Corporate Social Responsibility

(also CSR) is an approach companies employ to integrate social, environmental and community concerns into their business operations — in particular,CSR if often focused on certain key stakeholders, such as employees, customers, partners or the “community” at large.  CSR often defines measures beyond shareholder returns, often called a Triple Bottom Line, which consider company impacts on social and environmental concerns.

As CSR has become more pervasive, inevitably some companies stand accused of “purpose washing” or “green washing” or using a veneer of  CSR to mask little or no changes in the way that the business responds to society. Also, newer and more specific approaches, including B Corporation B Corporation and Purpose, are starting to eclipse CSR.