23 CSR actions for a more sustainable company

In this article, we share with you 23 CSR actions to put in place for a more sustainable and responsible company.

We are going to show you these actions spread over The 4 main pillars of CSR : the environment, social, ethical and responsible purchasing.

These 23 concrete actions that businesses can adopt will guide and support you in integrating CSR into your strategy.

Of course, these actions depend on the industry, size, maturity and all the sustainable challenges that the company faces. However, some actions are considered essential for any company to start or solidify its CSR approach, such as the ones we are going to present to you.

You will find actions such as carrying out a carbon assessment, training employees in environmental issues, writing a DUERP, and many others.

All these actions will help you deploy an effective CSR strategy by involving your employees and suppliers in this process to improve the quality of life at work while having a positive impact on the environment and society.

What is CSR?

CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) refers to the commitment of companies to integrating social, environmental and economic concerns into their activities. This means that beyond profit, businesses act responsibly by taking into account the impact they have on society and the planet. Concretely, this can mean actions such as reducing carbon emissions, respecting the rights of workers, or supporting local initiatives.

The main pillars of a CSR strategy are: environmental, social, ethical and responsible purchasing.

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CSR actions on the environmental pillar

Depending on your sector of activity, your company size and your particularities, the environmental actions you will put in place can be endless. In this paragraph, we will present 6 concrete CSR actions on the environmental pillar that most companies can put in place to better manage their impacts.

Carrying out a carbon footprint

One of the first actions on the environmental side is to carry out the carbon footprint of your company. This approach allows to identify the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions and to define strategies to reduce them. By integrating this analysis, the company is committed to a responsible approach whose objective is to reduce your carbon footprint to contribute to a more sustainable future.

There are companies that can support you in carrying out your carbon footprint: Sami, Carbo, Plan A, GCI, Greenly and many others.

Contract with a waste recovery/sorting/revalorization service provider

Within your business, you may have trouble managing your waste. To take control of this problem, we advise you to contract with a service provider specialized in the recovery, sorting and revalorization of waste for responsible waste management, such as Les Joyeux Recycleurs for example.

This provider will be able to: quantifying the mass of waste generated To be able to then use it in CSR reports.

This action is part of a global sustainable development strategy to minimize the environmental impact of the waste produced by the company. By adopting this approach, the organization actively participates in the circular economy and promotes the reuse of materials.

Implement a waste management procedure for employees

Still on the issue of waste, the easiest way to make employees aware of the importance of waste management is to carry out a procedure.

This waste management procedure is a set of rules and practices for organizing the collection, sorting, storage, treatment and disposal of waste of a company.

By training employees on these CSR practices, the organization reinforces its commitment to a more sustainable environment.

Reducing electricity consumption

An environmental action to reduce both your environmental impact and save money is to reduce your electricity consumption.

You can reduce it with simple actions, like install LED lights and automatic shut-off systems for machines and lights.

This action has a direct impact on reducing energy costs and carbon emissions.

By integrating these technologies, the company is committed to a CSR strategy that promotes more efficient use of resources.

Make employees aware of rational water consumption

After electricity, improving water consumption is a good environmental CSR action.

We invite you to Make employees aware of rational water consumption to promote sustainable development within the company.

This responsible approach has a positive impact on the preservation of water resources and contributes to reduction of costs associated with water consumption.

Contract with a renewable electricity supplier

For more impact on the environmental pillar, you can contract with a renewable electricity supplier.

By choosing clean energy, the company reduces its environmental impact and contributes to the energy transition.

You can also use a so-called conventional electricity supplier, where a greater or lesser proportion of electricity may come from renewable sources.

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CSR actions on the social pillar

On the social pillar of CSR, numerous actions can be put in place to improve the quality of life at work for employees. We have selected 6 which are essential for us to have a CSR strategy that has an impact on the social side.

Conduct an employee satisfaction survey

Do you have trouble knowing how your employees feel within your organization?

