Marrakech – Morocco’s General Confederation of Enterprises (CGEM) awarded trophies for its Label RSE – Responsabilité Sociétale des Entreprises, or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – to 21 companies at a ceremony held Monday in Casablanca, bringing the total number of firms certified under the framework to 152 since the program’s inception in 2006.
The event, held under the theme “20 Years of the RSE Charter: From Commitment to Impact,” coincided with the twentieth anniversary of the charter adopted by the CGEM’s board of directors in December 2006.
CGEM President Mehdi Tazi noted that corporate social responsibility now functions as a driver of competitiveness, resilience, and trust. Social, environmental, and governance considerations are fully embedded in corporate development strategies and contribute to long-term performance, he told attendees.
Ten companies received the label for the first time: AXA Services, BOTTU, Compagnie Générale Immobilière (CGI), Crédit Agricole du Maroc, Frigo Process, Pharma 5, Rabat Région Mobilité, Red Med Private Equity, S2M, and Wafa IMA Assistance.
Eleven others secured renewals, including AtlantaSanad Assurance, the Casablanca Stock Exchange, Cosumar, HPS, Les Eaux Minérales d’Oulmès, Leyton, and Novec.
The charter that underpins the label draws its framework from major international standards – the UN Global Compact, ILO conventions, OECD guidelines for multinational enterprises, and principal environmental treaties.
It is structured around nine pillars covering human rights, labor conditions, environmental protection, anti-corruption, fair competition, corporate governance transparency, consumer interests, supply chain responsibility, and community development. Approximately 100 evaluation criteria span these domains.
Under the labeling process, candidate companies must be CGEM members, established in Morocco with a minimum of three years of operations, and identified by their corporate name and CNSS registration number.
A company selects one of the CGEM-accredited independent audit firms to conduct an evaluation measuring conformity against the charter’s objectives. The assessment duration ranges from five person-days for firms with fewer than 50 employees to 15 or more for those exceeding 700.
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A 15-member attribution committee – composed of 14 permanent members appointed for their expertise in corporate responsibility and one rotating specialist – reviews evaluation reports and conducts interviews with candidate management before reaching a unanimous decision. The committee is not bound by the auditor’s recommendation, which remains consultative.
The label carries a three-year validity period. A follow-up audit at 18 months verifies the implementation of corrective action plans. Renewal requires demonstrated innovation and tangible improvement; failure to renew within six months of expiration triggers automatic suspension. The CGEM retains the authority to revoke the label at any point if a company’s conduct proves incompatible with the charter’s standards.
A round table during Monday’s ceremony gathered labeled companies to discuss how integrated RSE strategies translate into measurable competitive advantages – moving the conversation from compliance to value creation.
The CGEM also used the occasion to reaffirm its commitment to broadening RSE adoption across the national economic fabric, particularly through its “PME Responsable” label launched in 2025. That initiative targets small and medium enterprises seeking to integrate social responsibility principles into their operations and strategies.
Founded in 1947, the confederation represents more than 90,000 direct and affiliated members, 95% of them SMEs, through 37 statutory professional federations and regional representations across Morocco.
