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One of the biggest challenges in working with CSR-communication is that the story which has to be told is complex and involves the involvement of many different parts. Each link in the value chain has its affect on the environment and surroundings – and having these affects mapped and documented right from the onset and till the product reaches the consumer is extremely comprehensive. Not to mention optimization as well as communicating it in an easily understandable way.
This is why as a company you have to organize your CSR-communication in order to make it suitable for documentation and stories from new parts of the value chain. It can also be necessary to think in sequences regarding gradually being able to develop an understanding within the audience for the CSR. Chapter by chapter you present the company’s activities in relation to social responsibility.
Anna Lise Mortensen has worked extensively with CSR-communication for almost 20 years. She started of at Brdr. Hartmann and later as Vice President at Novozymes as well as a part of various comitees and boards. Her first reactions to the challenges of good CSR-communication is: “Credibility and making complexity simple.” In this article Anna Lise tells about her experience with implementing a successful CSR-communication.
The company’s social responsibility is not only handled in the marketing department. Social responsibility should be implemented and living in all parts of the company – otherwise it is not believable.
How do you explain that your product is eco friendly? The story should include descriptions of the entire product chain, if done correctly, which is difficult to document, says Anna Lise. For example, even though the producer of a hairdryer optimizes his productivity and measure the improvements all the way down to a third decimal, his production only represents 5 % of the total environmental impact. The hairdryer consists of different parts from different subcontractors, who produce these parts in a long list of countries with more or less transparency in their production. Also, behind these producers of various components are several other actors, who represent the processing of the commodities and probably even more suppliers. And even when all these links are mapped and documented, then comes the retail part and consumer part. How much does shipping and shops contaminate, and how much electricity does a hairdryer use throughout its life? The latter often shows to be the most important part of the load, which the consumer determines – who is not even a part of the CSR-communication.
A good advice for companies to begin communication about their social responsibilities is to move some steps ahead. Start of by documenting and communicating that part of the value chain which lies within your own production. How much power and how many resources are being used at the company’s address? When this part has been covered all the other links must be reviewed, step by step. How much does the use of the product affect the surroundings? Then trace the product back through the value chain the same way.
Don’t try to obtain points on an invalid ground, it will backfire on you. Everything you tell has to be very well documented. As this takes resources it is of great importance that the entire company are committed to acting socially responsible, otherwise it will be superficial and without any effect…