Recognizing the need for new collaborative forms of governance, the Earth Charter states:
“A partnership of government, civil society, and business is essential for effective governance” (The Way Forward).

In accord with this principle, ECI has adopted a strategy for engaging businesses in the Earth Charter Initiative.  A major part of this strategy involves working in partnership with business leaders and building alliances with business related initiatives, such as the UN Global Compact and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

In the context of these alliances, business leaders are invited to use the Earth Charter as a common ethical framework in their dialogue with civil society actors and other stakeholders.  Businesses that support the Earth Charter, but do not yet participate in GRI are encouraged to do so. The following document The Earth Charter, GRI and Global Compact was developed to help guide business groups.

After extensive research and dialogue, ECI, in cooperation with the Dutch National Committee for International Cooperation and Sustainable Development (NCDO), has developed a Guidance Paper that responds to questions about how the Earth Charter relates to other leading global initiatives such as the UN Global Compact and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

This paper is designed to help Earth Charter users and those using the GRI and Global Compact to understand the synergies and complementary strengths of these three initiatives. It endeavors to explain how businesses can integrate the Earth Charter into the reporting processes organized by GRI and other similar efforts. ECI places special emphasis in its work with businesses on the value of adopting GRI guidelines. An alliance with the GRI is developed along these lines.

The Ethos Institute, a leading organization in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility in Latin America, decided to use the principles of the Earth Charter in their programs and tools.  Their materials are widely used and the Ethos Institute is recognized as an important hub for knowledge exchange and development of partnerships. 

The Earth Charter International encourages all businesses to use the Earth Charter in one or more of the following ways:

• Engage employees with the Earth Charter for the purpose of learning, training, and inspiration.
• Assess the activities of the business in the light of Earth Charter values and principles, using the Global Reporting Initiative's Guidelines.
• Incorporate Earth Charter values and principles in the business mission statement and its core operations with the goal of developing a more socially and ecologically responsible business.

ECI will not attempt to create a special administrative staff for this focus area, nor will it monitor individual business participation. Instead, ECI will develop resources that will be made available via the website, and encourage businesses to participate in this focus area by endorsing the Earth Charter, making use of the resources, and taking actions of the kind described above.

A Task Force to help implement the Earth Charter strategy in the field of business is being put in place.

See the following resource materials also available in the EC Virtual Library

• Principles for Engaging Business in the Earth Charter Initiative
• How a Consensus on Global Values Can Add Value
• The Value of Values: Global Ethics and the Future of Sustainable Development
• The Earth Charter, GRI and Global Compact
  
• ISO2600 and the Earth Charter.
  

Sample cases of businesses using the Earth Charter

• Philips, Brazil
  
• Itaipu Binational Dam, Brazil
• Hotel Parque del Lago, Costa Rica
• Hotel Hilton Arlington, USA
• Promotora Ambiental - PASA, Mexico
• Reggs Design- ProPortion Foundation, The Netherlands
• Ethics and business.  Interview with Peter Head, Global Planning, ARUP
• Earth Charter in Business Project - Earth Charter UK