CSRWorks International, a leading sustainability consulting, assurance and verification, and training firm, has deepened its commitment to responsible business by joining the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs). The endorsement, now formally approved by UN Women, underscores the company’s long-standing belief that gender equality is integral to sustainable development and strong organisational performance.
Developed as a roadmap for companies seeking to align with SDG 5: Gender Equality, the WEPs have become an influential global framework for embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion into business strategy. For CSRWorks, the approval marks both a continuation and an amplification of values that have shaped the firm since its inception.
Rajesh Chhabara, Founder and Managing Director of CSRWorks International, described the endorsement as a natural extension of the company’s mission. “At CSRWorks International, our purpose is to help build a more sustainable, inclusive and equitable world. Guided by our mission, Better Business. Better World., we have spent nearly two decades advancing responsible business. By aligning with the Women’s Empowerment Principles, we reaffirm that gender equality is essential to true sustainability and commit to empowering women and fostering workplaces where they can participate, progress and thrive.”
That commitment is reflected clearly in the firm’s workforce. Women comprise 79 percent of CSRWorks’ employees and occupy 50 percent of senior management positions. Women lead many of the firm’s core advisory, assurance, and training functions, anchoring its global influence and reinforcing its identity as a values-driven organisation.
Creating an environment where women can succeed has long been a priority. CSRWorks emphasises flexibility, learning, wellbeing, care and a culture of respect as foundational elements of its workplace ethos. The firm offers hybrid work arrangements and flexible working hours to support mothers with young children, reflecting its belief that caregiving responsibilities should never limit a woman’s ability to fully participate in the workforce. “CSRWorks provides a supportive, flexible, and growth-oriented environment that enables women to thrive at every stage of their careers,” the company notes.
This philosophy is supported by equal opportunity and anti-discrimination safeguards, transparent professional development pathways, structured learning and leadership development programmes, health and wellbeing benefits, and rigorous safe workplace standards underpinned by a zero-tolerance harassment policy. Together, these practices embody a workplace designed to ensure women feel safe, respected, and empowered to lead.
Beyond its internal culture, CSRWorks is widely recognised for shaping the sustainability landscape across Asia. Its flagship platforms—the Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards (ASRA) and the Asia Sustainability Reporting Summit—promote excellence and transparency in sustainability reporting, while its training programmes have helped elevate sustainability competence across industries and regions.
Through the Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards (ASRA), CSRWorks also promotes excellence in diversity and inclusion disclosures. The programme includes the prestigious Asia’s Best Diversity Report category, which recognises companies demonstrating leadership in gender equality, workforce inclusion, and transparent diversity reporting. This further reflects CSRWorks’ broader commitment to strengthening gender-responsive sustainability practices across the region.
CSRWorks provides a comprehensive suite of sustainability services, including sustainability strategy development, sustainability reporting, third-party assurance and verification, GHG accounting, and science-based target setting. The firm also supports companies in improving performance in leading sustainability ratings such as EcoVadis, CDP, and the S&P Corporate Sustainability Assessment, and advises on human rights risk assessment and broader ESG integration. This breadth of expertise has positioned CSRWorks as a trusted partner to organisations seeking to strengthen their sustainability performance and disclosures.
CSRWorks’ endorsement of the WEPs signals a reaffirmed resolve to not only strengthen its own gender commitments but also to champion gender-responsive sustainability through its advisory work and industry influence. At a time when gender equality, diversity, and human capital management are becoming important for sustainability ratings and stakeholder expectations, CSRWorks’ alignment with the WEPs positions the firm as both a practitioner and an advocate of inclusive, future-ready business.
As CSRWorks moves forward under the banner of Better Business. Better World., its WEPs commitment reflects a broader ambition: to help shape a more equitable and sustainable corporate landscape across Asia and beyond.
