Top 20 Corporate Social

Responsibility Initiatives for 2017

Nupur Vilas
July 27, 2017
9 min read

As Jennifer Dickey pointed out, a study by NYU and Imperative found that “purpose-oriented
employees” tend to remain with employers 20 percent longer than those at other companies and
are about 47 percent more likely to be more engaged promoters of the companies they work for.

Corporate social responsibility is becoming increasingly important to today’s candidates.

Companies that offer a workplace and corporate culture of caring about essential social issues
can be successful at both business and giving back to the wider community.

With that in mind, what are some of the world’s leading socially responsible companies currently
doing to make such an impact?

Here are twenty of the top organizations demonstrating a

diverse range of social responsibility goals and initiatives:

20. General Electric

The GE Foundation contributed $88 million to community and educational programs in 2016.
They also match contributions by employees and retirees through their GE Foundation Matching
Gifts Program.

The foundation’s signature Developing Health programs focus on health-care access for
communities around the world.

19. Deloitte
This professional consulting firm makes clear its “commitment to driving societal change and
promoting environmental sustainability”. Working on innovative solutions along with
government and non-profit organizations, Deloitte makes an effort to encourage its employees to
donate time to pro bono work.
This pays off for the company as well. In fact, 83 percent of Deloitte employees say that pro
bono work has made a positive impact on job satisfaction and 60 percent reported “significant
gains in job-relevant skills”.

18. IBM
Citizen IBM embodies the company’s dedication to corporate citizenship. IBM supports a wide
range of efforts for education, disaster relief, diversity, economic development, global health,
and more. Their approach to corporate citizenship aligns with that of their business — “applied
technology, continuous transformation, and sustainable change”.

In 2016, The World Community Grid combined the computing power of idle PCs and mobile
devices across a worldwide network for an equivalent of 167,000 years of computing time to
support projects such as cancer treatment research.

17. 3M
With 90,000 employees, 3M has adopted “science applied to life” as a trademark.
It’s 3MGives program — with $67 million funded in 2016 — focuses on community and the
environment, plus educational initiatives that help boost student interest in science and
technology.

One program, the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, asks students from
grades 5 to 8 to find innovative solutions to everyday problems, with ten finalists offered the
opportunity to work with a 3M scientist during a summer mentorship.

16. Zappos
Zappos’ core values include “Embrace and Drive Change” and “Be Humble”. Their charitable
group, Zappos for Good, works with charitable organizations to donate goods such as shoes,
books, and school supplies to those in need.

15. Cisco
Cisco’s CSR programs make use of the company’s technology and resources to aid underserved
communities with education, healthcare, economic empowerment, and disaster relief.

They have set a goal to impact 1 billion people by 2025 positively.

14. TOMS
TOMS was founded on the concept of sustainable giving through a for-profit business model.
“One for One” started with the promise of donating one pair of shoes for every pair purchased,
but has since expanded to programs supporting a wide range of services for people in need.

They also invest in jobs, social entrepreneurship, and integration with other charitable
organizations through their Giving Partners program.

13. Apple
As one of the world’s leading technology companies, Apple takes its global responsibility
seriously. One aspect of its social initiatives is the environment, adopting a mission to “ask less
of the planet”.

Greenpeace has named Apple the “greenest tech company in the world” for three consecutive
years. Not only does the company encourage its IT partners to take full advantage of renewable
energy, Apple packaging is now manufactured with 99 percent recycled paper products.

12. LinkedIn
LinkedIn’s non-profit initiative, LinkedIn for Good, works with various organizations to connect
underserved communities to economic opportunity. They partner with youth training
organizations, veterans career services, refugee resource networks, and more.

Being a social networking service, they also utilize their platform to provide LinkedIn members
with channels to participate in mentorships, donate time, and find volunteering opportunities
through their Volunteer Marketplace.

11. Walt Disney Company

Disney, the number one company in the entertainment industry, has been ranked one of the
“World’s Most Admired Companies” by Fortune for two years in a row. The company’s social
mission is to strengthen communities “by providing hope, happiness, and comfort to kids and
families who need it most” and gave more than $400 million to nonprofit organizations in 2016.

