ABSTRACT
The corporate responsibility (CR) movement faces a struggle between the need for convergence among standards and the need to promote innovation. The other key challenge is to develop trust through verification in the face of growing cynicism from a range of stakeholders. In order to reach a critical mass, the initiatives described in this volume will need to demonstrate the business benefits of these codes. There are two types of convergence: convergence of performance standards, and procedural convergence. In the convergence of performance standards, the expectations of companies are harmonised. Convergence of CR performance standards might merge requirements and definitions around such issues as use of child labour, or discrimination. Procedural convergence refers to the convergence of processes such as reporting, external verification and accreditation. The first category defines parameters of performance for corporate responsibility; the second defines its new disciplines.
