All companies and businesses have an impact, good and bad, on animals and although CSR and sustainability policies are part of most companies’ operations nowadays, very few directly mention animal welfare.
In 2010, 20 companies from the FTSE 100 had some form of policy or reference concerning animal welfare which is the most over the last five years. Of these, 12 aim to improve animal welfare – a number that has remained fairly consistent. Since 2006, pharmaceuticals and retailers have both tended to refer to animal welfare and aimed to make improvements. Most companies involved in research and testing aim to minimise animal use and ensure the humane treatment of those animals used. All food retailers have had a policy or statement referring to farm animals and other aspects of animal welfare.
While some of the 80 FTSE 100 companies that did not make an overt reference to animal welfare did refer to animals, conservation and biodiversity, they had no concrete policies indicating any real commitment to animal welfare and their corporate responsibility to it.
It is hoped that more companies will begin to measure animal welfare and view it as an important issue within the environmental, social and economic sectors of CSR.
For more information, read the 'CSR' animal welfare indicator.
