Though the term ‘corporate social responsibility’ varies across companies and countries, it’s generally considered to be a form of organizational self-regulation focusing on an employer’s approach to sustainability across a variety of topics, such as environmental efforts, human rights, corporate governance, health and safety and economic development.

Unilever’s sustainable living plan sets out ambitious targets for its environmental footprint and social impact, with two pillars focused on the health and well-being of its employees and its customers.

“The first is to improve health and well-being for one billion people by 2020 and the second is to enhance the livelihood of one billion people by 2020 — and our employees are included in that,” says Bronwyn Ott, the company’s benefits and well-being manager. “In order to be a leader with our sustainable living plan, we have to focus on our own internal sustainability so we can bring it to life within the company.”

CSR policies have become a key part of many organizations’ operations. Indeed, 21 per cent of employers have a CSR plan aligned to their business goals and 30 per cent of Canadians see these policies as a competitive advantage for businesses, according to research published by PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2018.

As the understanding of both the tangible and intangible benefits of CSR policies grows, organizations are folding them into their benefits and pension plans in the form of volunteer programs, employee-driven charitable initiatives and pension plan investment policies.

Read more @The CSR Journal