Discussion on the changing face of CSR has been around for some time now, with the recognition that a philanthropic approach of donating funds while continuing with less than responsible business practices is not acceptable and is certainly not CSR. So, in many respects emerging research from CAESER that businesses that display strong socially responsible traits are also likely to display strong environmental credentials, comes as no real surprise. However, until now there has been little publicised research that appears to strongly support this theory.

Analysis we have conducted of the responses of some of the public sector’s key suppliers not only supports the theory, but is also a positive indication that the business world now understands that being responsible requires a holistic approach. Sustainability does not now, nor ever has, just meant being ‘green’. ‘Sustainability’, ‘meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’, was never intended to purely encompass all things environmental. For that definition to hold true, communities (either local or global) and economies must also be supported and sustained. And that means anything from supporting equality and promoting diversity, to a transition to a low carbon, clean economy, to supporting diverse and small businesses.

Our research has found that the majority of businesses that practice one strand of sustainability well, be it environmental or social, will, on the whole, also practice other strands of sustainabilitywell. CSR, it is now generally agreed, should be embedded in all areas of an organisation and should be the foundation for all business decisions. With research supporting the success of these practices, it’s hard to argue the effectiveness of a genuinely holistic approach.