What is CSR?
CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) is defined by the European Commission as the voluntary integration by companies of social and environmental concerns into their business activities and relationships with stakeholders.Concretely, it is the responsibility of companies to respect the challenges of sustainable development. In fact, it is a question of making organizations aware of how to better reconcile the 3 dimensions of sustainable development (economic, environmental and social) in order to cope with a changing world: natural resources that are being exhausted globally and increasingly numerous needs to be satisfied, mainly due to the emergence of an unlimited consumer society and also to very significant population growth since the 1950s.
Why has CSR become essential for businesses?
At a time when consumers attach more and more importance to societal and environmental issues, businesses have every interest in adopting a socially responsible approach. What are the main advantages of developing or strengthening your CSR strategy?
Retain employees
Taking well-being into account at work builds employee loyalty, increases their productivity and reduces expenses related to turnover. A solid CSR policy can also attract talent, especially the new generations who are more focused on preserving the planet and treating suppliers and customers with respect.
Enhance brand image
The perception that investors and consumers have of a brand can vary depending on the commitments of the brand. For example, we observe that 65% of French people choose to buy (or to boycott) a brand based on its positions (Edelman Earned Brand 2018 study). We also learn that 56% of them think that businesses should communicate about their commitment even at their point of sale. A solid CSR strategy can therefore improve your brand image, but pay attention to Greenwashing...
Encouraging innovation
Developing your CSR commitment involves a process of continuous improvement and innovation. It means trying to find the solutions of tomorrow, and sustainably transforming the practices of your company. So yes, reducing the environmental impact of its products and services, while contributing to the economic development of the territory, requires a significant investment for the company. But this investment will pay off in the long run!
How to implement a CSR strategy in a company?
Do you want to develop a CSR strategy and benefit from its many advantages, but you don't know where to start? Implement a CSR approach consists in establishing an action plan in order to meet the challenges of sustainable development. In fact, it is a question of defining what will be the levers through which the company will act in favor of the three pillars of CSR (economic, social and environmental). The first thing to do is to establish a hierarchy, in order to identify the economic, environmental and social themes that will be most likely to help them improve their performance and their long-term model.Here is a proposal of steps to follow, in order to achieve the establishment of a CSR strategy within your company:
Identify stakeholders and conduct a CSR audit
The stakeholders of a company (employees, managers, unions, unions, suppliers or even customers) can participate in the economic life of the company and are likely to influence its behavior. Their identification is essential for the definition of a relevant CSR strategy. Taking their opinion into account is an important step in defining the CSR strategy. As for the audit, it makes it possible to identify, on the one hand, the areas for improvement and, on the other hand, the objectives related to the action plan to be implemented.
Define CSR performance indicators
In order to measure the effectiveness of your approach, there is nothing more effective than indicators. Producing a report makes it possible to identify and take into account the right information. To do this, you can use HR (gender parity, training, etc.), environmental or societal indicators (sponsorship for example) indicators.
Implement a CSR communication strategy
Communication takes place first internally and then externally. It is therefore recommended to:
- Communicate with internal stakeholders in order to present them with the current situation in terms of CSR, as well as the vision of the company and the way in which it wishes to positively impact society and the environment.
- Communicate with external stakeholders, using appropriate communication channels: newsletter, social networks, CSR report...
Training employees on CSR issues
If you want to implement effective actions as part of your CSR strategy, it is essential to train employees. This integration of CSR issues into corporate strategy represents long-term work, and requires the active participation of employees. In fact, here is an encouraging number: 70% of employees are ready to invest more in their company's CSR strategy! You now have all the assets in your hands to build a solid and relevant CSR strategy.
By: Clara Lapeyronie
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