Small CSR Blunders that Raise Big Questions

1) Using Virgin Paper

Most of the biggest and best businesses today have programs and initiatives that are aimed at reducing their carbon footprint and minimizing their environmental impacts. Yet many of these businesses still use paper that contains no post-consumer recycled content and has not been sourced from a responsibly managed area of forest. Many of the excuses for avoiding post-consumer content paper are outdated. Quality has improved to meet that of virgin paper, and the price premiums have declined, and completely disappeared in some cases. A quick fix to correcting your virgin paper consumption is simply setting a policy that requires a minimum amount of recycled content in all paper purchases, or requiring all paper to be FSC Recycled Certified.

2) Printing Single Sided

While it's great to see sustainable supply chains and corporate recycling programs, it's equally important to look for ways to reduce the amount of materials you use. Almost every office still uses paper today, and the simplest way to cut your paper consumption in half is to print double sided. The biggest barrier is usually psychological, as there's a belief that double sided printing cheapens the presentation of print materials. But even for those who insist that reports and handouts should be single sided, how many drafts, articles, emails and unofficial documents do you print that aren't going to a client or your boss? Encouraging double sided printing can easily reduce paper expenditures by at least 25%, and implementation is as simple as changing this setting to default on your printer and photocopier (or perhaps giving IT a quick call, or referring to the manual).

3) Using Plastic Cups, Cutlery, and Bottles

Little paper cups at the water cooler? Plastic utensils in the cafeteria or break room? These might seem like small things, but they add up over weeks, months, and years. If you want to eliminate the amount of unnecessary waste that your office produces, it will be important to get rid of these items. Investing in reusable cutlery and cups is always a good idea, but you can also purchase biodegradable plates and cutlery if disposable items are absolutely necessary. And for workshops or meetings, a couple pitchers of water and glasses around the table is a good alternative to plastic bottles.

4) Non-Fair Trade Coffee

Another familiar item that can be easily overlooked is the coffee in your office. Since coffee isn't typically considered to be part of your supply chain, it can get left behind when deciding on social and environmental criteria for suppliers. Purchasing Fair Trade helps ensure that farmers in developing regions are receiving equitable prices for their beans, and aren't being exploited.  While there might still be a lack of awareness in corporate procurement, Fair Trade is quickly becoming more mainstream thanks to strong advocates and support from most major coffee chains. Unfortunately, Fair Trade is often associated with higher prices, but premiums are actually close to negligible. The University of British Columbia has a great resource on Fair Trade Coffee, and I'd encourage a quick read through if interested in bringing Fair Trade coffee to your workplace.
  

5) Keeping Computers and Monitors On

Despite commitments to reducing energy consumption, few organizations ask employees to shut off their computers and monitors when leaving the office. While doing so won't prove to be your biggest area of energy reduction, it's a free and simple way to show your people that small every day actions are part of your commitment to sustainability. According to Natural Resources Canada, computers left on at night waste about $100 worth of energy per workstation. Thus every 10 computers left on cost you $1000 dollars per year. When implementing this change, you might also want to adjust the energy-saving settings, so that monitors shut off and computers sleep after a short period of inactivity. This will help ensure energy savings in case staff members forget while adapting to the change.

In most cases, a company committed to being responsible will have missed these items by accident. Unfortunately, that won't always stop certain stakeholders from questioning your intentions, growing more cynical, and providing less buy-in for existing initiatives. The good news is that you can be proactive in identifying the small items that can have big impacts.

Taking a page from the eight behaviours of a responsible leader, the best way to avoid these blunders is to engage people. Find out what is important to your stakeholders, and ask them what initiatives and opportunities your organization should be considering. While your priority should always be the most material items, sometimes the smaller issues are cheap and easy to address.

It will also be important to maintain an open dialogue with your stakeholders, and continuously seek improvement. Make giving feedback as easy as possible, and stay open to new ideas and suggestions. By having good, ongoing communication with your stakeholders, you'll be able to avoid small CSR mistakes and mitigate negative reactions for those that have slipped through the cracks.

What other small but serious blunders have you seen? Share in a comment below!