Sustainable development has become one of the most important topics in numerous organizations’ agendas including: corporations, NGOs, political parties, local authorities, governments and international organizations. It solicits the contribution of a greater number of key actors and the establishment of new partnerships, specifically between corporations and NGOs. Major corporations have already made significant headway in addressing the issue. Today we have moved past the experimental stage and have seen an increased emphasis placed on the need for a sustainable development policy in different types of organizations.

Companies are facing pressure from numerous bodies and lobbies to recognize the need for sustainable development, particularly from the UNO, the European Commission, the state, institutions, consumers, and investors. The creation of new laws, such as the recent French law for new economic regulations, is also a contributing factor. It is the implementation of a sustainable development policy which implies radical structural changes at every level of the company.

Equally important is the ethical dimension of sustainable development which should be observed in purchasing policies as they are directly impacted. Auditing suppliers is no longer based on pure economic and industrial criteria but also on environmental, social and ethical grounds. Commitment to such a policy can only be envisaged if the criteria of assessment and authentication are benchmarked.

This policy also impacts the internal and external communication strategy of an organization. It involves communicating the values and a sense of responsibility that the organization and all those who work for it uphold. The progression of ethical investments, fair trade practices and social rating complete the context.