The company’s “VoluntEARS” program encourages employees to donate time, which has
totaled to 2.9 million hours of service since 2012 with a goal of reaching five million hours of
employee community service by 2020.

10. Alphabet (Google)

Regularly ranked as one of the most valuable brands in the world, and well-known for treating its
employees well, Google supports a wide range of initiatives based on innovative use of
technology to achieve social goals.

One of its goals is “Data-driven, human-focused philanthropy—powered by Google”. This takes

the form of programs such as using data to uncover racial injustice, translating books through an
open-sourced platform to improve education, and — one close to our heart at SmartRecruiters —
connecting people with jobs to enhance economic mobility worldwide.

9. BMW
Just finished celebrating its 100th year in business, The BMW Group has maintained its rank as
one of the world’s most sustainable automotive company as rated in the Dow Jones
Sustainability Indexes.

This aspect of BMW’s operations is only one of the company’s social responsibility programs,
which include education, wellness, and inter-cultural understanding as key tenets of a
commitment to “social peace” and “stable economic development”.

8. Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic’s Change is in the Air sustainability initiative has three main pillars:
environment, sustainable design and buying, and community investment.

Since 2007, they have reduced total aircraft carbon emissions by 22% and have partnered with
LanzaTech to develop low carbon fuels for the future. Virgin Holidays donates £200,000
annually to the Brandon Center for Entrepreneurship Caribbean to support young entrepreneurs
in Jamaica. In 2016, through onboard collection of spare foreign currency from customers, they
raised over £500,000 for charity partner WE.

7. Levi Strauss & Co.

Like many companies on this list, Levi Strauss & Co. demonstrates social responsibility to a
large extent through sustainability initiatives that are “sewn into the fabric” of the company.

One trademarked campaign, Water<Less, significantly reduces water use in manufacturing, by

up to 96 percent for some styles. Since launching the process in 2011, the company has saved
more than one billion liters of water. By 2020, the company expects to manufacture 80 percent of
its products through this process, up from 25 percent today.

6. Dell
Dell has implemented the 2020 Legacy of Good Plan as their commitment to “drive human
progress” through environmental sustainability, addressing community challenges, global supply
chain responsibility, hiring diversity, and, ultimately, a dedication to putting more back than they
take out.

The Net Positive Project goal is, by 2020, to contribute 10x the good that it takes to create and
use their technology.

5. Salesforce
Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO of Salesforce sums up corporate social responsibility quite
clearly when he says “The business of business Is improving the state of the World.”

The company has adopted an integrated philanthropic approach called the 1-1-1 model. This
means that one percent of the company’s equity is set aside for grants in communities where
employees live and work, one percent of the company’s product is donated to non-profit
organizations, and one percent of each employee’s time is donated to community initiatives. It’s
a simple model that’s easily understood.

4. IKEA
The IKEA Foundation focuses on the Circle of Prosperity — funding home, health, education,
and sustainable income for communities in need. As stated by the founder, their mission is to
“create a better everyday life for as many people as possible around the world”.

In 2017, the foundation’s Brighter Lives for Refugees campaign funded a solar farm to bring
renewable power to Jordan’s Azraq refugee camp. This is the world’s first solar plant built in a
refugee setting and will save $1.5 million, as well as reduce CO₂ emissions by 2,370 tons
annually.

3. Starbucks
As a company established in the 1970s, Starbucks has always operated with a sensitivity to social
responsibility — committed to sustainability and strengthening communities.

For example, the company has committed to providing one million coffee trees to farmers as a
partner in Conservation International’s “Sustainable Coffee Challenge.” In addition, the
company plans to hire 10,000 refugees across 75 countries in the next five years, plus, hire
25,000 veterans by 2025.

2. Bosch
The company continues to operate by the values of founder Robert Bosch, who said “I have
always acted according to the principle that it is better to lose money than trust.” The credo that
“responsibility creates trust” carries through in the company’s efforts around ecological and
social improvement.

