CSR Communication

Within the context of Corporate Social Responsibility, the area of CSR Communications with all its measurements, instruments and programs, including; sustainability reports, stakeholder dialogues, cause marketing campaigns, and product labeling, has been expanding dramatically worldwide.

Partly due to legislative requirements, the social media revolution, as well as, the creation of a global context in which companies are expected to be more open and receptive to external expectations with regards to their social and environmental impacts. It’s been a rollercoaster ten years or so for industry.

At a societal level, corporate sustainability communications has the potential to increase a company’s reputation and brand value whilst creating a platform for public debate on sustainability issues. From the internal communications point of view, communicating sustainability to internal stakeholders is critical to fostering employees’ loyalty and a satisfactory working environment. 

Businesses need to be proactively re-thinking the way they strategically develop and implement their marketing and communications plans to include social and environmental issues. Within the Indian context it will be necessary for big business to adapt the cultural context of “anonymity in doing good” and to balance the delicate equation of presenting the good sides of the sustainability story while credibly addressing any negative issues such as; continuing distrust towards the motive of CSR reporting.