http://www.globe-net.com/articles/2010/july/13/corporate-social-responsibility%E2%80%99s-seven-best-practices.aspx

This article was very interesting to me as I got to explore the Seven Best Practices to learn how to put your organization's best social and environmental practices in the spotlight:

The 7 best practices for good CSR are:
Set Measurable Goals
Stakeholder Engagement
Sustainability Issues Mapping
Sustainability Management Systems (SMS)
Lifecycle Assessment
Sustainability/CSR Reporting
Sustainability Branding

I thought these goals were a very important tip to follow when trying to incorporate social and green policies. Something as small as reducing waste and resources used can have a positive impact on the outlook of your company. If you can set measurable goals to improve the environment reaching these goals will have a very effective advantage to your business. Setting these measureable goals can lead to increased profits in the long term. If your goals are reached it shows the consumers your company is trying to focus on improving our environment which leads to positive press about your company.

The second goal is one that companies are always making mistakes on. It is so crucial to involve your stakeholders when your companies trying to jump on the green/socially responsible bandwagon. The most important part is ensuring everyone is on the same page when making decisions. Companies must always try to involve the stake holders from the very start of the decision making process to ensure accuracy. While creating your CSR plan companies must include your stakeholders to set values, missions, strategy.

The third focuses on finding solutions to sustainability issues that may arise. Companies must asses the situations that develop and look at several different ways to adapt to the situations. Research is the most crucial point at this stage as it can lead to saving your company time and money.

The next step is to develop a written plan to ensure that environmental, social, and economic concerns are considered throughout your companies’ decision-making processes. The first step is identifying and prioritizing sustainability aspects and impacts. I think this is a very important time to do research and observe the external contributors that may be involved such as laws and regulations. The next step is to outline your company's goals and objectives. After you have completed these steps it is important to implement them with your stakeholders and employees to ensure everyone is on the same page.

This step is very interesting to me looking at ways to take products and instead of throwing them out looking at ways to make additions to them. Re-using products can create a positive approach to your business.

The next step includes always supplying access to your customers to the companies CSR reports. Make sure it is available to the consumers so they can see your trying to incorporate ways to improve the environment. Positive CSR reports can be a key to maintaining a successful business and achieving higher profits.

Incorporating social responsibility along with sustainable practices will ensure that your company remains competitive. The most important thing to take out of this is “Don't wait to get the word out on how your organization is doing its part!”
Jesse Steptoe