Corporate Social Responsibility Practices are an Important Part of your Business Policy: Here’s What Some of The World’s Best Do!

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By Tanika Mehrotra Last updated Jul 3, 2020

Corporate Social Responsibility is an integral part of core business activities. Businesses have a responsibility to give back to society. Many organizations abide by this norm and observe good CSR practices, some have gone beyond their corporate policies and embedded CSR projects into their core vision and mission. Here are some examples from the world’s best companies.

Microsoft

Microsoft has won several achievements for its social responsibility. In the past, it has been ranked number one on Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens 2018 for environment and social score and number 2 on JUST Capital’s Top 10 Tech Companies. Microsoft supports causes such as educating and empowering its employees, gender equality and equal opportunities, carbon offset community projects to reduce carbon emissions and more. Understanding the current world situation, its efforts are also now being focused on healthcare, AI, a new $60 million, five-year philanthropic program designed to empower non-profits, researchers and organizations to address some of the toughest global health challenges.

Intel

Intel has been committed to corporate social responsibility since a long time now. Their strategic planning and investments have been focused on improving environment sustainability, supply chain responsibility, diversity and inclusion, and social impact. They have recently built a RISE strategy for 2030. RISE stands for Responsible business, Inclusive for further advancing diversity and inclusion, Sustainable – to continually invest in environmental footprint to achieve carbon neutral computing and to Enable all these results through technology. RISE is based on the current world and climate challenges like the wild fires, need for action on climate change, digital divide and lack of diversity and inclusion and coronavirus pandemic. Intel wishes to speed up the progress against these challenges.

Google

Google aims at trying to have all its initiatives be environmentally sustainable. Google has been devoting its technological resources for the education of the underprivileged, has invested in projects that work to improve the employability of people, is known for its efficient data centres; these centres are aimed at optimizing the use of natural resources, in a manner to minimize the environmental impact hence the data centres have remained carbon neutral for more than a decade. Supply chain responsibility is also a core pillar of Google’s sustainability efforts. The company has included its suppliers as a part of its sustainability strategy by forming a responsible supply chain program whose focus is to help the suppliers adopt responsible and sustainable practices.

Pfizer

Pfizer’s commitment to the society is aligned with the company’s vision. Pfizer aims to contribute to the causes that provide advanced medical care and improve the health of patients. The company is also known to have raised awareness for non-infectious diseases as well as for providing exemplary healthcare for women and children. For instance, it is doing its bit by reducing the price of their Pevenar 13 vaccines (for pneumonia, ear and blood infections) for those in need and in situations for refugee use and emergency settings.

Dell

Dell has been committed to its corporate social responsibility for over a decade now. Its CSR projects have been aligned towards supporting rural development, promoting education, providing preventive healthcare, providing sanitation and drinking water, and creating livelihoods specially for the underprivileged. In addition to its environmental responsibility, Dell’s objective for 2020 is focused on Youth Learning and Children’s cancer care. Youth Learning will help bridge the gap between the underprivileged youth and their access towards quality education, technology and tools. The Children’s cancer care aims at putting Dells technology funding and expertise in supporting programs that address all types of Cancer, particularly the most resistant form of childhood cancer, Neuroblastoma.

Bosch

By joining the United Nations Global Compact Initiative in 2004, the Bosch Group highlighted the importance of CSR, Bosch has been committed to leveling opportunities through education, providing community engagement and philanthropic support on behalf of the company. Bosch created 5 foundations namely The Bosch Community Fund, Bosch India Foundation, Bosch China Charity Center, Instituto Robert Bosch Brazil and Fundación Robert Bosch México. Bosch’s corporate responsibility includes protecting human rights and the environment, complying with health standards and labor laws, and making more than 400 locations carbon neutral by 2020. Some other interventions have been in economic development, health and hygiene, safe drinking water and development of infrastructure.

Deloitte

Deloitte has been committed to driving change in the field of education by promoting special education and employment by enhancing vocational skills among children, women, elderly and the differently-abled. It is also involved in livelihood enhancement projects by providing necessary tools to the underprivileged. Deloitte believes in promoting gender equality and empowering women by supporting the NGOs that implement skill development, training and livelihood of women. The company also ensures environmental sustainability, health & hygiene through activities that eradicate hunger and make safe drinking water available and animal welfare through funding proposals or activities that run and maintain animal shelters and veterinary centres.

General Electric

With corporate social responsibility as a part of their Sustainability strategy, GE has always given back to the society with its sustainable and inclusive development projects. General Electric has divided its strategy into three parts for fulfilling its corporate social responsibilities. The company focuses on three aspects of its business within this strategy: social, environmental, and governance. These three elements reflect the stakeholders involved in GE’s efforts toward corporate citizenship – Social (employees, customers and communities), Environmental (natural environment and resources) and Governance (investors and government). Through employee volunteering, sustainability goals, contribution by their global Foundation they aspire to achieve a society with evenly distributed opportunities.

Infosys

Infosys being an early adopter of CSR initiatives, has four key platforms and all their activities are planned around those. The platforms are Infosys foundation – which creates opportunities for underprivileged and strives for a more equitable society by providing aid in healthcare, education, rural development etc., Infosys foundation USA – aims to expand computer science and education to K-12 students and teachers across US, with a specific focus on underrepresented communities, Infosys science foundation – this constitutes the Infosys Prize award, which is given to honor the achievements of researchers and scientists across all verticals of science , sustainability at Infosys – aims at making their business, clients, and ecosystem sustainable across economic, social and environmental development.

Apple

Apple’s corporate social responsibilities include supporting local communities, Apple had launched the Global volunteer program back in 2011 to encourage employees to volunteer in local communities, the program was revised in 2015 to grant employees the right to choose the project in their communities. Apple provided educational programs to more than 3.6 million supplier employees, it also educated its employees via app development courses, employees with no coding experience were later able to build apps. Gender equality and minorities; the company pursued equal pay opportunities for its employees in 2016, 50% of the new hires in 2018 were minorities. Apple is the only company awarded with a clean energy index of 100% according to Greenpeace Clicking Clean report and is also known to have reduced its overall carbon footprint.