accordingly, the best option is a combination of the following 'user-friendly' product offerings.
They include:
- B4D Charter - expressing commitment and aspiration,
- B4D Barometer - helping a business to include the poor in its value chain and promote accountability through public reporting, and
- B4D Toolkit - a set of knowledge-based tools to guide a company towards best practice.