Corporate social responsibility can sound like a mouthful, and you may find yourself wondering what it even means. What those three words strung together refers to is the amount of accountability a company undertakes for basically being a good citizen in the communities in which they conduct business. Being a good citizen as a corporation can involve many things, such as being environmentally friendly, donating money to charity, having responsible waste management practices and generally how they serve and treat their customers. Sometimes corporate social responsibility is something that is only discussed in offices, a string of words that is thrown around on paper and never really makes it to the ground or into the businesses in the community. This is a problem, and it is increasingly a problem as climate change becomes ever more present in our lives.

Businesses and corporations that do have social responsibility are the businesses that you may consider to be avant garde. They are the businesses that are always one step ahead and pride themselves on educating their customers and really taking the lead on problems like third world poverty and environmental problems. Businesses who practice corporate social responsibility aim to have a positive impact on their communities. Starbucks is a great example – they supports charities, have good waste management practices, serve healthy options and treat their employees with respect and care, ensuring they are paid more than minimum wage and have benefits.

The importance of corporate social responsibility cannot be underestimated. It is very important for employees as well as for the community in which they conduct business. When a company decides to set an example and takes the lead on important global issues, a community benefits by learning and by being able to follow in the footsteps of a large corporation. When a corporation does not do their part in the communities in which they conduct business, they create a problem because they generate much more waste and they do not contribute as effectively to the well-being of the community population in terms of paying fair wages and providing the support that many employees need. Because corporations are so large, they can have a bigger impact when they take on more responsibility.