Corporate Sustainability Review 2020: COVID-19, Essential Workers and the Caribbean’s CSR Response

By Donna P. Ramsammy, Editor-in-Chief

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped everyday life in ways few could have imagined. Essential workers faced unprecedented risk—particularly those in healthcare, protective services, and food and beverage manufacturing—as economies struggled to remain functional amid lockdowns and uncertainty. Armed with personal protective equipment (PPE), new health, safety and environment (HSE) protocols, and an unwavering sense of duty, these workers continued to show up—often relying on public transport—while protecting both colleagues and families at home.

COVID-19 proved to be no discriminator. It reminded us all that no one is immune—and that even the simplest aspects of daily life can no longer be taken for granted.

How Is the Caribbean Responding to COVID-19 Economic Challenges?

Across the Caribbean, governments adopted various approaches to balancing public health, economic recovery, and social stability, shaped by each territory’s unique vulnerabilities.

Jamaica: Reopening Early to Stimulate Recovery

Jamaica was the first Caribbean country to reopen its economy, welcoming international travellers from June 15, 2020, supported by strict health screening protocols before and upon entry. This early reopening gave the island a competitive jumpstart as other economies remained closed, positioning tourism as a catalyst for recovery.

Barbados: Reimagining Tourism Through Remote Work

In Barbados, the pandemic created an opportunity to reposition the island as a remote work destination, marketing sun, sand and sea as a safe and appealing alternative for business travellers seeking long-term, flexible workspaces.

Trinidad and Tobago: Managing Dual Economic Pressures

In Trinidad and Tobago, COVID-19 compounded the effects of sustained low oil prices. Following an initial reopening, the economy faced a partial shutdown as infection rates spiked after a prolonged period of stability. These measures had a particularly severe impact on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), while the extended deployment of social programmes placed increasing strain on government finances. The experience underscored a critical reality: there is no single prescription for recovery across the region.

Aligning Crisis Response with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This edition of the Corporate Sustainability Review was designed around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (https://sdgs.un.org/goals), with the objective of benchmarking how corporate social investment programmes across the Caribbean are contributing to SDG targets.

The unexpected arrival of COVID-19 provided a powerful lens through which to assess the region’s effectiveness in advancing sustainable development, particularly in areas such as health, education, decent work, food security and inequality.

Feature Interviews: Health, Agriculture and Conscious Leadership

In our Features segment, we explore the pandemic’s impact on sustainability priorities through in-depth conversations with regional and international leaders, including:

• The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA)
  (https://carpha.org), on regional health system preparedness
• Franka Costello, of the Trinidad & Tobago Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA)
  (https://ttma.com), on manufacturing resilience and supply chains
• Diana Francis, of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)
  (https://www.iica.int), on food security and agricultural sustainability
• Dr Patrick Gomes, former Secretary-General of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS)
  (https://www.oacps.org), featured as our 2020 Conscious Leader

We also examine youth engagement and energy-sector transformation through an interview with Lawrence Arjoon, as the Heroes Foundation
(https://heroesfoundation.org) appoints a new CEO with a renewed vision for social impact.

Corporate Social Responsibility in Action Across the Caribbean

Across the region, companies responded to the crisis by partnering with governments, NGOs and civil society organisations to distribute PPE, food hampers and emergency relief—addressing the social fallout caused by prolonged business closures, job losses, and unequal access to digital infrastructure.

The pandemic exposed stark disparities in technology access, water availability and healthcare, reshaping how companies design and deliver CSR programmes.

Corporate Highlights

• Atlantic advances its purpose of “Transforming lives by passionately energizing our world”
• ANSA McAL shares its COVID-19 response through a family-centric lens
• bp Trinidad and Tobago (BPTT) undertakes a million-dollar relief drive
• Nestlé Caribbean prioritises employee health and workplace wellbeing
• The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago integrates sustainability into core business operations
• Shell Trinidad & Tobago invests in critical hospital equipment to strengthen healthcare capacity

In Guyana’s business sector, SME GameXpress sparked a national clean-up campaign after employing a man made homeless by COVID-19, while TechnipFMC
(https://www.technipfmc.com) continues to support local content development within the country’s emerging energy sector.

Our Regional Roundup gathers CSR stories from across the Caribbean, offering readers a panoramic view of how business is contributing to stronger, more resilient societies.

Related Link: Ministry to tackle mental health, homelessness 

Why This Moment Matters for Caribbean CSR

COVID-19 has fundamentally altered how businesses approach corporate social responsibility, sustainability and stakeholder engagement. More than ever, CSR is being shaped by urgency, collaboration and accountability—grounded in the realities of communities and aligned with long-term development goals.

As this Review demonstrates, Caribbean businesses are not merely responding to crisis; they are redefining the role of the private sector in building a more inclusive and sustainable future.