CSR, Biodiversity and Japan's Stakeholder Approach to the Global Bumble Bee Trade

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) embodies corporate concern for the natural environment. Biodiversity, however, is a relatively unfamiliar concept in the corporate lexicon, and comparatively little attention has been given to the effects of business on biodiversity and ecosystem health despite their fundamental role in human wellbeing. Adopting an interdisciplinary lens, we draw on the management, sustainability, and entomology literature to examine biodiversity as a CSR challenge highlighting the commercial bumble bee trade. We propose that Japan is emerging as a role model on the global stage as illustrated by its stakeholder approach to balancing commercial interests and ecological concerns associated with the global bumble bee trade. We conclude with implications for CSR.