First, it is necessary to give definition to the term corporate social responsibility or CSR. According to Baker, “CSR is about how companies manage the business processes to produce an overall positive impact on society”. Nicole Taylor says that “Corporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to a business practice that involves participating in initiatives that benefit society”. All the authors agreed that corporate social responsibility is a new level of business activity nowadays that aims not only financial benefits but also nonprofit gains.
Nowadays in order to be competitive every company should implement CSR. For short-term period, the implication of CSR will have many benefits. Among them are:
Access to investments. When a company wants to attract additional funds it should be reliable and exhibit social and ethical standards. The implementation of corporate social responsibility may become the key moment for potential investors.
Positive image for a company and its management. In its turn, this point will attract more customers who will prefer to spend their money with the idea of helping the world. As well, it will attract well-qualified employees.
Government support. In many countries, there exists special support from the government to the social responsible companies. Tax relief and subsidies are the examples of such a support.
If to speak about long-term benefits, I see the only and the most important point – archiving sustainability. Sustainability is “the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony to support present and future generations” (Baker, 2014). In the 21 century, the problem of the environment is very acute. The people understand that each step has its consequences and in order to save the environment for next generations each of us must contribute. The main goal of CSR is to “create shared value for business and society” (Taylor, 2015). It means that companies and big corporations are interested in the sustainability and play the greatest role in this process.
The Timberland Company is the example of good implementation of CRS. Timberland strategy can be described in two words: commerce and justice. Of course, the company is interested in gaining profit but the care of the environment is also very important. It has its own Timberland’s Sustainable Living Environment (SLE) program. According to this program, the company has many examples of CRS:
The reduction of energy demand. Every year the company tries to increase the percentage of the renewable energy used. For example, in 2014 this percentage was 16,7%; in 2015- 22%. It is planned to “obtain at least 30% renewable energy by 2020”.
The implementation of energy management. Timberland participates in Global Social Compliance Program (GSCP), which measures environmental performance. According to GSCP, Timberland is the company of second level. This level “means that factory has well-established environmental management systems and targets to reduce environmental impact in a specific category” (Timberland).
Reducing the usage of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). These chemical compounds are widely used in footwear production but they are very harmful for the environment. Timberland implements the program of the reduction of VOCs and archived good results in this field. The company has announced that they “end 2014 with a 7.7% improvement over our year end 2013 (52.2 grams per pair in 2014 vs. 56.6 grams per pair in 2013).” (Timberland). Their goal is to reduce this indicator to 42 gram of VOCs per pair.
Improving working conditions. One part of the SLE involve “understanding if employees are able to meet basic needs and if factory employment is helping to improve their lives” (Timberland). Timberland’s employees have decent working conditions, are free of any type of discrimination, have fare salaries, have access to corporate healthcare program and are protected against any occupation stress.
It is necessary to say, that Timberland is the company of high social and ethical standards. According to their strategy, they “are committed to reducing our environmental impact and enhancing our communities—and why we expect to turn a healthy profit at the same time” (Timberland).
So, if you want to participate in our world improvement, you are to buy Timberland products.
References
Baker, M. (2014). Corporate social responsibility - What does it mean? Mallenbaker. Retrieved from http://www.mallenbaker.net/csr/definition.php
Taylor, N. (2015, June 19). What is Corporate Social Responsibility? Business News Daily Retrieved from http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4679-corporate-social-responsibility.html
Timberland responsibility: goals and progress. Timberland. Retrieved from http://responsibility.timberland.com/reporting/goals-and-progress/
Timberland responsibility: Climate. Timberland. Retrieved from http://responsibility.timberland.com/climate/?story=1
