23 CSR actions for a more sustainable company

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

We're going to present these actions, divided into the 4 main pillars of CSR: the environment, social responsibility, ethics and responsible purchasing. 

These 23 concrete actions that companies 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 issues facing the company. However, certain actions are considered essential for any company to begin or consolidate its CSR approach, such as those we are about to present.

You'll find actions such as carrying out a carbon assessment, training employees in environmental issues, drawing up a DUERP, and many others.

All these actions will help you deploy an effective CSR strategy by involving your employees and suppliers in this approach to improving 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 companies' commitment to integrating social, environmental and economic concerns into their activities. This means that beyond profit, companies act responsibly, taking into account the impact they have on society and the planet. In concrete terms, this can mean actions such as reducing carbon emissions, respecting workers' rights, or supporting local initiatives.

The main pillars of a CSR strategy are the environment, social responsibility, ethics and responsible purchasing.

‍

CSR actions in the environmental pillar

Depending on your sector of activity, your company size and your specific characteristics, the environmental actions you can implement can be infinite. In this section, we present 6 concrete CSR actions on the environmental pillar that most companies can implement to better manage their impacts.

Carry out a carbon assessment

One of the first steps on the environmental front is to carry out a carbon assessment of your company. This identifies the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions and defines strategies for reducing them. By integrating this analysis, the company commits itself to a responsible approach aimed at reducing its carbon footprint and contributing to a more sustainable future.

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

Contract with a waste recovery/sorting/recovery service provider

Within your company, you may find it difficult to manage your waste. To take control of this problem, we advise you to contract with a service provider specialized in waste recovery, sorting and reclamation for responsible waste management, such as Les Joyeux Recycleurs.

This service provider will be able to quantify the mass of waste generated, which can then be used in CSR reporting.

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

Implement a waste management procedure for employees

Still on the subject of waste, the easiest way to raise employee awareness of the importance of waste management is to draw up a procedure. 

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

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

Reducing electricity consumption

One way to reduce your environmental impact and save money at the same time is to reduce your electricity consumption.

You can reduce it through simple actions, such as installing LED lighting and automatic shut-off systems for machines and lights. 

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

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

Raising employee awareness of rational water consumption

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

We invite you to raise employee awareness of the need to use water wisely, to promote sustainable development within the company.

This responsible approach has a positive impact on the preservation of water resources and helps reduce water consumption costs.

Contract with a supplier of electricity from renewable sources

For greater impact on the environmental pillar, you can contract with a supplier of electricity from renewable sources. 

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

You can also choose a conventional electricity supplier, whose electricity can come from renewable sources to a greater or lesser extent.

‍

CSR actions in the social pillar

On the social pillar of CSR, many actions can be taken to improve the quality of life at work for employees. We have selected 6 that we believe are essential to a CSR strategy that has an impact on social issues.

Conduct an employee satisfaction survey

Are you having trouble finding out how your employees feel about your organization?

Setting up an employee satisfaction survey is an effective way of finding out about satisfaction with working conditions and well-being in your company.

By gathering feedback from employees, the company can identify areas for improvement to enhance the quality of life at work. 

This strategy fosters a positive working environment, strengthens employee commitment and demonstrates the importance attached to their opinions.

The next step is to carry out this survey every year, so as to be able to implement actions and see their impact.

Train employees to develop new skills

Want to give your company a boost? Think about training your employees to develop new skills, an approach that enriches their professional lives. You can choose the training you want, the ones that fit your business.

This strategy not only enhances their employability, but also enables them to respond to market trends. 

By investing in training, the company demonstrates its commitment to the personal and professional development of its employees, thus fostering a dynamic and inclusive working climate.

Setting up annual employee interviews

To build trust and give employees a voice, we recommend setting up annual interviews to discuss their career plans and gather constructive feedback.

These exchanges help to better understand employees' aspirations and align their objectives with those of the company. 

Ideally, the interview should be structured with a clear outline, so that the employee can give structured feedback on his or her management, as can the employer. Together, they can agree on a career plan within the company.

This action strengthens companies' internal communication and creates a working environment where employees' professional lives are valued.

Produce a DUERP / health and safety risk map

Have you heard of the document unique d'évaluation des risques professionnels (DUERP )? It's a mandatory document for all companies as soon as the 1ᵉʳ employee is hired.

