What's the point of a CSR platform?
The effective tool for managing your CSR strategy.
Definition, missions, usefulness, benefits: find out all you need to know about the CSR platform that accompanies your approach.
Key points of the article
CSR and digital platform: a new management tool for your CSR strategy
What is a CSR support platform?
A CSR support platform is a computerized consultation forum.
It acts as a forum for discussion between the various stakeholders of an organization or company.
It contributes to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) insofar as it helps to meet CSR challenges in terms of organization.
The CSR platform makes it possible to :
- promote CSR values to private players, public policies or private initiatives
- promote a number of committed, eco-responsible corporate practices
- promote dialogue between the various stakeholders in an organization or company
- support negotiations in compliance with international standards.
Such a management and communication tool enables companies to bring together their various stakeholders to meet the challenges of each CSR.
Not only company representatives and employees, but also associations, parliamentary administrations and local authorities benefit from a real forum for exchange and discussion to meet their objectives.
A CSR platform is therefore useful for proposing responsible projects and promoting good CSR practices.
This digital tool is all the more useful for Swiss companies, whose CSR objectives are defined around three fundamental pillars.
Indeed, the HEG Geneva CSR Barometer identifies the top 3 CSR objectives for Swiss companies in 2021.
They are as follows:
- Reducing companies’ carbon footprints: 43% of companies surveyed defined this objective as one of their priorities;
- Promoting sustainable purchasing: 22% of companies attach great importance to sustainable purchasing, which enables ethical, social and environmental factors to be taken into account when choosing consumers and suppliers;
- A three-pronged approach: companies are particularly sensitive to the objectives of governance and transparency, diversity and inclusion, and employee well-being.
The different missions of a corporate CSR platform
A CSR platform has a wide range of missions, all of which address the social, societal and environmental challenges facing companies.
First and foremost, such a tool is useful for making recommendations to its own members, but also to institutions or even the State.
The aim of these recommendations is to strengthen the corporate social responsibility practices of companies or any other organization.
In this way, they enhance the value of CSR initiatives, encouraging companies to become more responsible.
The CSR platform must also facilitate dialogue between the various stakeholders involved in the CSR strategy.
Indeed, a project is always organized within a predefined working group.
The use of a digital CSR platform makes it easier for everyone to participate in consultations.
Good communication is the key to an effective and successful CSR strategy: a CSR tool such as the platform is therefore essential.
The CSR platform also makes it possible to contribute to the development of individual projects.
As the example of Stratégie France’s CSR platform illustrates, this is all the more true when it comes to national priority action plans: the platform facilitates the development of these projects, which concern both voluntary initiatives and public policies.
Another of the CSR platform’s missions is to disseminate the CSR culture, as a tool for promoting sound values in society.
It also enables Swiss companies to stand out among the eco-responsible companies that are sensitive to the objectives of sustainable development, ecological transition and social issues within each team.
Our CSR support platform opens up a wide range of possibilities for companies to adopt best practices and promote their CSR objectives.
An automatic co-pilot guides users through the platform, making it easier to organize and carry out their various missions while complying with the ISO 26000 standard.
This standard provides a guideline for companies that attach great importance to socially responsible behavior and respect for the environment.
The CSR platform makes it possible to apply this standard, thereby promoting the achievement of CSR objectives and overall corporate performance.
Why use a platform to manage your CSR?
CSR strategy management can be considerably optimized through the use of a digital platform.
The work carried out on the platform responds to the challenges facing the company concerned.
They reflect the company’s ability to identify the challenges facing society, and seek ways of responding to them in a responsible and sustainable way.
As a reminder, certain companies are required by law to produce a non-financial report that includes an action plan to reduce the company’s negative impact on society.
Through their activities, companies play a fundamental role in the functioning of society.
They have a real influence on the reinforcement of inequalities, consumption patterns, but also on the environment and pollution.
Consumers and civil society expect companies to take responsibility in these areas.
As a result, companies are increasingly being encouraged to adopt a CSR approach that would enable them to find solutions to these all-important societal and environmental issues.
