Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the idea that companies can invest in society and the environment while also operating and profiting as businesses. The main goals are to "do more good” and/or “do less harm” for society and the environment.
While companies put the “corporate” in corporate social responsibility, it's the collective action of individual employees that results in successful impacts. Regardless of your position, anyone can take on a CSR project or program to help conserve our environment!
Before deciding on your CSR project or program, understand what motivates your company. Aside from profit, motivations could include improving community impact, resource efficiency, or employee engagement. Next, identify the why factor, along with the business benefits of your idea. Once you connect the what and why, you can then focus on the how.
Develop a strategy and define tracking metrics before launching a pilot version of your project or program. You can turn the strategy into a full-blown business case to pitch to your management team or key stakeholders. In your business case, include concepts like internal and external resources needed and the key people and audiences involved, as well as processes and procedures for execution.
Once you have company support, launch your CSR initiative! Start small and incrementally scale up over time. Reporting your impact with metrics shows results and strengthens your case for environmental conservation.
After you’ve launched the CSR initiative, tracking your impact is very important. Use this data to calculate estimates for scaling the concept. How would doubling the recycling stations impact waste? How much energy is saved by using fewer utilities? How much money is saved by reducing packaging materials? Use your calculations to answer questions like these.
Measurable data can also help you win over your company or key stakeholders. This can mean additional company support or funding for your idea. CSR initiatives are also great for potentially saving money and promoting the company—other aspects you can include in your strategy.
Getting coworkers and organizational partners involved is another great way to scale your CSR initiative. Coworkers who actively participate can champion the idea and get others involved. Partner organizations can provide additional support and funding, depending on your shared goals
Start small! Here are some easy ways to conserve in different areas of the office.
