CSR Labels: Showcasing Your Company’s Commitments
Corporate Social Responsibility, or CSR, is now at the heart of many companies’ strategies. A CSR policy involves placing sustainable development issues at the core of a company’s strategy in order to address environmental, social and societal challenges.
Over the past several years, numerous labels and standards have emerged to help companies showcase their commitments and the impact of their actions.
Why obtain a CSR label?
Obtaining a label is a way for companies to demonstrate and legitimise their commitments in this area. CSR labels offer several benefits to the companies that obtain them:
They provide companies with support and guidance in developing their CSR approach.
They offer a powerful communication tool for highlighting commitments to different stakeholders.
A label helps strengthen the credibility of an organisation’s CSR strategy.
It also provides access to a community of organisations that share similar values.
What is the ISO 26000 standard?
It is difficult to talk about CSR without mentioning the ISO 26000 standard, on which many of the main CSR labels are based.
Created by the International Organization for Standardization, ISO 26000 does not lead to certification. Instead, it serves as a framework and management guide for companies wishing to develop a CSR strategy. It sets out how organisations can and should contribute to sustainable development.
What are the main CSR labels?
There are many CSR labels covering companies of all sizes and sectors. In France alone, there are around forty different labels, which can be grouped into several categories.
General French CSR labels
General CSR labels assess a company’s overall approach to corporate social responsibility, covering both social and environmental issues.
This label aims to guarantee the authenticity of CSR initiatives implemented by companies, associations and NGOs. Its community includes more than 200 certified organisations and aims to develop a new standard in areas such as business models, governance, human capital, environmental performance and societal impact. Certified companies can receive up to three stars. One example is elmy, a green electricity supplier for individuals and businesses.
This label was created by AFNOR, the French standardisation organisation. It currently includes nearly 170 certified companies. Its main objective is to assess how effectively companies apply the ISO 26000 standard. The Engagé RSE Label is primarily used by large companies.
This label is also based on the ISO 26000 standard. More than 300 companies have received the Lucie Label. Its objective is to make it easier for organisations to integrate sustainable development into the heart of their business strategy, regardless of their sector, resources or level of CSR maturity.
International general CSR labels
Founded in the United States in 2006 and launched in France in 2015, B Corp certification aims to recognise companies that integrate social, societal and environmental objectives into their business models. Today, nearly 3,400 companies worldwide are B Corp certified.
Created by the United Nations in 2000, the UN Global Compact is based on 10 fundamental principles covering four key areas: human rights, international labour standards, environmental protection and anti-corruption.
In addition to these general labels, there are also many more specialised CSR labels.
Thematic labels: These focus on a specific aspect of CSR, such as social issues, equality in recruitment, environmental performance or other targeted themes.
Sector-specific labels: These are designed for particular industries. They are more specialised and are based on standards applicable to a specific type of activity.
When choosing a CSR label, it is important to first identify the company’s objectives, clearly understand its CSR strategy and determine which actions and commitments it wants to highlight.
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