respACT – austrian business council for sustainable development is Austria‘s leading platform for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainable Development. The association emerged from the fusion of the Austrian Business Council for Sustainable Development (ABCSD) and respACT austria. respACT stands for “responsible action“ and supports its member companies on their way to implementing socially responsible actions into their daily business. Responsible companies focus on five fields of action: organisational leadership, market place, workforce, environment and society. respACT – austrian business council for sustainable development responds to businesses of all sizes based in Austria, from small companies to major corporations.

The council’s most important activities are thought leadership on CSR and sustainability, exchange of best practices, knowledge transfer and education as well as the establishment and administration of a national CSR network.

Vision for Sustainable Business

• The solution of environmental, social and economic challenges lies at the centre of business activities in Austria.
• Enterpreneurial activity is driving societal innovation and sustainable development.
• Therewith, Austrian companies are nationally and internationally successful.

respACT’s mission

• respACT mobilizes important players in order to make Austria a pioneer of future-proof and responsible business.
• respACT induced together with the Research Institute for Managing Sustainability of the Vienna Business University the compilation of CSR-guidelines “Success and Social Responsibiliy – A Guide to Future-Proofing Your Business” which has been intended for use by any Austrian company, large or small, and list objectives for responsible business activity.
• respACT is the official Focal Point of the UN Global Compact in Austria and organizes the TRIGOS Award, a renowned business award honoring Austrian companies for exemplary Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives and the implementation of CSR in their management.
• In order to meet the needs of SME´s on regional level respACT started the initiative “respACT goes regional” which includes networking activities, workshops and regional TRIGOS Awards.

Structure of the platform

respACT – austrian business council for sustainable development is a platform led by businesses and is financed through the contributions of its member companies and The Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, The Federation of Austrian Industries, The Federal Ministry of Digital and Economic Affairs, The Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism and the Austrian Development Agency.