It identifies and assesses health and safety risks in the workplace. 

This action contributes to employee protection by improving working conditions and reducing accidents. 

By drawing up this DUERP, the company demonstrates its commitment to employee well-being and creates a safer working environment.

Drawing up a professional equality index

In France, all companies with more than 50 employees are required to publish theEgapro Index. In particular, this index measures the pay gap between men and women, parity among the ten highest-paid employees, the individual increase rate gap, the promotion rate gap, and the presence of women among the best-paid employees.

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

Set up a recruitment procedure to combat bias

A concept developed by psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, cognitive bias is a quick, intuitive way of making judgments or decisions.

One of the best-known biases is confirmation bias. This is our brain's natural tendency to select information that confirms our way of thinking, and to ignore all information that might challenge it.

In all, there are more than 200 cognitive biases.

In particular, these biases can contribute to the perpetuation of unfounded racist and sexist stereotypes.

You can either delve deeper into this subject on your own, 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.

‍

CSR actions on the ethical pillar

Business ethics, or professional ethics, is a field of ethics that examines the moral principles and ethical problems that can arise in a business environment.

CSR actions under this pillar enable companies to gain a better understanding of their risks in terms of corruption, fraud, anti-competition, influence and confidentiality. Here are the 6 CSR actions we've selected for you on the ethical pillar!

Training employees in ethical issues

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

This action informs employees about ethical risks that are relatively unknown to the "general public".

Carry out an IT audit

Carrying out an IT audit helps companies to assess the robustness of their IT infrastructure security system and understand the level of risk of intrusion, etc.).

This approach helps identify vulnerabilities and ensure data protection, to meet the challenges of digital security. 

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

Contract with an IT security provider

Once you've carried out an IT audit, you can go a step further by contracting an IT security provider to secure your company's data against potential threats.

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

Implementing this CSR action enables us to meet the ethical challenges of responsibility towards our employees and society, by ensuring that data is handled securely and responsibly.

Mapping ethical risks

Drawing up an ethical risk map enables you to identify all areas of your business (operations, suppliers, customers, transactions, etc.) that may be subject to ethical risks. This risk mapping helps to define their level of probability and preventive actions.

Understanding the ethical issues facing an organization enables us to better anticipate problems and strengthen our practices.

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

Check 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 minimizes the risks associated with business relationships and strengthens the company's credibility.

This vigilance in the face of legal challenges is essential to maintaining high ethical standards.

Set up an ethics alert procedure

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

Examples of whistleblowing situations include fraud, corruption, money laundering, breach of confidential data, harassment, etc.

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

‍

CSR actions on the responsible purchasing pillar

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

Distribute a questionnaire to your strategic suppliers

One of the key points of a good CSR strategy is to engage your value chain on these issues. To get started, you can circulate a questionnaire to your suppliers. Here are the key steps:

• design your questionnaire with questions that allow you to assess their CSR practices,
• share it with strategic suppliers, 
• collect data and select suppliers on the basis of their CSR performance.

This approach enables you to understand how your suppliers' practices align with your corporate values, and to involve your stakeholders in a responsible purchasing strategy. 

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

Map purchasing risks

To better control risks, you first need to know what they are, and this is the objective of a purchasing risk map.

Mapping purchasing risks helps to identify the main purchasing families, the associated risks, their level of probability and the preventive actions to be taken.

By involving stakeholders in this process, the company can better anticipate purchasing challenges and proactively manage risks. 

What's more, it helps establish a relationship of trust with suppliers.

Building a code of conduct for your suppliers

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

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

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

Train your company's buyers

To spread best practices in responsible purchasing, offer training courses.

Training your company's buyers in responsible purchasing raises awareness of the ethical and environmental issues involved in selecting 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 purchasing strategy on all stakeholders, including suppliers and the community.

Building a responsible purchasing procedure

For a systematic, consistent approach to managing supplier relations, implement a responsible purchasing procedure.

Building a responsible purchasing procedure enables you to establish clear criteria for selecting suppliers, and to guarantee that the choices made meet your company's ethical and environmental requirements. 

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

‍

Conclusion

Integrating CSR at the heart of a company's strategy is much more than an obligation; it's a real lever for 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 heart of its operations, the company strengthens its commitment to a more responsible and sustainable future, while promoting the well-being of its employees and its positive impact on society.