Setting up an employee satisfaction survey is an effective solution to find out satisfaction with working conditions and well-being in your company.

By collecting feedback from employees, the company can identify areas that need to be improved for a better quality of life at work.

This strategy promotes a positive work environment, strengthens employee engagement, and demonstrates the importance given to employee opinions.

The next step is to carry out this survey every year in order to be able to implement actions and see their impacts.

Train employees to develop new skills

Do you want to boost your business? Think of train employees to develop new skills, it is an approach that enriches the professional life of employees. You can choose the courses you want, those that adapt to your jobs.

This strategy not only makes it possible to improve their employability, but also to respond to market changes.

By investing in training, the company shows its commitment to the personal and professional development of its employees, which favors a dynamic and inclusive work climate.

Set up annual interviews with employees

To strengthen trust and give employees a voice, we advise you to set up annual interviews to discuss their career plans and get constructive feedback.

These exchanges make it possible to better understand the aspirations of employees and to align their goals with those of the company.

The ideal is to structure this interview with a clear framework so that the employee can give structured feedback on his management, the same for the employer. Together, they will be able to agree on a career plan together within the company.

This action strengthens the internal communication of companies and creates a work environment where the professional life of employees is valued.

Carry out a DUERP/mapping of health and safety risks

Have you heard about the Single Occupational Risk Assessment Document (DUERP)? It is a mandatory document for all companies as soon as the 1st employee is hired.

It makes it possible to identify and assess occupational health and safety risks.

This action contributes to the protection of employees by improving their working conditions and reducing accidents.

By carrying out this DUERP, the company shows its employees its commitment to their well-being and creates a safer working environment.

Create a professional equality index

In France, any company with more than 50 employees is subject to the publication of The Egapro Index. In particular, this index allows measuring the pay gap between women and men, parity among the ten highest paid employees, the difference in individual pay rates, the difference in promotion rates, as well as the presence of women among the best paid employees.

Even if your organization is not subject to this legal obligation, we recommend carrying out a social audit to diagnose existing internal problems.

Establishing a recruitment procedure to combat bias

Concept developed by psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, Cognitive bias is a quick and intuitive way to make judgments or decisions.

One of the most well known biases is confirmation bias. It's the Our brain's natural tendency to select information that confirms the way it thinks and not to take into account all the information that could call it into question.

In all, he would exist more than 200 cognitive biases.

These biases can in particular: participate in the perpetuation of unfounded racist and sexist stereotypes.

You can either deepen on this subject by yourself, based on the work of Daniel Kahneman, which is detailed in his book “System 1/system 2: the two speeds of thought”. You can also take a training course on the subject.

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CSR actions on the ethical pillar

Business ethics, or professional ethics, is a field of ethics that looks at moral principles and ethical problems that may occur in a business environment.

CSR actions on this pillar allow companies to have a better understanding of their risks of corruption, fraud, anti-competition, influence and confidentiality. Here are the 6 CSR actions that we have selected for you on the ethical pillar!

Training employees on ethical issues

Training employees on ethical issues, such as corruption, fraud and money laundering, is essential to make employees aware of responsible practices.

This action makes it possible to inform employees about ethical risks that are quite unknown to the “general public”.

Carry out an IT audit

Conducting an IT audit helps businesses to assess the strength of the IT infrastructure security system and understand the level of risk of intrusion, etc.).

This approach makes it possible to identify vulnerabilities and to ensure the protection of data, in order to meet digital security challenges.

By taking this CSR initiative, the company is demonstrating its commitment to ethical responsibility and the protection of sensitive information and is strengthening the trust of its stakeholders.

Contract with an IT security provider

After carrying out an IT audit, to go further, you can contract with an IT security provider to secure corporate data against potential threats.

This approach guarantees the protection of information and compliance with current security standards.

Implementing this CSR action makes it possible to meet the ethical challenges of responsibility towards its employees and society, by ensuring that data is handled in a secure and responsible manner.

