16 Brands Doing Corporate Social Responsibility Successfully

https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/corporate-16-brands-doing-corporate-social-
responsibility-successfully

by Digital Marketing Institute

Posted on Sep 1, 2021

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) allows businesses large and small to enact positive
change. It’s when companies choose to do what’s right not only for their bottom line but also
to build customer trust.

Consumers feel that when they use a product or service of a socially responsible company,
they are doing their part. The more socially responsible the company, the more supportive
their community and consumers become.

Corporate social responsibility helps gain customer trust by caring about issues such as Earth
Day, raises awareness, and encourages social change. Although there are thousands of
companies doing their part, the efforts of large global corporations have far-reaching results
that can impact global issues, from hunger and health to global warming and climate change.

Keep reading to see examples of how some major brands are doing CSR successfully (along
with one brand that re-evaluated its CSR strategy after facing criticism for having the wrong
social impact).

Examples of Corporate Social Responsibility in Action

Corporate social responsibility comes in many forms. Even the smallest company can impact
social change by making a simple donation to a local food bank. Some of the most common
examples of CSR include:

 Reducing carbon footprints

 Improving labor policies
 Participating in fairtrade
 Diversity, equity and inclusion
 Charitable global giving
 Community and virtual volunteering
 Corporate policies that benefit the environment
 Socially and environmentally conscious investments
Millennials Want to See More Corporate Social Responsibility

To millennials and Generation Z, socially responsible companies are even more important.
They believe companies should invest in improving society and look for solutions that assist
in those improvements.

Companies should share how they are trying to make a positive impact on the world, so the
public can see their pro-social initiatives. Showcasing efforts is key so it’s important to
learn how to market to millennials because these efforts will sway the choices they make as
consumers.

Millennials also like to take part in initiatives such as volunteer work or making donations.
As ever more companies begin to see the impact their socially and environmentally conscious
efforts have on a consumer’s perception, the more chance there is that they will begin
initiatives of their own.

Changing Corporate Social Responsibility Trends

Activism by millennials and, indeed, all generations will also influence changing trends in
CSR. You can expect to see companies continue to take a public stand against on-the-job
harassment and discrimination thanks to the #metoo movement. Diversity in the workplace
will also continue to expand to embrace people of all races, genders, cultures, disabilities, and
sexual orientations.

Diversity in the workplace will also continue to expand to embrace people of all races,
genders, cultures, disabilities, and sexual orientations. Many brands are becoming more vocal
and showing their support for important social issues on social media to great effect.

Companies will also find their own voices to speak out against social injustice and policy
changes that will negatively impact the environment. Even policies to protect data privacy in
an ever changing environment can become part of the CSR trends as more and more data
breaches threaten personal information.

Brands Doing it Right

1. Innovation: Johnson & Johnson

An excellent example of CSR on the frontline is big pharma pioneer Johnson & Johnson.
They have focused on reducing their impact on the planet for three decades. Their initiatives
range from leveraging the power of the wind to providing safe water to communities around
the world. Their purchase of a privately-owned energy supplier in the Texas Panhandle
allowed the company to reduce pollution while providing a renewable, economical alternative
to electricity. The company continues to seek out renewable energy options with the goal of
having 100% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2025.

2. Google
Google is trusted not only for its environmentally friendly initiatives but also due to its
outspoken CEO, Sundar Pichai. He stands up against social issues including President Donald
Trump’s anti-Muslim comments. Google also earned the Reputation Institute’s highest CSR
2018 score much in part due to their data centers using 50% less energy than others in the
world. They also have committed over $1 billion to renewable energy projects and enable
other businesses to reduce their environmental impact through services such as Gmail.

3. Coca-Cola

As a brand, Coca-Cola is putting a huge focus on sustainability. The key areas are climate,
packaging and agriculture along with water stewardship and product quality. Their message
is ‘a world without waste’, with the aim of collecting and recycling every bottle, making their
packaging 100% recyclable and replacing all water used in creating their drinks back to the
environment to ensure water security. They aim that by 2030, they will have reduced their
carbon footprint by 25%.

