Corporate Social Responsibility. IMG: via Shutterstock.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is something that many major corporations have always put an enormous emphasis on, but CSR programs with a focus on the environment are relatively new. Happily, more big businesses are beginning to embrace environmentally focused CSR, which not only allows for the clout of major corporations to improve the environment, but also raises awareness about the importance of environmental issues in general.
Tech giant Apple and private equity firm KKR are just two major companies that recently released CSR reports that detail company commitment to environmental investments and practices. Apple has turned its focus to e-waste and raising awareness about electronics and their impact on the environment, while KKR is championing more responsible investments.
Apple is actively evaluating how to handle E-Waste. IMG: via Shutterstock.
KKR released its Environmental, Social, and Governance report last month, which details the ways in which the company is making more environmentally conscious investments as part of its core CSR. According to Ken Mehlman, Global Head of Public Affairs for KKR, “Reporting on our ESG efforts each year is one way we are pushed to do more. In looking back and taking stock of where we’ve been, we are able to move forward more effectively. Mehlman also explains, “In the past year, we have improved our ESG-related diligence processes, deepened the reach of our proactive programs, and formalized our approach to responsible investment by developing a new global private equity ESG policy,” of the ways in which KKR has been actively increasing its focus on responsible investments.
Apple also recently released its 2014 Environmental Responsibility Report, which states that the company’s carbon footprint from energy use has shrunk significantly between the 2012 and 2013 fiscal year. The report also noted that Apple “must be accountable for every apply product we use at every stage of its life,” in regards to the growing issue with electronic waste, or e-waste, and how to properly dispose of it.
With more major companies like KKR and Apple working actively to ensure that an environmental focus is a factor in Corporate Social Responsibility, hopefully other big businesses will follow suit.