There are four types of social responsibility for businesses: environmental, ethical, philanthropic, and economic. If you are just starting out as a business, it might be difficult to be fully responsible in all of these areas. However, you can start small and work towards full social responsibility no matter how small or big your business is.
Become a Net-Zero Business
One of the main ways you can be a socially responsible business is by being a net-zero business. To get down to net-zero emissions, you first need to know what your current emission rate is through inventory and analysis.
You can hire a professional to complete this inventory and analysis. A professional will not only get you the data you need but also help you understand it. They may even have suggestions for what you can start doing now to reduce emissions and how you can eventually become a net-zero business.
Enrich Your Community
Your business has a presence in the community or communities you are mainly located in. People in the neighborhood or city see your business and hear about it. You can influence how they see and hear about your business by doing things to enrich your community like mentoring youth.
Mentoring youth allows you to create positive change in your community. Youth with mentors are more likely to achieve higher education and reach more of their aspirations. They can greatly improve the trajectory of their community.
Reevaluate Your Values
If you want to truly embrace social responsibility at your business, you need to reevaluate your current values. Are your current company values self-promoting and selfish or do they seek to improve the community? Additionally, you should evaluate why you want to be more socially responsible. Do you feel pressured into it or is this something you actually want to do? You might want to change the wording of your values or consider adding new ones that talk more specifically about fulfilling social responsibility.
While there are still many consumers who don’t give much thought to the companies they buy from or interact with, an increasing number are starting to care more. More socially aware consumers want to patronize and work with businesses that genuinely embrace social responsibility. If you want loyal customers or clients who will keep coming back to your business, show them that you care about your lasting impact on communities and not just capitalistic goals.