With a CSR approach, the negative impact of companies on society can be limited.
The CSR platform supports these organizations in their efforts to promote equality and facilitate access to employment for all.
It also assists them in reducing their carbon footprint, limiting their energy expenditure, taking into account biodiversity and local development, etc.
Implementing a CSR approach requires time, financial, human and material resources, as well as knowledge of what can and should be done.
Companies need guidance, and their missions can be greatly optimized by using a CSR IT platform.
What are the benefits of the CSR platform?
Digital innovation is at the heart of the business world and its evolution.
Indeed, it is increasingly integrating sales and marketing strategies, as well as the internal organization of companies, to facilitate their actions and interactions.
Similarly, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is proving to be increasingly crucial, and has become an integral part of many debates.
Biodiversity, parity and equal opportunities are all issues that require clear, precise answers from companies.
The CSR platform links these two major and imperative changes.
This CSR strategy management tool offers an easy and effective way for every employee to participate in their company’s major projects.
In fact, using a digitized platform as part of your CSR strategy can be an interesting way of achieving measurable changes that will have a positive impact on employees, the company and society as a whole.
The benefits of an IT platform are numerous.
CSR and platform: considerable time savings
Implementing a CSR strategy requires a great deal of work, organization and planning.
It therefore involves a considerable investment of time, which can be regulated by the use of a digital platform.
In fact, a CSR platform makes it possible to carry out actions online, to find out which work opportunities can be carried out in the field, and so on.
In other words, such a tool enables all CSR strategy information to be stored in one place.
The fact that everything is built in advance saves the company and its employees precious time.
The budgetary advantage of a CSR platform
Among the various missions that a CSR approach must meet, limiting waste and saving money take on considerable importance.
The use of a CSR platform makes it possible to combine the company’s financial objectives with those of CSR to find economical and responsible solutions.
In this case, an invested company with a CSR approach aims to :
- save energy;
- give priority to renewable energies ;
- encourage employees to adopt the right gestures ;
- sorting company waste ;
- limit consumption of energy, water, electricity, paper, etc.
CSR enables companies to make a number of long-term savings.
To this extent, a CSR platform can facilitate this economic approach by enabling everyone to become an agent of change.
Easy implementation of the CSR platform
The CSR platform has the advantage of being easily accessible, even for companies using it for the very first time.
Indeed, its aim is to facilitate the CSR process for companies and optimize the time and energy of everyone involved: it is therefore essential that it be easy to use, so that the various stakeholders can make skilful use of it.
Corporate CSR platform for greater transparency
Corporate transparency is at the heart of many a debate.
Thanks to a CSR IT platform, this eternal question can be answered honestly and reliably, as this tool makes it easier to obtain feedback from the field.
Data is more easily accessible: it can be collected more quickly and regularly by the company.
In this way, each contributor can have an idea of his or her impact thanks to the CSR platform.
Similarly, the tool facilitates regular checks to ensure that operations are monitored and in line with the company’s objectives.
Facilitate the development of your company's CSR approach with a digital platform
The work of a CSR platform is proving to be an essential resource for companies committed to a responsible approach.
They provide a guide for those wishing to integrate sustainable development objectives into their operations.
The recommendations, opinions and studies produced form a solid basis on which companies can develop their CSR policy.
This work provides companies with ideas on what can be improved and how to achieve their objectives.
What’s more, several themes have already been addressed, making it easier for them to obtain sources on all spheres of CSR.
CSR Platform, the tool that guides companies in complying with legislation
During their missions, companies must find answers to the various objectives they have set themselves in terms of CSR.
However, the fulfillment of their missions depends above all on certain legislation in force.
Using a platform to steer your CSR strategy makes it easier to comply with these standards.
One example is France Stratégie’s CSR Platform, which enables companies to anticipate regulations.
A digitized CSR platform is therefore a very useful tool for keeping abreast of current legislation.
Insofar as regulatory monitoring is an important part of any CSR approach, anticipation enables us to think about the measures to be applied without being pressed for time.
