International Students Ace Lesson in CSR

Sep 26, 2012 1:00 PM ET
Campaign: Sanofi US
A few of the international students that attended a CSR Meeting at Sanofi US in Bridgewater, NJ

International Students Ace a Lesson in Corporate Social Responsibility

About 120 high school students visited Sanofi US’ headquarters in Bridgewater, NJ to learn about the implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at a large company.

Against the backdrop of the Sanofi US headquarters Summer Olympics celebration, the site recently welcomed more than 120 international visitors: High school students being introduced to the world of corporate social responsibility.

The students, primarily from South Korea and China, were part of an Emerging Global Leaders seminar sponsored by Fairleigh Dickinson University’s (FDU) Office of Global Learning and the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation. Sanofi was the only corporation the students visited while in the U.S. Sanofi US’ North American Corporate Social Responsibility department has a long-standing relationship with FDU, which prompted their being chosen for the program.

Members of the North American Corporate Social Responsibility team explained the growing importance of corporate social responsibility worldwide during their visit. “The students were very interested in the company’s approach to corporate social responsibility, and some even asked if they could participate in our Access to Medicines partnerships,” said Roni Croucher, Director North American Corporate Social Responsibility at Sanofi US, noting that many of the Chinese students’ parents work in the corporate/business sector. “Having the opportunity to learn about CSR was a real eye-opener for them and, we’re hoping, transformed their thinking about the role of a big corporation in society.”

Before their Bridgewater visit, the students participated in the Annual Summer Youth Assembly at the United Nations, where they learned about the UN and its many partners; the UN Millennium Development Goals; and the UN Global Compact, an initiative for businesses committed to aligning their operations and strategies with 10 principles in human rights, labor, environment, anti-corruption and other areas.

“As a member of the UN Global Compact, Sanofi prides itself on its global partnerships and has an inherent desire to educate up-and-coming leaders from around the world about how corporations need to act sustainably today to ensure the health and well-being of our planet for future generations,” said John Spinnato, Vice President, North American Corporate Social Responsibility at Sanofi US.

For more about Sanofi and its global CSR efforts, click here.

About Sanofi

Sanofi, a global and diversified healthcare leader, discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions focused on patients' needs. Sanofi has core strengths in the field of healthcare with seven growth platforms; diabetes solutions, human vaccine, innovation drugs, consumer healthcare, emerging markets, animal health and the new Genzyme. Sanofi is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York (NYSE: SNY).

Sanofi is the holding company of a consolidated group of subsidiaries and operates in the United States as Sanofi US, also referred to as sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC. For more information on Sanofi US, please visit http//www.sanofi.us (http://www.sanofi.us) or call 1-800-981-2491.