As time continues to progress the prevailing sentiments of the general public also change with the times, and with that their purchasing habits. Renewable energy, ethical treatment of workers along the production line, sustainable practices and even the perceived morality of senior executives have become another part of the purchasing equation.
These additional concerns have been grouped together and largely make up what has been coined corporate social responsibility. CSR is an approach used in business that “contributes to sustainable development by delivering economic, social and environmental benefits for all stakeholders.”
Why is CSR important?
With consumers having greater access to information than at any time in the past combined with a greater moral imperative to choose wisely; it is of utmost importance to take these modern business practices on board. It’s good for your employee morale, too.
Any major multinational from the past 20 years will have examples of CSR put into action: McDonald’s stating that the coffee beans are ethically sourced for their McCafe beverages, Apple claims to offset most if not all of their carbon footprint, and countless other examples.
Implementation ideas
What can you do? How can you integrate pieces of this corporate social responsibility shift into your own workplace? Create a social mission statement; this can be entirely separate from the mission statement of the organisation, but, that is not essential. Incorporating environmental sustainability into the foundation of the vision of the company is a great place to start, and visitors to the organisation’s site will be able to find this message.
Creating a series of goals for your company that are not too far fetched, be realistic with this goal setting. Having something to work towards is important for reference post practice; and in terms of preparation and allocation of essential resources. Partnering with companies and brands that tout the same environmentally sustainable line is another big win.
Companies like Sendle, a shipping and full service courier company, that have a carbon neutral business imply that your partnership with them and the business activities carried out on your behalf have the same neutral effect. Using branded imagery (badge) from the business that depicts the management of this service of your business, and the carbon neutral implication, is a badge of honor your business should wear with pride.
The Importance of CSR in the modern business environment:
Demonstrating that your business cares about the world at large, the environment or another worthwhile cause will translate to customers believing and supporting the brand. If the benefits of signing up with a shipping courier service to send your parcels and have tracking provided include more than cheap shipping and reliability, then maybe the rest of the sales proposition will aid with areas outside of day to day logistics.
Takeaway
It is important to remember the world is moving toward social responsibility. It’s more important to align your business with a set of ideals that your business can embody and propagate.