Corporate Social Responsibility Standards in Green Energy Industry: A Comparison between European Union and China

Abstract

Purpose

CSR is a relatively new concept which can be defined as the set of rules by which a company equips itself in order to ensure compliance to various regulations, as well as ethical and environmental standards, that have to be addressed in relation to the sector in which it operates. Despite this international definition, it is hard to deal with this notion in a legal perspective. The chapter investigates how the notion is operating in the European and Chinese Green Energy Industry.

Methodology/approach

The approach is functionalist in nature and is based on comparative law method.

Practical implications

The insights about the diverse notions of CSR in the energy industry can be useful for lawyers and compliance managers working in transnational contexts.

Social implications

CSR represents a way of marketing for consumers and society. Understanding the real functioning in the world of affairs beyond the policy declamations may increase the public accountability of the CSR processes.

Originality/value

The functionalist approach based on comparative law method has never been applied to the intertwined issues about CSR in the energy industry.

Citation

Policaro, G.A. and Rossi, P. (2016), "Corporate Social Responsibility Standards in Green Energy Industry: A Comparison between European Union and China", Spigarelli, F., Curran, L. and Arteconi, A. (Ed.) China and Europe’s Partnership for a More Sustainable World, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 171-185. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78635-332-020161008