Corporate Social Responsibility

Proud to be Finalists in the CSR Category of the Bucks Business Awards 2021:

Eighteen months ago, Corporate Social Responsibility was, for a lot of companies, something of a tick-box exercise; a CSR policy was ‘nice to have’ but not ‘bottom line-critical’.

Working together to solve global issues or taking pro-active steps to support your own local community seemed like something most of us would get round to if we had the time, but not essential to the running of our companies. Then, like everything else in our lives, the pandemic changed all that. 

From how we see the world to how we think and how we live our lives, the sweeping shifts Covid-19 bought to our culture have been profound. None more so than the stark realisation that everything we do is inter-connected; every action we take has a knock-on effect. We, even as individuals – let alone whole companies – have a more powerful impact on huge global issues than we ever imagined. Coronavirus showed us in no uncertain terms that we are all connected and we all have responsibility for our individual actions. From the speed at which the virus spread among us and across the globe, to the number of wild animals whose behaviour patterns changed when we stopped dominating the physical environment during lockdown, we’ve seen over and over again first-hand evidence of how our individual actions have an immediate and profound effect.

For companies, this has to be a wake-up call for how much power we hold to actually make a difference. And for consumers too, this has been a massive shift in how they relate to our brands.

In the midst of the pandemic, it was the brands who openly supported the NHS; who went the extra mile in helping those more vulnerable; or the brands who tried to make life easier for our key workers who rose in public estimation. But going forward, your customers will have – and rightly so – an increased awareness of businesses that are taking a meaningful and pro-active approach to how they engage with the wider world. 

A 2020 IBM survey found that 4 out of 10 users make their primary purchasing decisions in a purpose-driven way – the same number that are driven by value/cost considerations. It’s no longer a tick-box exercise. Consumers want to know what you stand for and what you’re actively doing to play your part in the bigger picture.

So, what does that look like for businesses in 2021 and beyond?

Obviously different industries will vary greatly, but for my own business, a full media production company based in Marlow, our approach is two-fold. On one hand, I believe businesses have a responsibility to acknowledge the privilege we hold and take both local and national action where we can. In our instance, I have been instrumental in the founding and daily running of the Cottman Foundation, an internationally active charity facilitating outreach programmes in vulnerable communities to promote equal opportunities for all. And I’ve also made a point to support charities which are close to my heart, for example donations to The Forestry Commission and becoming a patron for the Galapagos Conservation Trust. 

Locally, we make sure we support many charities, events and schools by offering our services and content for free, and we also take an active role in our communities by doing what needs to be done – for example, using company vehicles to transport people to their vaccination appointments in the recent bad weather.

But there’s also another element of CSR policies that I believe all businesses need to address, and which I think all consumers will soon come to consciously look for – taking responsibility for how our trading operations impact the wider world. Organisations like Ecologi make it incredibly easy for businesses, or individuals, to sign up, compensate their carbon footprint, fund climate change projects and set themselves eco goals. But it also has to be about thinking more carefully about how to minimise our own environmental impact. 

For Aerial Film and Photo this means utilising specific software to monitor the usage hours of all pieces of equipment, such as battery life cycles and drone flight times, allocating crew and equipment efficiently and ensuring all mileage, locations, equipment usage etc are monitored and recorded for regular review. It’s about being aware of the environmental impact from equipment, in particular battery recycling, continuing to invest wisely in batteries with improved life-spans and lower environmental risk. And it’s about continuing to look for ways we can continually minimise our impact in the future, such as planning to make all company cars hybrid or fully electric as we grow. 

Taking responsibility for having a pro-active and effective CSR policy doesn’t need to be another unwanted item on your endless To-Do list, but it is something that we all need to take action on. We need to talk about it more; we need to lead by example. We need to support and help other businesses to do likewise and we need to push it to the forefront of our brand and messaging. We need to encourage a movement – a new way of doing business in a post-pandemic world – instead of a temporary solution. 

Having a strong CSR ethic has gone from ‘nice to have’ to ‘essential to have’ and, as consumers begin to realise they can demand more from the brands and businesses they trust, it will become increasingly bottom-line critical. 

We all have a part to play in this. And if the last year has shown us anything, it’s that we’re all in this together.