4. Ford Motor Company

Ford has huge plans in the area of CSR. Their mission is to ‘build a better world, where
everyone is free to move and pursue their dreams’. They have increased investment in
electrification to $22Bn (from an original $11Bn) and aim for their vehicles to be carbon
neutral by 2050.

“We’re committed to carbon neutrality”, stated Bob Holycross, Ford’s VP, Chief
Sustainability, Environment & Safety Officer. “It’s the right thing for our customers, the
planet and Ford. Ninety-five percent of our carbon emissions today come from our vehicles,
operations and suppliers, and we’re tackling all three areas with urgency and optimism,”

Interestingly, the company is also focusing on pay equity. They are conducting a diversity,
equity and inclusion audit while introducing a global salaried pay ratio (including gender) to
level the playing field for all employees.

5 & 6. Netflix & Spotify

From a social perspective, companies such as Netflix and Spotify offer benefits to support
their employees and families.

Netflix offers 52 weeks of paid parental leave to the birth parent and non-birth parent (which
includes adopted children). This can be taken at any time whether it is the first year of the
child's life or another time that suits their needs. This compares to a median of 18 weeks at
other major tech companies.

Spotify offers a similar program, although for a shorter duration of 24 weeks of paid leave.
The company believes the launch of this initiative resulted in a spike in external job
applications which has never abated.

When it comes to social causes, Netflix and Spotify use their social media platforms to show
support for movements such as Pride month, environmental sustainability, and Black Lives
Matter. Netflix sets an example on how to target -and appeal to - niche and minority
audiences through clever social media.
7. Pfizer

When disaster strikes, emergency assistance in healthcare is crucial. To aid in these

circumstances, Pfizer has a three-pronged approach; product donations, grants and solutions
to access.

Grants have been provided to countries such as Haiti in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew
and the global refugee crisis in Europe and the Middle East. This money is provided in
cooperation with NGOs to reach as many people as possible.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, through its Global Medical Grants program, Pfizer
provided $5 million to help improve the recognition, diagnosis, treatment and management of
patients. In addition, grants were made available to clinics, medical centres and hospitals to
improve the management and outcome of COVID-19 patients.

8. Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo donates up to 1.5% of its revenue to charitable causes each year to more than
14,500 nonprofits through philanthropy such as food banks and incubators (plant science and
renewable energy) to hasten the speed to market for start-ups.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company donated $6.25 million to support a
domestic and global response. This includes $1 million for the CDC Foundation, $250,000 to
the International Medical Corps across 30 countries, and $5 million for efforts at a local level
to address community needs.

9. TOMS

TOMS's mission is to donate a pair of shoes for every pair they sell and has resulted in the
donation of over 100 million pairs of shoes to children in need. These profits have been used
to assist the visually-impaired by providing prescription glasses and medical treatments,
provide 'safe' drinking water and build businesses in developing countries to create jobs.

Since the company came under criticism from NGOs for creating a dependency for free shoes
and collapsing local shoe making industries, TOMS has re-evaluated its strategy. Instead of
focusing on free shoes, the company now donates one third of its profits to grassroots
campaigns. This includes the COVID-19 Giving Fund and racial justice campaigns such as
Black Lives Matter.

“We learned that giving shoes, sight, and safe water for over a decade was an amazing start
— the right start — to creating meaningful change. But, the decision to give impact grants
instead will enable our community to do even more. Rather than giving shoes, we’re giving
1⁄3 of our profits. In other words, $1 for every $3 we make, which is about as much as a
company can give while still keeping the lights on.” - TOMS Impact Report 2019-2020.

