Here is a list of CSR activities for all types of businesses. You can find many others, but these ones, in particular, can be easily implemented at every level.
The first idea that comes to mind when you think about CSR is simply giving some of your company’s benefits to a charity and participating in philanthropic activities. For example, Wells Fargo donates up to 1.5% of its revenue each year to charity! Even if you do not wish to go that far you can still donate annually to charities that may need some financial help. You can look for international charities such as Red Cross or Aides, but you can also find smaller charities close to you that you can help and thus show that your company is a positive member of your community. Plus you can benefit from tax reduction policies and display your philanthropic actions to your customers who will value all your efforts. Besides working with charities does not only mean giving money: you can simply promote volunteering and even organize a day dedicated to this for instance!
Another simple idea for a CSR program is to simply reduce waste. You can, just like Lego did, reduce the packaging around your product and/or make sure that everything is recyclable. You can also implement measures at the office that will promote recycling and prevent waste. Making sure that every trashcan has a recyclable option is one for instance. Reminding everyone that printing is not always necessary is another one. If you have a cafeteria see if you can reduce the amount of single-use forks, knives and plates. If you don’t have a cafeteria you can even invest in tableware so that your employees who buy their lunch outside don’t have to bring single-use cutlery.
Whether if your company is a multinational firm or a young startup, you can always look for initiatives to go local. For example, you can decide to switch your production of some components of products you may be manufacturing to a closer location in the spirit of reducing both transportation costs and carbon emissions. This is actually what Shayp does with its device made and assembled in Belgium! You can also decide to introduce more local ingredients to your cafeteria, and this way try to respect the seasonality of fruits and vegetables. Looking for local alternatives is also a good way to implement the notion of community to your employees.
Since we were talking about the seasonality of fruits and vegetables, there is another related topic that is very easy to implement and can make a real impact on your employees. As Disney did, you could simply promote healthy habits for your employees. Whether it be taking the bike or walking to the office instead of taking the car, making sure that there are healthy meals at the cafeteria, or simply reminding everyone what a balanced diet is consisting of, there are many ways to help your employees stay healthy! Plus you can add vegetarians options: those are both healthy and more respectful to the environment!
At last, an easy-to-implement CSR activity example is to promote ethical behavior in the workplace: making sure that your employees feel safe in the office. You can lead campaigns against sexual harassment, racism, and homophobia, and simply encourage your employees to treat each other with respect. You can first decide to implement a policy dedicated to this issue and make sure that everyone is well aware of this.
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