France

By the middle of the first decade of the twenty-first century, almost 400 French companies had joined the United Nations Global Compact. Today there are almost a dozen significant legal texts in existence on the application of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in France. Despite several studies showing that the concept of CSR is intrinsically linked with a more Anglo-American tradition, it seems that CSR is more and more established in France. This chapter first explores the specificity of the French context in regard of CSR. The historic perception of the relationships between state and companies and the European skepticism about the very idea of morality in business explain the important legal framework: the turning point was undoubtedly the law of the 15th May 2001 on the new economic regulations. But anyway, despite the considerable weight of the legal framework and the political dimension of CSR, the corporate practices and attitudes to CSR finally present a great diversity. On the basis of concrete examples, the chapter offers a large panel of corporate strategies distinguishing the voluntary companies from those considering CSR as a constraint and developing defensive strategies. Finally, the chapter puts in evidence some general remarks on the global progress and limits on CSR global practices in France.