Crisis? What crisis? - Sustainable business opportunities in the recession

The current economic crisis has fueled a resurgence of interest in an old and familiar concept: responsibility. Civil society is demanding a new commitment to responsibility - a commitment that manifests itself in products and services that are transparent and create social value; in foresighted, value-oriented management that recognizes risks and preserves jobs; and in prudent stewardship of the billions being spent on bailouts by taxpayers.

Small and medium-sized companies are using the concept of CSR to find new ways of doing business in these times of economic downturn. The crisis has produced or reinforced a series of diverse trends related to sustainable business, such as cradle to cradle design, resource efficiency, non-consumption, local production, swapping and urban farming.

At our first CSR Meehttp://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/2/d/d/4/event_185351732.jpegtup of 2013 we will talk about sustainable business opportunities in times of crisis. Our guest speaker will be Willem Lageweg (http://nl.linkedin.com/in/willemlageweg), the passionate director of MVO Nederland (http://www.mvonederland.nl/english/content/pagina/what-is-mvo-nederland) (CSR Netherlands). MVO Nederland is the national knowledge center and network organization for CSR. It is the starting point for many companies in the Netherlands when it comes to social responsibility. Willem’s aim is to make CSR a matter of course for all entrepreneurs in the Netherlands. The partner network of MVO Nederland includes more than 2,000 companies and organizations. Every month about new 50 partners join the network. MVO Nederland provides its partners with knowledge and inspiration on all topics and issues in the field of CSR.

Willem will provide us with some inspiring examples of small and medium-sized companies that did not get bogged down and have used the new economic status quo to further sustainable business. After Willem’s presentation we will have a conversation about sustainable business opportunities in times of crisis. We will finish the CSR Meetup at around 9:15 pm with drinks at the Hub’s bar.