Corporate social responsibility
What is CSR?
Why is CSR important?
What is the triple bottom line?
Types of CSR
Environmental responsibility
Reducing environmental impact through sustainable practices such as minimizing energy use, cutting emissions, using renewable resources and supporting biodiversity.
Ethical responsibility
Promoting fair wages, safe working conditions, supply-chain transparency and human rights while ensuring accountability across operations.
Philanthropic responsibility
Contributing funds, time or resources to charities, community programs, Education , healthcare, livelihoods, infrastructure, skilling, employment, disaster relief and local initiatives.
Economic responsibility
Making business decisions that reflect company values rather than focusing solely on profit and supporting community economic development through job creation and local partnerships.
Benefits of CSR
Business benefits
Strong CSR programs can improve brand reputation, increase cost efficiencies, attract talent, strengthen employee engagement and reduce legal or reputational risk.
Consumer benefits
Consumers gain access to safer, ethically produced products and better information on sustainability.
Environmental benefits
CSR drives reductions in emissions, pollution and resource consumption while promoting innovation in eco-friendly products and processes.
Societal benefits
CSR supports local communities, addresses social issues, promotes job creation and encourages broader norms of ethical behaviour.
Why are companies adopting CSR?
Examples of CSR
Common CSR practices include donating a portion of profits to social causes, using recycled materials, sourcing fair-trade inputs, supporting social activism, offering recycling programs, implementing DEI initiatives, investing in natural-resource replenishment, adopting renewable energy and supporting employee well-being.
CSR vs. ESG
CSR is guided by local and international laws, industry standards and global frameworks such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Many companies voluntarily publish CSR reports measuring their social and environmental performance, though some regions require disclosure from large organizations.
What governs CSR?
CSR reflects a company’s values and its commitment to ethical and sustainable practices. ESG (environmental, social and governance) provides measurable criteria to assess that impact. CSR is more internally focused, while ESG is often used externally to demonstrate performance.
What does a CSR team do?
CSR teams design, implement and manage social and environmental initiatives. They align programs with company values, engage stakeholders, ensure regulatory compliance, track progress using relevant metrics and communicate CSR performance both internally and externally.
