Summary:

This paper deals with the raising concern for social and environmental responsibility of firms. This trend is illustrated by an increasing number of criteria for global reporting, social and ethical Accountability, ISO-norms and alike, namely from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. However, no commonly accepted standards exist. This paper recalls the ethical principles of the market and the historical grounding on which has flourished ethical standards. It shows how the social dimension of sustainable development interacts with the ecological and economics ones. It offers an overview of the main actual initiatives in this field and links them to asset management and its performance.