BP's recent environment and safety record calls into question whether CR as currently practiced is fit for purpose, suggests Simon Propper. The corporate responsibility (CR) and sustainability community has been pretty quiet about the terrible incident continuing in the Gulf of Mexico. Nobody wants to rush to judge a situation that is complex and highly specific to the oil exploration sector...But the ongoing disaster should make everyone involved in the corporate responsibility field reflect on the effectiveness of CR as currently practiced...A possible explanation for the apparent failure of CR, is that the bar is set too low in most of the approved processes and standards...In other words it’s too easy to have an A+ report and a certified environmental management system.