THE business world is increasingly finding that consumers want transparency from the organizations they deal with. They feel—with some justification—that because they provide an organization’s profit they also have the right to know how that profit is generated. Even businesses with the clearest reporting systems can sometimes find themselves the focus of a green campaign. Handled correctly, however, this can be turned into a positive and useful experience.

In the past 15 years or so, there has been a huge increase in the viability of corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies. Organizations publicly state a set of green and ethical CSR commitments, displaying them prominently on their web sites and public documents. Progress toward achieving these goals is published periodically in CSR reports that are made widely available. This can be a very effective way of letting customers and investors know about your green progress, but it must reflect a genuine desire within your organization to improve or you could open yourself up to criticism.

Petron Corp., the giant listed oil company that corners about half of the country’s petroleum sales, has been the object of criticism by some sectors for the rampaging oil prices that remained unabated up to this point. But having Petron’s sustainability report to be checked, verified and given a B-plus level rating by an independent third party gives credibility and is recognized internationally.

Petron’s 2010 Sustainability Report, aptly titled “Growing. Greening. Giving Back,” specifies a framework of the company’s performance on economic, environmental and social issues relevant to its business. This marks another milestone in Petron’s sustainability journey.

In 2009 Petron was given a B-plus rating and took a step further in 2010 by including in the report more performance indicators and by having the document undergo a Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Level Application Check on top of the third-party assurance. Using the GRI G3 guidelines is another first in sustainability reporting in the country.

What’s the driving force of Petron? In a word, responsibility. Petron’s sincerity in pursuing CSR is beyond doubt, it’s beyond question. Since 2008, the Sustainability Report has been a critical tool in managing Petron’s impact on sustainable development. Petron faces the challenge of continually improving its performance in key areas such as energy efficiency, water conservation, carbon footprint reduction and waste management at Petron Bataan Refinery, in 32 depots across the country and across over 1,700 service stations nationwide.

Sustainability reporting has helped Petron accurately measure, monitor and assess its performance. The oil company increased its social investment by nearly 20 percent in 2010 compared to the previous year. Several of its facilities have received Integrated Management Systems certification for meeting strict international standards on process quality, environment management and workplace safety.

Recently, Petron’s 32 depots nationwide achieved 40 million man-hours without lost time accidents. This achievement was cited by the Department of Labor and Employment as Petron was the only oil company recognized with a Safety Milestone Award for 100-percent compliance in all its facilities.

Noteworthy is the fact that since Petron strictly applied the GRI guidelines to manage its environmental footprint back in 2008, the oil company has been able to significantly cut its greenhouse-gas emissions, reduce water consumption and hazardous waste. From 2010 to June 2011 alone, Petron’s environmental initiatives have resulted in savings valued at P1.2 billion. Petron is now seeing those investments rocket in value and is now reaping rewards for their forward-thing approach.

The report was also invaluable in helping fine-tune Petron’s CSR projects to ensure greater and lasting impact. While Petron’s focus on education, environment, health, livelihood and community development remains unswerving, the oil company has been able to deploy its resources more effectively.

As president Eric O. Alberto stated in his speech during the Petron Fellowship Night, “Petron’s leadership in the Philippine oil industry goes beyond making profits. Leadership to us also means fulfilling a simple promise that we make to each stakeholder, a promise that we will care for the community and the environment.”

This affirms the oil company’s commitment to take a leading role in advancing the practice of sustainability and reporting in the country.

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MASS-MARKET STRATEGY

At a time when finance brands are battling to regain public trust, this top honcho has no qualms about being “mass-market.” For a start, this mild-mannered CEO has put his faith in a sponsorship strategy at a time when many finance brands are scaling back their activity in the sector. What’s more, the finance brand rolled out a campaign involving a touchscreen and projection technology in a mall to encourage people to plan their financial future. His confidence in his marketing strategy follows a rebranding process for the company. The company has used PR, press, radio and messaging from partners to help protect its reputation. “We are not here to sell products to people, but we are here to help people through the information we are providing. We probably don’t need to talk about the strength of our company now. The market is not shaken by that message,” the CEO said.