Carry out a map of ethical risks

Developing an ethical risk map makes it possible to identify all areas of your business (operations, suppliers, customers, transactions, etc.) that may be subject to ethical risks. This risk map helps to Define their level of probability and preventive actions

Understanding the ethical issues facing the organization makes it possible to better Anticipate problems and strengthen its practices.

Through this action, the company proves its commitment to ethical management, one of the pillars of a good CSR strategy.

Verify the legal information of each new supplier/customer

Verifying the legal information of each new supplier and customer is a fundamental step in ensuring the compliance and integrity of the company's partners.

This CSR action makes it possible to minimize the risks associated with business relationships and strengthens the credibility of the company.

This vigilance in the face of legal issues is essential to maintain high ethical standards.

Set up an ethical alert procedure

Setting up an ethical whistleblowing procedure helps companies to identify potential alerts, appoint a contact person and ensure the confidentiality of reports, while respecting the principle of non-reprisals.

Some examples of alert situations, fraud, corruption, corruption, money laundering, breaches of confidential data, harassment, etc.

This CSR initiative promotes a climate of trust within the organization, where employees feel safe to report inappropriate behavior.

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CSR actions on the responsible purchasing pillar

CSR actions on the responsible purchasing pillar allow companies to have a better vision of their value chain to ensure their commitments on sustainable and responsible issues.

Broadcast a questionnaire to your strategic suppliers

One of the key points of a good CSR strategy is to engage its value chain on these subjects. To start, you can distribute a questionnaire to your suppliers, here are the main key steps:

• build your questionnaire with questions that allow you to judge their CSR practices,
• share it with strategic suppliers,
• collect data and possibly select suppliers based on their CSR performance.

This approach makes it possible to understand how the practices of your suppliers align with the values of your company and to involve your stakeholders in a responsible purchasing strategy.

By knowing the CSR level of your suppliers, you can better direct your purchasing decisions to partners who share your commitments.

Conduct a purchasing risk map

To better control your risks, you must first know them, this is the objective of mapping purchasing risks.

Carrying out a purchasing risk map helps to identify the main purchasing families, the associated risks, as well as their level of probability and the preventive actions to be put in place.

By involving stakeholders in this process, the company can better anticipate the challenges associated with your purchases and ensure proactive risk management.

In addition, it helps to establish a relationship of trust with suppliers.

Building a code of conduct for your suppliers

To engage your suppliers in a responsible and ethical approach, formalize your expectations through a supplier code of conduct.

This code of conduct will then be shared with your strategic suppliers to collect their signatures.

This document serves as a reference for partner companies and promotes a alignment with your organization's CSR values. By involving suppliers, you reinforce the mutual commitment to responsible practices and transparency, which benefits all stakeholders.

Train the buyers of your business

To disseminate good practices in responsible purchasing, offer training.

Training your company's buyers in responsible purchasing allows you to make teams aware of ethical and environmental issues related to the selection of suppliers.

By developing their skills, you help them make the right choices and integrate CSR criteria into their purchasing decisions.

This initiative reinforces the positive impact of your procurement strategy on all stakeholders, including suppliers and the community.

Building a responsible purchasing procedure

To have a systematic and consistent approach to managing relationships with suppliers, implement a responsible purchasing procedure.

Building a responsible purchasing procedure makes it possible to establish clear criteria for the selection of suppliers and to ensure that the choices made meet the ethical and environmental requirements of your business.

By integrating this procedure into your CSR strategy, you demonstrate your commitment to sustainable purchasing practices, strengthening corporate social responsibility and its impact on stakeholders.

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Conclusion

Integrating CSR into the heart of a company's strategy is much more than an obligation, it is a real driver of development.

Whether through environmental, social or ethical actions, each approach contributes to improving the quality of life at work and creating a more sustainable environment for all stakeholders.

By placing CSR issues at the center of its operations, the company reinforces its commitment to a more responsible and sustainable future, while promoting the well-being of its employees and its positive impact on society.