Bosch invests 50% of its R&D budget in technologies supporting conservation

and environmental protection. The Bosch eXchange program remanufactures used car
components, generating 23,000 metric tons less CO₂ annually compared to new production.

1. Ben & Jerry’s

This company has a reputation for social responsibility that goes back to its original IPO in 1985.
That’s when the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation was created with an initial gift of 50,000 shares and a
decision of the company’s Board that 7.5 percent of the company’s pretax profits be allocated to
philanthropy.

The foundation now awards more than $1.8 million per year to fund community action, social
change, sustainability, and other initiatives in the company’s home state of Vermont and
throughout the country.

“Walk the walk”

Senior executives of these companies know that social responsibility requires not just words on
paper, but taking action. Their goals may differ and their activities may change over time, but
these initiatives demonstrate the commitment each organization has to its local and global
community — and that the organization “walks the walk,” not just “talks the talk”.

MANILA, Philippines – Ayala Land Inc. (ALI), Energy Development Corp. (EDC) and Petron Corp. were
heralded by Channel News Asia as the Philippines’ top three publicly-listed companies for pursuing
sustainable business practices and corporate social responsibility.

The 2015 Channel NewsAsia Sustainability Ranking is a collaborative effort of regional broadcaster
Channel News Asia and research firm CSR Asia.

Based on indicators and methodology developed by environmental, social and governance (ESG) and
corporate ratings and research provider Sustainalytics, the ranking identifies the top 100 companies in the
region with the highest sustainability performance.

It also highlights the top 20 companies and top three businesses per country. Countries covered in the
ranking include China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea,
Thailand, and Japan.

ALI was chosen as one of the Philippines’ top three firms because it “employs sustainable land
development through active local community engagement initiatives,” the Sustainability Ranking said in
its website.
ALI’s large-scale land development projects were assessed for impacts and underwent Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Environmental Impact Assessment Process, the report said.

Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

It also noted the company undertakes due diligence procedures to minimize the impact on local
agricultural activities.

Meanwhile, EDC was picked for exclusively pursuing renewable energy (RE) developments.

“As one of the largest geothermal energy producers in the world, EDC is also diversifying into other
renewable energy sources, including hydropower, solar and wind power, that together account for 20
percent of the company’s generation capacity. The company’s strategy to exclusively pursue renewable
energy leads to a lower carbon intensity than its peers and positions it well to capitalize on future growth
opportunities,” the ranking said.

As for Petron, the ranking noted the country’s biggest oil refiner has an environmental management
system which is “certified to ISO-14001 standard with periodic monitoring and auditing of its
environmental performance.”

Commenting on the recognition, Petron president and CEO Ramon S. Ang said it is an honor to be
named one of the most sustainable companies in the country.

“This recognition affirms our commitment to continue to improve the way we do business and make a
positive impact in society and the environment,” he said.

Petron runs a 180,000 barrel-per-day refinery in Bataan which is the first facility of its kind to reach the
internationally-recognized Integrated Management System (IMS) standard. All of its 30 depots and
terminals are also IMS-certified.

Petron is also the first and only oil company in the country to adopt the ISO-14001 Environmental
Management Systems in its service station network, ensuring the safety and environmental protection of
host communities.

The Channel NewsAsia Sustainability Ranking was launched during the recently concluded CSR Asia
Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – the leading corporate social responsibility conference in Asia.

Starbucks
Starbucks has been around for more than four decades, and from the very beginning it has worked
hard to operate in an ethical manner. Starbucks ranked as Fortune Magazine’s fifth most socially
responsible company in 2012. There are a number of good reasons for the high ranking. The
company looks for better ways to develop sustainable production of its coffee. It has set in place
some guidelines it calls C.A.F.E Practices, ensuring environmental leadership, economic
accountability, and product quality. Starbucks also supports Ethos Water, which provides clean
water to more than a billion people.

Disney
Disney is a name known around the world, and though the company has been around for a long
time, its reputation is still a glowing one. The Walt Disney Company largely focuses on a few areas
of social responsibility, namely community, the environment, and volunteerism. Disney has been a
major provider of aid after natural disasters, such as the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The company also
takes an interest in protecting the environment, giving proceeds from nature films to plant trees in
the rain forest and protect thousands of acres of coral reef.