10. Bosch

Bosch set itself ambitious goals for protecting the environment, with an aim to reduce their
ecological footprint through climate action, water usage, and a circular economy.
It seems this ambition has paid off and paved the way for other global companies, as 400 of
its locations are now climate neutral. The company now wants to focus on reducing upstream
(purchased goods and services) and downstream (product use) emissions by 15% in 2030.

“Having achieved our initial targets for scopes 1 and 2, we are now tackling scope 3
emissions with the same degree of rigor – setting specific targets and milestones for the
coming years.” - Torsten Kallweit, Head of EHS AND Sustainability

11. GE

It's been over a decade since General Electric launched Ecomagination, its renewable
business strategy with a mission to double down on clean technology and generate $20 billion
in revenue from green products.

As part of its ‘Ecomagination Challenge’ launched last year, GE awarded five people
$100,000 each to develop their innovations such as an inflatable wind turbine, an intelligent
water meter, a cyber secure network infrastructure, and short circuiting and outage
technology.

12. Starbucks

With an eye to hiring, Starbucks wanted to diversify its workforce and provide opportunities
for certain cohorts. It has pledged to hire 25,000 US military veterans and spouses by 2025 as
part of its socially responsible efforts. Ahead of schedule, the company reached this
milestone six years early and now hires 5,000 veterans and military spouses every year.

In a further move to tackle racial and social equity, Starbucks announced a mentorship
program to connect black, indigneous, and people of colour (BIPOC) to senior leaders and
invest in partnerships. The chain also aims to have BIPOC represented at 30% in corporate
roles and 40% in retail and manufacturing by 2025.

13. New Belgium Brewing Company

This brewing company owned entirely by its employees through a stock ownership plan is
focused on sustainability. Its Fort Collins, Colorado brewery produces its electricity through
solar panels and wastewater and aims to have all its beer carbon neutral by 2030. It also gives
away $1 of every barrel sold to support their philanthropic initiatives, values and goals.
According to Director of CSR, Katie Wallace: “We consider social and environmental well-
being to be intricately intertwined.”

14. The Walt Disney Company

Disney committed to reducing their carbon footprint in their 2020 CSR report with goals for
zero net greenhouse gas emissions, zero waste, and a commitment to conserve water. They
are actively ensuring strict international labor policies to protect the safety and rights of their
employees.

They are also active in the community and encourage employees to do the same. When their
parks closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney focused their CSR efforts on local
communities. They provided $27 million towards food donation and PPE from closed parks
and production sets and encouraged employees to participate in virtual volunteering.

15. LEGO

Lego will invest $400 million over the next three years with a focus on accelerating their
efforts in the area of sustainability. Their primary focus as a modern-day superbrand is to
phase out single-use plastic packaging for its bricks with all packaging to be sustainable by
2025. From 2021 on they will trial paper bags in boxes in partnership with the Forest
Stewardship Council. They are also investing in more sustainable products that create zero
waste and are carbon neutral.

LEGO Group CEO, Niels B Christiansen said: “We cannot lose sight of the fundamental
challenges facing future generations. It’s critical we take urgent action now to care for the
planet and future generations. As a company who looks to children as our role models, we are
inspired by the millions of kids who have called for more urgent action on climate change.”

16. The Washington Post & Tik Tok

In the wake of fake news, news outlets are taking to social media networks like TikTok to
address a new audience and tackle false information around issues such as the U.S election
and coronavirus.

The Washington Post is one example of a news brand using TikTok successfully. Their
tagline is ‘We are a Newspaper’ and their TikTok profile already has 1 million followers (and
growing). Their goal? To draw in new readers and build trust using short form video and viral
content.

According to Dave Jorgensen, the Post’s social media guru, the rapid rise of TikTok is down
to the fact that the platform has increased the trust between the paper and its followers. He
believes that TikTok is journalism in every sense. “Pretty much every other TikTok has
something news related in it and with that we are delivering news to the users. That’s what
journalism is – delivering news however you are able to in a responsible way.”