Why Communicating CSR Matters: Unlock the Power of Sustainability

Are you working for a “good” company? If you answer yes, then how do you know? What makes you think so?

What actually sets apart a good company in today’s world? Other than career opportunities, and a paycheck that lets you pay the bills and buy some treats, there’s something more than tangible benefits to this moral judgment, isn’t there?

Think of, for example, oil-processing companies and vegetable farmers. They have more in common than you think. Both try to operate at a profit, and both consume natural resources. And they both need to take environmental and social issues into account; otherwise, they might be unsustainable.

No, just quitting business in the name of the environment isn’t a solution. Other companies will fill the void; nature won’t be blissfully left alone.

What’s left? Sustainability. A buzzword for some, a hidden blessing for others, and something to consider for all of us.

If all the manufacturers and service providers that help you do your business followed CSR principles, the positive impact would be immense. We’d all live in a much better world, and that’s not an exaggeration.

Imagine running a small family tomato farm. Wouldn’t you prefer to only use chemicals that don’t harm the soil or your harvest? Wrap your juicy red treasures in eco-friendly packages? And ship them with a net-zero logistics partner? Even if you think your small enterprise is just a grain of sand in the Big Business World, you can still make small steps, which lead to giant leaps… And become an example for others.

Start out small: communicate the ESG efforts you make, even if — and especially when! — you have a long way to go to become a 100% sustainable company.

Did you opt for a sustainable fertilizer manufacturer? Communicate it.

Did you hire a cleaning company that uses safer chemical products? Communicate it.

Did you sign a shipping contract with a firm that has been reducing their carbon footprint year by year? Communicate it.

These days, when you act sustainably, it’s newsworthy. Chances are good that in the near future, running a business with CSR principles embedded into the enterprise’s DNA will be the standard. But until that happens, sustainable entrepreneurs have an advantage over their solely profit-oriented competitors, at least in terms of their chances of winning their customers’ loyalty.

Transmit your commitment to sustainability to local communities and government authorities, your existing and potential employees (including interns and job applicants), and your suppliers and subcontractors… And please continue the list! When you do, you lose nothing, and you can gain a lot.

You don’t have to move mountains. Try acting consciously within your current capacities, let others know about it, and soon you’ll discover that you’re not alone in the ESG field.

It won’t take too much time to write a social media post about the latest action you took with environmental and social responsibility principles in mind. Prove it with some infographics or a short video: these are shareable formats, and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg to produce them.

Does that surprise you? In this article we debunk three myths of CSR video production, with hefty pricing being one of them. You might want to check it out.

Make your CSR message fact-based, clear and appealing, so that readers feel motivated to support your content or even spread the word. When you see how significant your actions are to others, it’ll be easier to continue doing business sustainably.

Example: A CSR video for Vinted, an online marketplace from Lithuania. Animated infographics elaborates on how the efforts taken by Vinted and its community of sellers help reduce negative environmental impacts.

Real actions are what shape your company’s image. If you do CSR and communicate it, it’s a win-win.

And that is how you can know for sure that you work for a “good” company.