A sustainability roadmap

Three CSR trends for the future

Today’s consumers have choices, and a company’s social footprint and lived values increasingly influence where they take their business and which brands they continue to support. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is about much more than just corporate or legislative compliance. It is a vital tool to empower communities, uplift societies and promote the environment, all while driving consumer engagement and brand loyalty.

Here are some of the trends that companies should consider when planning how they can take CSR to the next level:

Increased Transparency

Consumers want to know what is happening behind the scenes. According to a report from the Institute of Supply Chain Management (IOSCM), more buyers are demanding that businesses make their internal dealings open to the public.

“Consumers want to know more about the inside deals that businesses have done in the past,” the study found.

This increase in the demand for transparency comes as a response to heavy regulatory oversight and to consumers wanting to know who is actually benefiting when they exercise their spending power. This is especially true in South Africa where businesses have been implicated in widespread corruption and even state capture.

Consumers are no longer satisfied with shady business dealings and hidden agendas. They demand to know more about matters that would previously not have been in the public eye. Just as non-profit organisations are subject to rigorous impact reporting, financial transparency and accountability, experts agree that increased transparency is a CSR trend that

will only grow in the coming years.

Green Technology

The climate crisis is high on the agenda and it is increasingly clear that this cannot be mitigated without the involvement of all stakeholders. The green revolution is taking the business world by storm as more companies realise that they have a responsibility towards the planet and not just towards the people who live on it. Environmental sustainability is intrinsically linked to business sustainability.

Green technologies are technologies implemented with the aim of mitigating climate change and reducing the harmful and degrading effects on the environment. In 2021, there was around $755 billion invested into green technologies globally. The use of environmentfriendly technologies is widespread and growing across the board in almost every industry and sector — from alternative fabrics for clothing manufacturing to energy-efficient construction and building practices; from large-scale production processes to office recycling plans.

Employee Volunteer Programmes

Companies have found a way to combine social responsibility, community engagement and team building by implementing employee volunteer programmes. This is according to a blog published by Everfi, a company that promotes Impactas-a-service. The company says that volunteer programmes can have “a lasting and positive effect on our society and on our businesses”. Activities can include tutoring, mentoring, training classes, free services or physical outreaches like street clean-ups or building renovations to schools or other community centres.

Whether in-person or remote, these engagement initiatives are powerful team-building exercises and go a long way to encourage a company culture of giving and sharing It increases morale and job satisfaction among employees. It also stimulates inter-team and inter-departmental collaboration.