I have been involved with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for many years, establishing the International CSR Awards over 6 years ago to compliment the Green Apple Awards for Environmental Best Practice now in its 21st year.

I have seen just how important this has become for those organisations that have entered the awards, both in terms of their passion for CSR and the global effect that this has on business. In recent years, the CSR agenda has crept up the priority list and is now considered an essential ingredient in running a successful business.

CSR has many advantages that can apply to any business, regardless of its size or sector. Positive corporate social responsibility improves a company’s public image and relationship with consumers.

Enhance your business reputation

It is all about reputation. The reputation of a business is essential to its survival. Your reputation is perhaps your greatest asset. A good business reputation results in improved visibility, more referrals, increased sales and enhanced job satisfaction and staff retention, and is as important internally as it is to external audiences. Customers want to trust organisations they engage with. Employees want to work for values-driven employers and investors want to know that a company is addressing its ethical responsibility.

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.

The benefits of a robust CSR policy for your organisation are numerous, and as I have mentioned, start with the improved reputation for your brand and business, which in turn delivers powerful competitive advantage.

Employees and customers will look more favourably towards you

CSR can help you engage with your customers in new ways and since the message is about something ‘good,’ it can often be an easier way to talk to your customers. Employees want to feel proud of the organisation they work for and are less likely to look for a job elsewhere. Employment retention can save any business thousands of pounds in training and recruitment. It is also likely that you will receive more job applications because people want to work for you. Improved staff satisfaction results in a happier, loyal and productive workforce.

Spreading the word about your CSR activity benefits everyone

A CSR policy provides the opportunity to share positive stories online and through traditional media. All CSR activity generates really great news opportunities. Not only can you demonstrate leadership by sharing your activities, you can also provide increased marketing visibility for the community projects and charities you support. This in turn results in enhanced word of mouth and improved business referrals.

A well thought out CSR policy can also help your organisation to consider its impact on the environment and provide ways in which you can save energy, recycle and reuse and deliver waste management and travel strategies, all of which will help reduce costs and save money.

Look better to potential investors

Investors are more likely to be attracted to and continue to support companies that demonstrate a commitment not only to employees and customers, but also to causes and organisations that impact the lives of others. A robust approach to CSR can give you an advantage in the tender process. It is now commonplace to be scored on your CSR performance, including health and wellbeing of staff, when tendering for both pubic and private projects.

Did you know that some buyers place a 30% weighting on CSR and social value in their tenders?

A report by Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) has revealed that one in three councils in England now routinely considers social value and CSR in their procurement and commissioning, with one in four having a social value policy.

Attract the millennials

In 2015, Nielsen published its annual Global Corporate Sustainability Report. It indicated that, globally, 66% of consumers are willing to spend more on a product if it comes from a sustainable brand. Millennials gave an even more impressive showing, with 73% of surveyed millennials indicating a similar preference. Additionally, 81% of millennials even expect their favorite companies to make public declarations of their CSR. So, there is a clear advantage to an organisation’s bottom line.

Simply put: CSR is good for business. And then there is the effect of delivering a good CSR policy; the clear benefit to the environment, workplace, communities and to charity.

The remarkable thing is that most organisations are already doing this, but don't know how to report it.

What are the first steps a business can take on their CSR journey?

So, what are the first steps a business can take to get started on their CSR journey?

We have developed the UK’s first CSR Accreditation scheme, which provide the tools to help you write and implement a CSR policy. The accreditation is based on the Four Pillars of CSR, which are:

Environmental CSR

Focusing on eco-issues such as air quality, climate change, cycling to work, recycling and wastes management.

Community CSR

Businesses working with other organisations to improve the quality of life of the people in the local community through investment (time/effort/funding), partnerships, and sponsorship.

Workplace CSR

Policies that improve products and services and staff such as diversity & inclusion, equal opportunities, governance, employee benefits, health & well-being, and sustainable procurement.

Philanthropic CSR

Supporting charities through volunteering, donation or sponsorship.

Many or indeed most of us will have already implemented positive action in one or more of the four pillars.

The CSR Accreditation scheme

Achieving CSR Accreditation is a visible testimony of excellence in CSR and a crucial component of a company’s competitiveness. The accreditation helps you integrate social, environmental, ethical, human rights and consumer concerns into your business operations and strategy and it provides you with a real competitive advantage.

CSR Accreditation looks at your organisation’s impacts on employees, suppliers, clients and communities/charities and helps you develop an audit/report which forms the basis of your CSR road map.

For companies, the overall aim is to achieve a positive impact on society as a whole while maximising the creation of shared value for the owners of the business, its employees, shareholders and stakeholders.

How to achieve a CSR Accreditation

The process of achieving a CSR Accreditation begins with your own assessment of every aspect of your organisation’s CSR activities. You submit an application based on our ‘Four Pillars of CSR’ and the Assessment Guidance Notes. An appropriate fee is charged based on your company size. The CSRA panel assesses your application and responds accordingly. All successful applications will receive a Gold, Silver or Bronze Accreditation pack. Any applicants that are unsuccessful will receive a gap analysis report on their application and a chance to re-apply within three months.

The CSR Accreditation scheme is available to any private, public or third sector organisation which can demonstrate a measurable 12 month period of CSR activity. Any organisation may apply for CSR Accreditation, no matter how it is legally structured, whether it be an incorporated business, a sole trader, partnership, public or third sector organisation.

The applicant may apply for CSR Accreditation under the scheme in respect of its entire organisation, a particular site within the organisation or a specific division of the organisation.

Every successful CSR Accredited business will benefit from:

• Three years' CSR Accreditation
• A CSR Accreditation logo pack and guidelines
• An accreditation certificate
• A tree planted in your name
• Automatic entry to the International CSR Excellence Awards
• Free social media marketing and press release
• Being featured in our CSR Accredited members directory

What's more, 5% of every successful application fee will go to charity.

First CSR Accredited companies named

August saw our first accredited companies come through the accreditation process after their applications were scrutinised by our independent assessment panel made up of organisations representing the public, private and third sectors. The first CSR Accredited companies have had the honour of being our Founder Members, these include B P Collins, Chandler Garvey and Seymour Taylor, to name a few. Each company had a tree planted in their name through our partnership with the Green Earth Appeal and 5% of the application fee went to Rennie Grove Hospice and DEBRA.

The CSRA website features case studies of companies that have already gone through the CSR Accreditation and provide good guidance as to how you can structure your policy and application.

It is amazing what we are already doing in the arena of CSR that we don’t talk about.

Find out more about CSR Accreditation

To find out how your organisation can become CSR Accredited, please visit www.csr-accreditation.co.uk or call 01494 444494 to speak to a member of the CSRA team.

CSR award win for Ecobrand at Buckinghamshire Business Awards

As part of the process in developing the CSR Accreditation, we decided to apply the CSR application process to ourselves. As a result we wrote up an application based on the CSR Four Pillars and against the CSR Accreditation criteria we developed. This coincided with the announcement of the Excellence in CSR category at the Buckinghamshire Business Awards 2018.

It was an absolute pleasure to discover that we had been shortlisted for the award and then on the night of the awards to discover that we had indeed won the Excellence in CSR category.

This meant a great deal to us because it proved that the process worked and that an independent panel of judges totally got what we had been trying to achieve. It also gave CSRA enhanced visibility, drew attention to the CSR Accreditation Scheme, and showed that it is not difficult to structure a CSR policy and deliver positive output as part of your business strategy, not only benefiting you and your business but the world you live and work in.