What does it mean to make corporate social responsibility (CSR) part of your core business?
I see so many articles and blogs discussing holistic approaches to CSR – whether you call is shared value, profits with purpose, or triple bottom line – but not always with a successful description of what they mean in practice. I know I’ve glossed over this important tactical aspect of CSR in my own posts.
Thanks to an enlightening conversation with Dave Stangis, VP of Corporate Social Responsibility at The Campbell Soup Company, I have a refreshed perspective on how CSR can become part and parcel of your corporate DNA (Hint: employees are critical). Stay tuned on this blog for a Follow Friday Feature with Dave coming soon.
Holistic CSR requires everyone in your company to internalize your company’s CSR values and apply them to his or her job. A company’s total impact is a collective effort from employees and supply chain partners.
When you think of the complexity of job functions that influence a product from conception to production to purchase to waste or recycling, you can begin to contemplate how CSR thinking and strategy can impact that product along the way.
- The design team can factor in reduced production resources and end of life disposal options into the prototype. Or even better, make the product helpful to consumers who want to make a difference with the products they buy.
- The manufacturing team can apply more efficient production methods in making the product.
- The packaging team can use recyclable packaging materials or think about new ways to package the product with less materials.
- The marketing team can include responsible brand and product attributes in the value proposition.
- The company can have a policy to take back its products for recycling or repurposing (Patagonia is an example here).
Whether your company is a consumer products giant, a professional services provider to Fortune 500 clients, small business or start-up, you have a unique approach to, role in and impact on social and environmental challenges. That uniqueness is derived partly from your corporate strategy, but mostly in how that strategy is applied on the ground by employees.
Don’t forget to measure and reward CSR functions as part of your professional development process. Clear expectations, incentives and acknowledgment are the only sustainable ways to inculcate CSR across every job in your company.
