What does it mean for a company to be socially responsible? This responsibility can take many forms. Therefore, it is easier to start by defining what makes a company “socially irresponsible.” Such a company is one that does not care about its employees or its community and shirks its social responsibilities. Examples include poor working conditions for employees or misleading advertisements targeting consumers. While this can happen in many types of businesses, these issues are particularly common in companies that produce goods. In the textile industry, a large portion of clothing is still produced in factories with harsh working conditions. [6]. The packaging industry is one such sector. It is therefore crucial that companies in this sector understand what social responsibility is, its importance, and the benefits it offers. Over the past 20 years, many packaging companies have gone the extra mile to produce their packaging while acting in a socially responsible manner.
A socially responsible company can be described as one whose business activities help maintain or improve the well-being of customers and society, preventing harm to them and providing them with positive benefits. Another way to view a socially responsible company is that it should not be concerned solely with short-term profits, but must also take into account the long-term positive impacts on society. Companies can achieve these goals in four different ways: through philanthropic, ethical, economic, and legal means. [1,2,3]
Companies in the packaging industry are aware of this social responsibility. The packaging produced by these companies is therefore referred to as socially responsible packaging. These companies take into account the four aspects of social responsibility when designing and manufacturing their products. Environmental sustainability is one of the most common factors, which companies can achieve by producing packaging using reusable or recyclable resources, designing packaging that uses fewer materials, and utilizing renewable energy sources. Such companies have long-term positive effects on the environment and local communities through ethical and economically sound practices. The use of local resources is another key aspect. Companies that source materials locally help create jobs in the community and reduce the energy required to produce goods. The benefits to communities are therefore very real, whether economically or ethically, by protecting the environment and promoting community health. On the philanthropic front, some companies are beginning to donate a portion of their profits to support education and the well-being of the community at large.
Other packaging companies donate a portion of the proceeds from each product sold in their packaging to charitable organizations. This helps support the development of future generations. The final social aspect concerns responsibility related to government laws and regulations. This is particularly evident when companies advocate for positive changes in government policies. One example is companies working to increase the number of environmentally friendly policies.
One such example is the paper packaging manufacturer GWP, one of the largest companies to have received ISO 14000 certification, which is an integral part of the EU’s Environmental Management Plan. Consumers who purchase products packaged by these companies are therefore supporting the positive legislation that these companies comply with [7,8].
A good example of socially responsible packaging that offers benefits in these four areas of society is the PlantBottle initiative created by Coca-Cola. Through this project, Coca-Cola aims to replace its plastic bottles with bottles made from plant-based materials. Currently, producing a “PlantBottle” is more expensive than producing a plastic bottle, but Coca-Cola is investing in research to change that. They hope to encourage other companies in the market to adopt these same sustainable changes. These bottles are socially responsible from both an ethical and philanthropic standpoint, as their smaller environmental footprint compared to plastic bottles helps mitigate climate change. Economically, the production of these bottles creates additional jobs and could eventually become less expensive to produce than plastic bottles. Finally, Coca-Cola hopes to inspire other plastic bottle manufacturers to become socially responsible. [9]
Beyond the packaging industry, many other companies make social responsibility a priority and take pride in it. Companies such as Patagonia emphasize setting standards and monitoring working conditions in their factories. Ben & Jerry’s allocates 7.5% of its annual profits to philanthropic activities. Walt Disney encourages its employees to volunteer their time to local community organizations and has logged 2.9 million volunteer hours since 2012. Apple now produces 99% of its packaging from recycled paper. All of these companies are massive and successful enterprises, leaders in their respective industries [4,5]. They continue to thrive even after investing time and money to help their employees and communities. The products they produce are viewed as socially responsible.
Corporate social responsibility is vital for sustainable development in the future. Global population growth and the resulting pressure on the environment require companies to become even more involved in supporting their local communities and the environment. The packaging industry is massive and therefore plays an important role on a global scale. By producing socially responsible packaging, these companies send a message about their belief in a sustainable future for generations to come.
References
[1] “Do Consumers Expect Companies to Be Socially Responsible? The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Buying Behavior (2005),” by Lois Mohr and Deborah Webber.
[2] "Social Responsibility (2019)", by Akhilesh Ganti.
[3] "Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) (2019)," by ,James Chen.
[4] "About Desjardins"(retrieved April 2019), by Desjardins.
[5] "Top 20 Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives for 2017 (2017)," Nupur Vilas.
[6] "10 Companies That Still Use Child Labor (2019)," by Siôn Phillpott.
[7] “Ethics and Altruism: What Constitutes Socially Responsible Design? (2010),” by Rachel Cooper.
[8] "Environmentally Friendly Packaging" (accessed April 2019), by GWP Group.
[9] "Coca-Cola Company Introduces Bioplastic Bottle (2009)," by Smart Packaging.
