Ways that Businesses Can Offer Corporate Social Support During the Holiday Season

‘Tis the season of giving back! During this 2016 holiday season, there are numerous ways that businesses can demonstrate Corporate Social Support through generous donations of items such as toys, clothes and of course money. But it shouldn’t stop there as more hands-on approaches are great ways to give back that may not necessarily involve donating items of monetary values. For example, businesses can give back is by enlisting their staff to volunteer at charitable organizations such as at shelters and food banks.

Canadian Companies that Showcase Corporate Social Support

The Canadian magazine Maclean’s unveiled the ranking of the top 50 Canadian companies that score high on being socially responsible. For the 7^th year in a row, Maclean’s has partnered with Sustainalytics, a leading independent provider of environmental, social and governance research, to determine the Top 50 Most Socially Responsible Companies in Canada.

Social responsibility is critical to the branding and goodwill of the companies that were being ranked. Sustainalytics evaluated and ranked the companies within various industries to determine which corporations are leading the way. There were ten companies that stood out in successfully proving their strong performance across important sustainability issues such as resource efficiency, impact on local communities, treatment of their employees and responsible supply-chain management.

Food & Beverage

Under the Food & Beverage category, PepsiCo has made the issue of global water scarcity a primary priority of its CSR initiatives, implementing a wide range of programs dedicated to its water intake through its supply chain. The company’s Colombian manufacturing plants recycle 75 percent of the water used, and its Gatorade bottles are purified with air instead of water. Internationally, PepsiCo has increased its water efficiency by approximately 20 percent from its 2006 baseline and has eliminated about 14 billion litres of water from its operations. PepsiCo Canada has focused its environmental sustainability efforts on water, energy and packaging by reducing water usage by 40 percent at plants. One PepsiCo plant was the first manufacturing plant to introduce all-electric, zero-emissions and green-powered delivery trucks.

Other notable companies ranking closely behind PepsiCo are Kellogg Co., Starbucks, DANONE, Molson Coors Brewing Co.

Materials

Under the category of Materials, Kinross Gold Corporation is a mining corporation that has contributed positively to society and the environment. The Toronto-based gold company has a strong sense of morality to become a responsible corporate citizen and implement socially responsible programs in its daily operations. Kinross launched its own Site Responsibility Plans (SRP) to understand how its operations may affect communities. The company creates programs that manage its business operations and design opportunities to benefit local communities. Their Vice-President of Corporate Responsibility says: “The SRP framework empowers our operations to get it right—to manage our impacts, generate opportunities and above all to respect local cultures, traditions and peoples.”

Under the retailing and household goods category, L’Oréal emerges at the top as the company that is most socially responsible. L’Oréal uses more than 250 raw materials to produce its cosmetics. Shea butter and palm oil are two key ingredients that the company endeavours to source responsibly with strong policies. As a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), L’Oréal Canada sources 100 percent of its palm oil from RSPO-certified sources. In 2013, the company announced the launch of its Sharing Beauty with All program for sustainable development. The program is geared toward reducing the company’s environmental footprint and informing consumers about the environment.

Technology

Under the Technology sector, one of the world’s largest technology companies – Intel takes its role in the global community seriously. The company documents energy use and emissions and discloses detailed environmental data for over 10 of its manufacturing plants around the world. Metrics such as water use waste recycled and emissions are updated quarterly and posted online, along with environmental audit reports.

Telecom/Electronics

Under the Telecom/Electronics category, Telus rises to the top for its corporate culture or high ethical standards including a strict-animal advertising code that requires the company to only work with reputable owners, zoos and sanctuaries when working with animals. Telus also requires that a professional advocacy representative oversee the ethical treatment of animals during filming.

The other top ranking companies in this category are: BCE Inc (Bell Canada), Sony Corp., Rogers Communications.

Textiles/Fashion

The clothing retailer Zara strives to reduce any negative impact from manufacturing and sourcing of materials. The fashion brand has developed products that are certified organic ­­­­­—free of pesticides and bleach—and has sold 3.5 million garments made of 100 per cent organic cotton. As a member of the Better Cotton Initiative, Zara collaborates with farmers on sustainable agricultural training projects. For instance, the company initiated projects to support farmers in India by training female farmers to build and conserve organic cotton seed banks that reduces farm operating costs and improves profitability. Furthermore, it is a “fur-free” retailer and has committed to end its production of garments made from wool.

Some of the reasons why companies benefit from adopting a strong moral code of Corporate Social Support are that it will ultimately improve the organization’s financial performance with enhanced brand image and reputation, which in turn will increase sales and customer loyalty (Reasons behind Companies Practicing Corporate Social Support Initiatives).

The benefits of partnering with MONEXgroup – a Local Leader in Corporate Social Support

Companies that work in local or foreign communities can engage in Corporate Social Support through charitable contributions and employee volunteer programs. Some operational policies can yield environmental benefits including the use of recyclable material, renewable resources, better product durability, etc. Moreover, companies can practice social and economic responsibility by running their own local charities to help communities and use “greener” tactics to run their business operations and improve the community environmentally. Some examples of companies that practice Corporate Social Support are Ben and Jerry’s and Tom’s Shoes. Ben and Jerry’s only uses fair trade ingredients and have also created a program supporting dairy farms in their hometown. The shoe company Tom’s Shoes also practices CSR by donating a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair a customer purchases (Examples of Corporate Social Support Initiatives).