The future of social responsibility

This is a really insightful overview from the Investors In Community Ltd social responsibility event held earlier in the year. Philip Webb (TAM), Justin Urquhart Stewart, Giovanna Jagger FRSA, and David Agar all talk passionately about the importance of CSR, social value and social impact.

CSR Accreditation were delighted to take part and contribute.

Please watch:

Since February the world has changed dramatically and the focus on social responsibility has become far more important. We are already witnessing some incredible acts of kindness and support for struggling businesses, charities and individuals. We very much hope that this continues and that social value becomes an essential part of business practice.

There is now increasing recognition of the fact that CSR can be used as source of competitive advantage through good corporate governance, effective execution of innovative social projects and ethical management. In order to maximise this potential, it is essential for firms to smartly communicate their CSR efforts to ensure that consumers view them as driven by intrinsic (genuine) rather than extrinsic (profit led) motivations.

Having been involved with the establishment and running of the International CSR Excellence Awards, which recognise and reward CSR best practice, we naturally wanted to look at a CSR Accreditation scheme. It was clear to us that organisations that deliver on their CSR promises needed a platform other than the CSR Awards to communicate their CSR success stories. Our research indicated that other than the International Standard Guidance on Social Reponsibility (ISO26000) absolutely nothing else existed in the UK.

We then embarked on a journey to define a CSR framework which we could use to establish a national CSR Accreditation scheme. With backgrounds in brand reputation and the establishment of Ecobrand we understood very early on that achieving a CSR Accreditation offers organisations the opportunity to talk about the positive CSR activity they are engaged in. It is an invaluable marketing tool that improves a company’s public image and relationship with consumers. The application process that resulted is a template for an organisations CSR Policy. A good CSR policy connects you with the community that surrounds you, ensures you act responsibly with regard to the environment and helps you value and look after your staff while ensuring that your products and services are delivered ethically and responsibly.