NuSkin
NuSkin is a personal care company with a big focus on helping communities around the world. One
of the company’s major initiatives is called Nourish the Children. The program was started in 2002
and allows company sales leaders, employees, and customers to donate nutrient-rich meals to
needy children. In March 2014, NuSkin announced that it had surpassed 350 million donated meals.
The company also operates the Force For Good Foundation, which works to offer children relief from
illiteracy, disease, and poverty.
Recommended for You
Webcast, January 24th: Cold Email That Converts: Why Message-Persona Fit is the Key to
Success

Microsoft
Microsoft is another major company that takes great effort in giving back. The company was
even named the best at Corporate Social Responsibility by the Reputation Institute. One way
Microsoft is helping out is through its annual Employee Giving Campaign, where employees attend
fundraising events for nonprofit organizations. The campaign has been held every year since 1983
and has raised more than $1 billion in contributions to more than 31,000 organizations.

TOMS Shoes
TOMS Shoes might not be as well known as some of the other companies on this list, but its charity
work is still impressive. The entire company was founded on the idea of giving back. For every pair
of shoes sold, another pair is donated to a child in need. More than 10 million pairs of shoes have
been donated, and that charitable effort has now extended to vision care for kids.
For these companies and many others, business isn’t all about the bottom line. They make strides to
be a caring part of the community and help out those who live in less fortunate circumstances.
They’re companies that know how important Corporate Social Responsibility can be to others.

Read more at https://www.business2community.com/social-business/5-companies-corporate-social-

responsibility-right-0951534

The following 10 companies stand out as prime examples of how social

responsibility can be productively coupled with sound strategies to advance
goodwill, while building sustainable and impressive businesses. They provide the
leadership to demonstrate how marketers can pursue both objectives
simultaneously. As such, socially conscious companies have stepped up their
efforts with increasing effectiveness and productivity. It is an impressive
movement and one that invites society at large to do even more. Let's use these as
examples for "how to get it done" so that we can effectively expand our efforts to
give back.

GO NATURAL, THROUGH AND THROUGH:

BURT'S BEES
The focus for Burt's Bees has always been on well being and "the greater good."
As part of the Natural Products Association, the company helped develop The
Natural Standard for Personal Care Products, which created guidelines for what
can be deemed natural. Burt's Bees follows the highest possible standards for
packaging sustainability, furthering its dedication to the cause as a member of the
Sustainable Packaging Coalition. Since the brand's start at a crafts fair selling
$200 worth of honey, the company has since expanded to candles, lip balm and
now more than 150 products. In 2009, revenue topped $250 million.

USING ITS ECOMAGINATION: GE

To stay true to GE's mission, Ecomagination offerings include products that
significantly and measurably improve customers' operating performance or value
proposition and environmental performance. Ecomagination helped GE build its
business by increasing awareness of how the company is using renewable energy
and reducing carbon emissions. As proof of the effectiveness of GE's program, the
Ecomagination portfolio has grown from 17 products to more than 80 today, with
revenues reaching $17 billion in 2008, an increase of 21% over 2007.

THE NEW MEANING OF CLEAN: METHOD

As a cleaning product, Method hit the jackpot. While cleaning products
historically contained hazardous chemicals, Method was able to make safe and
effective home and personal cleaning products derived from natural ingredients
such as soy, coconut and palm oils. The products also come in environmentally
responsible, biodegradable packaging. As one of the fastest-growing companies in
the world, and with $100 million in annual revenue, Method proves that socially
responsible products can be wildly successful.

BEAUTY COMES FROM WITHIN: THE BODY

SHOP
The Body Shop is regarded as a pioneer of modern corporate social responsibility
as one of the first companies to publish a full report on its efforts and initiatives.
Founder Anita Roddick led her company to stand up for its beliefs and champion
causes such as self-esteem, environmental protection, animal rights, community
trade and human rights. From sponsoring posters in 1985 for Greenpeace to
presenting a petition against animal testing to the European Union with
4,000,000 signatures, The Body Shop has contributed significantly to the causes
it supports, and exemplifies how other companies can do the same.

