What is Corporate Social Responsibility? - InnoTrain CSR

exclusion criterion for many press and media representatives to report more
extensively about the facts.
In Germany, the concept of CSR mainly emerged from the professionalization of
environmental topics in companies which lead to environmental management
systems, officers and reports in the majority of large and medium-sized enterprises.
Environmental aspects continue to be a primary topic in the debate surrounding CSR.
However, especially companies that already professionalised their environmental
management are more open to the corporate integration of further social and
corporate aspects of CSR.
So far, individual action fields and initiatives with a focus on CSR prevail in the
majority of companies ahead of a systematic consideration, registration and
communication under the term CSR. Initiatives in collaboration with the civil society,
associations and ministries have emerged in part over many years which address
different CSR-relevant topics such as family compatibility in the company, education
initiatives, equal opportunities, etc. Accordingly, the main activities of CSR officers
appointed in large enterprises recently involved recording pre-existing activities in
order to develop strategic CSR approaches on this basis.
The increasingly "critical" and eco-socially oriented consumers in Germany motivate
a growing number of companies to launch greener and more sustainable product
lines. Especially companies which are indeed involved in and communicate corporate
commitment but which act based on questionable benchmarks when it comes to their
core business ("greenwashing") such as in connection with the closure of operational
centres, downsizing or manager salaries are coming under crossfire.
Outlook: CSR in German SMEs
A survey on CSR in SMEs, conducted by GILDE economic promotion Detmold,
identifies a strong CSR focus for SMEs in Germany on human resources-related
questions. Accordingly, most companies are aware of the value of well educated and
motivated employees and are willing to make increasing investments into the
education and measures for the "compatibility of profession and family", especially in
view of the demographic changes and the continuously growing lack of skilled
workers. In doing so, medium-sized companies are able to hold up as attractive
employers against the competition of usually better paying large corporations. The
CSR measures for employees most frequently mentioned in the GILDE study are
training and further development opportunities (86%), followed by flexible work time
in 83% of the SMEs.
Indeed, the concern for the environment is not as strong as CSR in human resources
among the surveyed SMEs, but again numerous measures are being conducted and
planned for the future. The study emphasises that the focus is on cost cutting
measures and at the same time on climate protection. Much more than half of
The project "InnoTrain CSR" is organized by GILDE GmbH and has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the
views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 12/2010
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