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6 ideas for CSR Initiatives

6 Simple and easy-to-implement ideas for a Corporate Social Responsibility program

Here is a list of CSR activities for all types of businesses. You can find many others, but these ones, in particular, can be easily implemented at every level.

1. Charities & Philanthropy

The first idea that comes to mind when you think about CSR is simply giving some of your company’s benefits to a charity and participating in philanthropic activities. For example, Wells Fargo donates up to 1.5% of its revenue each year to charity! Even if you do not wish to go that far you can still donate annually to charities that may need some financial help. You can look for international charities such as Red Cross or Aides, but you can also find smaller charities close to you that you can help and thus show that your company is a positive member of your community. Plus you can benefit from tax reduction policies and display your philanthropic actions to your customers who will value all your efforts. Besides working with charities does not only mean giving money: you can simply promote volunteering and even organize a day dedicated to this for instance!

2. Reduce Waste

Another simple idea for a CSR program is to simply reduce waste. You can, just like Lego did, reduce the packaging around your product and/or make sure that everything is recyclable. You can also implement measures at the office that will promote recycling and prevent waste. Making sure that every trashcan has a recyclable option is one for instance. Reminding everyone that printing is not always necessary is another one. If you have a cafeteria see if you can reduce the amount of single-use forks, knives and plates. If you don’t have a cafeteria you can even invest in tableware so that your employees who buy their lunch outside don’t have to bring single-use cutlery.

3. Preserve Water

As numerous companies try to reduce their resources & energy consumption, you can do the same with the water in your buildings. And it is not only a question of scarcity of water: the money you would save with reducing your water usage could be implemented for other purposes. Such as other CSR projects for instance! Yes: because reducing your consumption of water is not only about encouraging your employees not to let the tap running while they wash their hands. Unknowingly, most buildings are subject to costly leaks every year, which are responsible for a dreadful waste of water and a massive water bill! Indeed let’s take the example of the City of Brussels. Last year they decided to call us in to make sure they would never again waste such an amount of money and water. And the results were astounding: they saved 38 millions of liters of water & 190 000 € per year. If you want to learn more about how we helped the City of Brussels save both water and money, click here.

4. Go Local

Whether if your company is a multinational firm or a young startup, you can always look for initiatives to go local. For example, you can decide to switch your production of some components of products you may be manufacturing to a closer location in the spirit of reducing both transportation costs and carbon emissions. This is actually what Shayp does with its device made and assembled in Belgium! You can also decide to introduce more local ingredients to your cafeteria, and this way try to respect the seasonality of fruits and vegetables. Looking for local alternatives is also a good way to implement the notion of community to your employees.

5. Promote healthy habits amongst employees

Since we were talking about the seasonality of fruits and vegetables, there is another related topic that is very easy to implement and can make a real impact on your employees. As Disney did, you could simply promote healthy habits for your employees. Whether it be taking the bike or walking to the office instead of taking the car, making sure that there are healthy meals at the cafeteria, or simply reminding everyone what a balanced diet is consisting of, there are many ways to help your employees stay healthy! Plus you can add vegetarians options: those are both healthy and more respectful to the environment!

6. Promote ethical behavior


At last, an easy-to-implement CSR activity example is to promote ethical behavior in the workplace: making sure that your employees feel safe in the office. You can lead campaigns against sexual harassment, racism, and homophobia, and simply encourage your employees to treat each other with respect. You can first decide to implement a policy dedicated to this issue and make sure that everyone is well aware of this.

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