Corporate social responsibility in a nutshell!

Corporate social responsibility Scopias

You’ve probably seen a post or message popping up from a company on the subject of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Especially these days, the subject is more popular than ever. And rightly so, because it should be top of mind for all of us. This is why we wrote this blog in which we give you a little refresher course on CSR combined with some best practices. Hopefully, after reading this blog, you will be inspired so that you can get started too. Are you reading on?

‘’According to MVO Nederland, corporate social responsibility is focusing on adding value to people, planet and profit with a balance between all three aspects.’’

What is corporate social responsibility?

Do you want to make sure that your company is socially responsible? A solid foundation for this is knowing exactly what this entails. According to MVO Nederland (Dutch CSR organization), this means focusing on adding value to people, the planet, and profit with a balance between all three aspects. In addition, according to MVO Nederland, the company should adopt an active and transparent attitude toward all its stakeholders. When you start doing business in this way, you discover new market opportunities, you create innovation and the benefits for society and the environment grow now and in the future. Below, we list some of our favorite best practices!

  • Black Friday; This is the day that a lot of consumers overconsume. To this, Dille & Kamille has responded with their own unique counter-reaction. The company created an event called Green Friday which was introduced in 2018. In the latest edition, the company even closed all its stores in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany as well as the web shop to create awareness.
  • Another great example of corporate social responsibility is the Google Grants program. Non-profit organizations are allowed to spend as much as $10,000 per month on search advertising. The organization in question does not receive a bill for this. This allows a non-profit to generate more awareness and attract more donors.
  • Probably most people in The Netherlands have traveled at least once with an NS train. Did you know that these trains have been completely Co2 neutral since 2017? NS trains run 100% on wind power. This also makes the Netherlands the first country in the world to have trains running entirely on wind power.

‘’However, there are other benefits that come with corporate social responsibility.’’

Corporate social responsibility benefits

The main motivation for doing business from the principles of corporate social responsibility is that you contribute to its aspects. However, there are other benefits that come with CSR. The KVK (Dutch Chamber of Commerce) has named a few of these. Below we have briefly listed them for you.

  • Corporate social responsibility activities can boost your image. Consumentenbond’s (Dutch consumer association) research shows that more than 70% of consumers pay attention to sustainability when purchasing products and/or services. Be careful not to appear greener than you are though. This could bring the Reclame Code Commissie (Dutch advertising committee) down on you.
  • Corporate social responsibility attracts employees. A survey by Intermediair found that 75% of highly educated people consider sustainability important when choosing a new job.
  • In the long run, it can also save money. An example is the purchase of LED lighting. This can be a big investment when purchasing, but in the long run, it saves a lot of money.

In our opinion, these were the main benefits of CSR. Still not convinced? Then take a closer look at the KVK!

Corporate social responsibility at Marcelissen

Corporate social responsibility at Marcelissen

You might have expected it after we mentioned some of the benefits of corporate social responsibility, but we too have the aspects of it in mind in all our activities. We now also want to give you some examples of how we highlight the aspects of CSR in our activities. We have listed some examples below.

  • To contribute to a healthier world, we want to support our staff as much as we can in leading the healthiest life possible. One way we do this is by providing our staff with weekly fruit, sit/stand desks, and ergonomic office chairs. And for the sporty ones, we have provided our staff with our one and only company sportswear to wear after work.
  • We are convinced that sport and culture are inseparable. We also want to give something back to our environment, which we do through sponsorship initiatives. For instance, we have entered into a multi-year sponsorship contract with Scopias Athletics, we are the main sponsor of the Berden Spring Run, we are a committed partner of the Boermans Theatre and we are the instrument sponsor of the Koninklijke Muziekvereniging Fanfare Venlo.
  • You’ve probably heard the following before: ”you learn all your life.” With this statement in mind, we continue to invest in local educational communities with our time, money, and resources. In this way, we support people of different age groups and study backgrounds.

These are examples from our side. Are you also doing something cool in the field of corporate social responsibility? Let us know about it! Want to know more about our activities in the field of corporate social responsibility? Then click on this link!

‘’To contribute to a healthier world, we want to support our staff as much as possible to live the healthiest life possible.’’

Corporate social responsibility 2023

We’ve now explained to you what corporate social responsibility is, we’ve explained its benefits and we’ve told you how we do it ourselves at Marcelissen. However, time does not stand still. So, what are the principles of corporate social responsibility in 2023? Here is a brief summary.

  • Corporate social responsibility should be a vision of entrepreneurship, where a company creates value socially, economically and environmentally.
  • The above aspects should be considered in every decision and business process.
  • Corporate social responsibility should be a process. The goals established within this process are adjusted as needed.

Now that you too are up to date on the three latest trends in corporate social responsibility, you are ready for the final part. You’re almost ready to get started yourself. Will you read the last part? Then you’re all set to go get ready to get started yourself.

How can you be socially responsible?

As a thank you for reading this blog, we also want to give you some tips. After all, corporate social responsibility is something we should all do together and we can also help each other with this. Here are some tips.

  • Are there items at your place of business that consume a lot of energy but could be replaced for a more sustainable option? If so, it is a good idea to look into the possibilities. After all, this saves money in the end. We did the same with our lamps.
  • Take an occasional walk together during the break. This is good for the overall health of the staff, and it gets you back to work feeling good after the break.
  • Choose local partners! This saves travel time and is better for the environment.

These were our tips. Do you have any tips of your own for us? Let us know! Want to discuss this topic together? See you soon!?