Let's make our businesses, and our world, Ever Better
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For a long time, businesses have relied on the use of externalities to deliver profits and growth to shareholders. Externalities are costs of doing business that are imposed on society or the environment, rather than incurred by the business itself. Examples include polluting the environment, and paying less than a livable wage.
Corporate Social Responsibility is a way of doing business that voluntarily goes beyond compliance with laws and regulations to eliminate externalities, and to benefit society and the environment through the normal course of operations. And this is the future of business. |
CSR or ESG?Whether you call it CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) or ESG (Environmental, Social, & Governance), it's about doing business in a different way. We're thinking long-term, holistically, and inclusively. Call it what you will, but let's not do what we've always done.
Climate Action can't waitEvery company, no matter how small, produces greenhouse gas emissions. So every company has a role to play in mitigating climate change, and working to limit the global average temperature increase to 1.5°C. The longer we wait, the harder it gets - so the time to act is now.
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Should my business pursue B Certification?Companies like Patagonia, Seventh Generation, Allbirds, and Eileen Fisher are among the best-known Certified B Corps. Your company can join them by completing the B Impact Assessment and earning at least 80 points across the categories of workers, communities, customers, suppliers, and the environment.
But we're too small for CSR!No company is too small to have a meaningful purpose; no company is too small to balance the interests of all stakeholders when making critical decisions. If you don't start now, when will you?
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I always make the business case for sustainability. It's so compelling. Our costs are down, not up. Our products are the best they have ever been. Our people are motivated by a shared higher purpose... And the goodwill in the marketplace - it's just been astonishing.
Ray Anderson
Your stakeholders expect more from you.
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No longer can business leaders follow the advice of Milton Friedman and worry only about growing shareholder value. Instead, we must become familiar with the advice of Michael Porter and focus on creating shared value. The needs and interests of all stakeholders, including employees, customers, suppliers, the communities where we operate, and even future generations, must be considered in every decision we make.
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According to Porter Novelli's 2021 survey:
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