BREWED RESPONSIBLY: STARBUCKS COFFEE

Since Starbucks Coffee started in 1971, the company has focused on acting
responsibly and ethically. One of Starbucks' main focuses is the sustainable
production of green coffee. With this in mind, it created C.A.F.E. Practices, a set
of guidelines to achieve product quality, economic accountability, social
responsibility and environmental leadership. The company supports products
such as Ethos Water, which brings clean water to the more than 1 billion people
who do not have access. To date, Ethos Water has committed to grants totaling
more than $6.2 million.

THE SWEET DELIGHT OF GIVING BACK: BEN &

JERRY'S
Ben & Jerry 's founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield have infused the
company with the notions of giving back in every way possible, as well as "linked
prosperity" between the company, its employees and the community. They
started the Ben & Jerry 's Foundation, were founding members of the Business
for Social Responsibility organization and set an extraordinary rate of giving to
charitable organizations in the corporate world, donating a full 7.5% of pretax
profits. In their own words, they "strive to show a deep respect for human beings
inside and outside our company and for the communities in which they live."
Unilever bought Ben & Jerry 's in 2000 and continues to support the foundation;
it donated $2 million in 2009.

SOCIAL AWARENESS CAN LOOK SO GOOD:

KENNETH COLE
Since 1985, Kenneth Cole has been openly involved in publicly supporting AIDS
awareness and research. He uses fashion to promote awareness of, and help fight,
various social issues. After 25 years of addressing meaningful social issues,
Kenneth Cole established the Awearness Fund, a not-for-profit initiative that uses
partnerships, merchandise, events and its blog to celebrate, encourage and
empower acts of service volunteerism and social change. A full 100% of net
proceeds of the Awearness products go toward the fund. These efforts have
helped fuel the success of the Kenneth Cole brand, a company with nearly $500
million in sales.

LENDING A HAND TO MAN'S BEST FRIEND:

PEDIGREE
Pedigree dog food built its brand by focusing on the need for people to adopt
homeless dogs. Funding the support and care of these animals and sponsoring a
national adoption drive, Pedigree's 2009 goal was to distribute $1.5 million in
grants to 1,000 shelters and breed rescues. Pedigree donates one bowl of food to
animal shelters every time it gets a Facebook fan, and it did the same when the
company's 2009 Super Bowl commercial was viewed online. Pedigree's goal is to
donate 4 million bowls of dog food, enough to feed every shelter dog in America
for one day.

A SHOE FOR ME IS A SHOE FOR YOU: TOMS

SHOES
Blake Mycoskie started Toms Shoes on the premise that for every pair of shoes
sold, one pair would be donated to a child in need. This innovative idea resulted
from a trip to Argentina where Mycoskie saw an overwhelming number of
children without shoes. Toms Shoes recognized that consumers want to feel good
about what they buy, and thus directly tied the purchase with the donation. In
just four years, Toms Shoes has donated more than 400,000 shoes, evidence that
consumers have clearly embraced the cause.
 A WHOLE LOT OF GOOD: WHOLE FOODS
Whole Foods supports sustainable agriculture, promotes the reduction of waste
and consumption of nonrenewable resources and encourages environmentally
sound cleaning and store-maintenance programs. The company created the Local
Producer Loan program, which provides up to $10 million in low-interest loans
to small local producers to help grow their businesses. Whole Foods has also
created Whole Planet Foundation, which fights poverty through microlending in
rural communities around the world. The foundation has raised $1.5 million to
help 40,000 women lift themselves out of poverty by empowering
microentrepreneurs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bob Liodice is president-CEO of the Association of National Advertisers. This is the fourth in a series of 10 columns being published in celebra
100th anniversary.

Most Popular
John McCain Is All Mad About Trump's Fake News Awards, But Samantha Bee's Super Excited

Wednesday Wake-Up Call: New Fallout From H&M's Really Bad Ad. Plus, YouTube Changes

Kind Trashes Rivals -- With Help From Anna Faris