Learning best practices of responsible business through the ASEAN lens

In July, I was in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam as part of the ASEAN CSR Fellowship, a training programme led by the ASEAN CSR Network (ACN) that aims to promote and facilitate the adoption of responsible business conduct in ASEAN to achieve a sustainable and inclusive ASEAN community. Sponsored by the Government of Sweden, through the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok, the National Youth Council (Singapore) and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VICCI), the programme aims to nurture a generation of leaders in the goal towards regional sustainable development and was attended by more than 25 delegates from the ASEAN countries.

During the week-long programme, we learnt various aspects of responsible business, from business integrity, anti-corruption initiatives to migration, employment engagement programmes and Sustainable Development (SD). The programme schedule was packed and we were whizzed from function rooms to office buildings to learn from various industry experts. Key representatives from government agencies, local companies, non-profit organisations and multinational companies shared insights into best business practices, challenges, latest developments and trends in the country. Despite the hectic schedule, the learning process was enriching and the Q&A sessions were lively and engaging.  

One of the highlights of my trip was the visit to the Coca-Cola Vietnam company, where the CEO, Sanket Ray gave an enlightening presentation about how he sees CSR as an absolute necessity to operate a business and the importance to earn the social licence every day to do so. He shared how changing consumers’ drinking habits can influence business decisions, how they learnt from past failures and ongoing efforts to nurture local talents and help local communities in Vietnam. The visit to the solar-powered EKOCenter led by Vo Ly Hoai Vinh, National Government Relations and Sustainability Manager gave us a glimpse of how a multinational company can effect positive change and improve the lives of the locals with their expertise and financial support. Coca-Cola provided the seed funding for the water sanitation project and actively engaged local partners through tri-sector partnerships to empower women and created lasting impact for the community. For details, view https://www.coca-colacompany.com/ekocenter.

Working in Swire Pacific Offshore (SPO) for more than five years has given me a good grasp of the Company’s strong emphasis on our people and SD, in line with our parent company, Swire Pacific Limited. SPO has always been a strong advocator of SD and we strongly believe in nurturing local communities where we operate our businesses.  The EkoCenter by Coca-Cola draws parallel to a community partnership that we have in the Philippines, where SPO provided seed funding for the building of the two seafarers’ drop-in and medical centres in Bantayan Island and Tacloban, two of the most badly hit areas of the Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 and where some of our seafarers’ homes are. Majority of our seafarers come from the Philippines and the country is a key stakeholder community that we care for. After the typhoon in 2013, our seafarers raised funds to help their communities and SPO supported their initiatives by matching donations. The Company also worked with the provincial authorities, non-governmental organisations including Sailor’s Society, Habitat for Humanity Philippines to bring the project to fruition and ensure sustainable healthcare improvements for the local community.

The visit to Southeast Asia’s first fishery certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Fisheries Standard in the Ben Tre province, the clam yard and the distribution factory were also eye-opening experiences. During the session by Tran Thu Nga, Chairman of Ben Tre Provincial Fisheries Association, she shared how a little village in Vietnam can collectively work together to achieve and maintain the certification and the vital roles that the local cooperatives, leadership, community and the government play. We also learnt about how the certification has helped to conserve natural resources, provide jobs, improve lives of the local community and bring about increased business profits. A clam-tasting session in the village turned into a manic clam-chomping race when delegates candidly raced one another to devour the freshly steamed clams and lunch was a delectable seafood feast.

The session conducted by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on ethical recruitment was thought-provoking. The presenters shared some shocking statistics – more than 40 million victims of modern day slavery and 60 percent are found in the Asia-Pacific region. Through haunting videos, case-studies and activities, we learnt about challenges that migrant workers face today, the pros and cons of migration, the importance of protecting workers’ rights in the ASEAN region and shared best company practices. Often, migrant workers get conned of large sums of money through agents in their home countries in pursuit of the chance to earn more money in foreign lands. To prevent seafarers from falling prey to third party agents, SPO has a strict recruitment policy and does not use external agents. Recruitment of seafarers is done by two companies, Anscor Swire Ship Management, a joint venture between SPO and its long term local partner in the Philippines and SPSM, a fully owned subsidiary company of the Company and we actively alert seafarers of the latest recruitment scams through seafarers’ associations.

The visit to Intel Vietnam and the meeting with Ho Thi Thu Uyen, Malaysia and Vietnam Public Affairs Director gave us an insider’s view of the challenges that the Company faced when they established their largest assembly and test facility worth US$1 billion in Ho Chi Minh. She also highlighted Intel Vietnam’s strong focus on safety and anti-corruption and how they keep their workforce happy by organising regular staff engagement and corporate volunteering programmes. Intel’s company tagline, “Powering the future of computing and communications” and their bold aim to be a 300-billion company by 2021 are clear reflections of the Company’s clear vision and strong leadership. Intel Vietnam employees clocked an impressive 150,000 volunteer hours in 2017. The strong trust in their employees and efforts to encourage corporate volunteerism and staff engagement are certainly useful lessons that we can learn from.

The programme also provided refreshing perspectives on the use of technology in Vietnam, both in the public and private sectors. Through government representatives, we learnt about the Ho Chi Minh’s Smart City plans, the Saigon High-Tech Park Training Centre and how these developments aim to bring progress to the country and benefits to the people. The lively panel session on the impact of the fourth industrial revolution saw entrepreneurs and tech company leaders debating and sharing their expertise on financial inclusion, block-chain technology and how technological innovations would re-define the definition of work, create new jobs and cause job displacement.

Vietnam is the fifth largest textile and garment exporters in the world. The sharing of the journey of sustainability at the Phong Phu International showed us how a local company has cleverly embraced sustainability and invested in technology to differentiate themselves from their competitors and to boost productivity and profits.

As a Corporate Communications specialist, it has been a great privilege to learn these best practices of responsible business through the ASEAN CSR Fellowship beyond the Company that I work for. Taking part in the Fellowship has made appreciate the good work that my company has done in investing in its people and in Sustainable Development (SD) even more and I feel proud to be a part of a business conglomerate that embraces SD as part of its corporate ethos. The well-curated modules in the Fellowship have made the learning process an enriching journey and deepened my understanding in responsible business, corporate communications and SD trends in Vietnam and in the ASEAN region.

The ASEAN CSR 2018 cohort is a passionate and inquisitive group of people from diverse backgrounds and specialisations around the region. I’ve shared best practices in SPO and in Singapore with these like-minded people, learnt a lot from them during our interaction and forged new friendships.

Special thanks to ASEAN CSR Network (ACN) for spearheading this Fellowship programme and my mentor of the Company of Good Fellowship, Lydia Ang, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, CapitaLand Group & General Manager of CapitaLand Hope Foundation for her guidance and recommendation to apply for this programme. To learn more about the ASEAN CSR Fellowship, visit http://www.asean-csr-network.org/c/programs/fellowship.