CSR policy in companies

Through their CSR policy, companies can improve their response to business and performance issues. The approach allows you to manage risks, seize opportunities and comply with regulations, especially in terms of transparency. It also helps to adapt to stakeholders' expectations in terms of ethics and sustainable development.

C’What is a corporate CSR policy? 

The CSR policy in companies is essentially about adopting ethical and sustainable practices on a daily basis, in order to preserve the environment and improve society. What is corporate social responsibility (CSR)? ? According to the European Commission, it aims to integrate environmental and social concerns into activities as well as business relationships.

Through the CSR approach, entrepreneurs seek to actively participate in the challenges of sustainable development. The principle is to make its establishment profitable by having a positive impact on the environment and society. Moreover, this concept is also called " corporate social responsibility ". The international standard ISO 26000 allows to circumscribe CSR around 7 major themes:

• Good corporate governance;
• The respect of human rights;
• Relationships and working conditions ;
• The protection of the environment ;
• Fairness in commercial practices;
• The consideration of consumers ;
• Responsible commitment to communities and local development.

What is the purpose of CSR ?

The CSR policy in companies aims above all to respond to the new challenges of professionals (environmental, resources, need for transparency, etc.).). It will eventually lead to responsible internal and external actions. This approach also makes it possible to meet the requirements of the company's various stakeholders (shareholders, customers, partners, unions, etc.).).

CSR implies in particular tostudy the impacts of economic activities on the societal and environmental level. This evaluation can, for example, focus on energy and water consumption, the incidence of work-related accidents, etc. Within the framework of this approach, the company will be able to identify and control the various risks inherent to its sector.

This approach will then allow concretely reduce social and ecological footprints of the activities considered (carbon footprint, safety at work, etc.).). It will also help the establishment to detect business opportunities, such as ecofriendly products, circular economy..

Finally, the The sustainability of companies is now at stake, if they ignore CSR issues. The most telling example concerns the increasing scarcity of raw materials. Economic operators must anticipate the depletion of these resources, at the risk of disappearing in the medium or long term.

Who is’CSR in the company’company ?

In general, large companies have a department dedicated to sustainable development. This department is in charge of implementing the CSR approach within the establishment. In some structures, the division in question may be associated with the marketing, communication or external relations teams.

The big brands often have several CSR correspondents operating internationally. These professionals will help relay the group's commitments to its subsidiaries or factories. Such a network also helps to carry out effective actions on the ground and to promote corporate responsibility.

However, CSR does not only concern the people in charge or the dedicated departments. The approach requires in reality theemployee involvement in all departments of the company. In particular, they must participate through the ecological gestures of everyday life, such as saving energy, water, paper..

Finally, this global policy requires a real commitment to the environment re-evaluation of practices and methodsrs. In concrete terms, a coherent company will choose its suppliers based on ESG criteria (environmental, social and governance). Moreover, this selection is facilitated by specialized websites in the field.

How to implement a CSR policy in a company ?

The CCI provide a specific support for professionals wishing to deploy a team CSR policy in companies. When starting this process, it is important to focus on the issues specific to your establishment, your territory or your activity. This approach will allow the development of concrete environmental, social and good governance measures and actions.

Moreover, the company must learn to hPrioritize the actions to be implemented to gain efficiency. This principle is commonly known as the " materiality " materiality ". The idea is to start with the issues most relevant to your business. It can be about climate, societal or economic issues. The solutions will then be obvious, such as giving priority to responsible purchasing, investing in ESG funds or SRI funds..

To get your priorities right, the best solution is to open a dialogue with all stakeholders. The company will be able to identify issues that may affect its performance and environmental or social impacts. Finally, monitoring progress in this area generally requires the intervention of an extra-financial rating agency.