Abstract

Companies have a strong moral responsibility towards animals. Consumers, investors and NGOs are becoming more critical of the treatment of animals by companies. Nevertheless, the topic of animal ethics seems to be a blind spot in the corporate social responsibility policies of most companies. As moral actors, companies should take the interests of animals into account in their decisions. More specifically this means that companies should take the current and future welfare of animals into account, including continuation of their lives. Based on this corporate responsibility, critical reflection is offered on various categories of corporate impact on animals. The chapter concludes with managerial implications for different industries.