Responsabilità sociale d’impresa

Social Responsibility

Benefits

For some time, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been subject of much debate in the European community, while in Italy it is widely haled as an innovative corporate approach. La Responsabilità Sociale d’Impresa (RSI) è da qualche tempo un importante argomento di dibattito a livello europeo e si sta diffondendo rapidamente anche in Italia come approccio innovativo alla gestione aziendale. Il tema si colloca all'interno della vasta problematica concernente lo sviluppo sostenibile e l'importanza dell'opinione pubblica nell'ambiente competitivo attuale. Numerose ricerche italiane ed europee mostrano, infatti, che i consumatori tendono a premiare le imprese socialmente responsabili. Tra le possibili risposte di sistema, per conciliare le sfide della sostenibilità economica, sociale ed ambientale riguardanti le imprese, gli Enti locali e la società civile, la responsabilità sociale può essere un possibile percorso di lavoro trasversale e fattore strategico per il futuro delle imprese e dei distretti industriali locali.

What is Social Responsibility?

Social responsibility is defined as the “voluntary integration of socio-environmental interests in business activities and the interaction of all interested parties.” To be socially responsible means more than just simply the desire to respect current norms.

It signifies further investment in human capital, in the environment and the community. To find a strategy that guarantees financial business success, but also maintains respect for socio-environmental principles means that one must account for satisfaction of client needs and also understand, for example, other issues, such as personel, the local community and the various local non-profit organizations.

The community in which the company is based must believe that the organization operates in a socio-environmental manner. Workers want to work for an organization that they are proud of and one that recognizes the contribution they bring. Therefore, the concept of social responsibility assures the integration of socio-environmental initiatives within the business framework.
Because consumers and sub-contractors are more savvy than in the past and are pushing for ethical business practices, businesses are now wise to the fact that to be socially responsible brings only advantages and also may request their founders (often PMI) to do the same. In recent years various avenues in the promotion of CSI in Europe have been noted: socio-environmental certification, annual social and sustainability reports, codes of conduct, cause related marketing, dialogue initiatives and multi-stakeholder partnerships regarding social, environmental and cultural projects.

What are the pressures that bring a company to adopt a CSI?

the global market that requests further integration in terms of sustainable development regarding ecomomic and socio-environmental aspects at the local and global level;
the media and various areas of civil society (consumers, NGOs and cooperatives) that push for futher transperancy, governance, inclusion of socio-environmental factors in policial structure, attention to financial scandals, illegal work situations, social marginalization and environmental damage;
new consumers, specifically the younger generations, whch request new products and sevices with a socio-environmental profile, transparency and access to information regarding the local community;
new regulations regarding environmental, social, rights and business and industry management within the international and European structures (UN, EU) as well as at the individual country level;
new self-regulating standards and codes and new tools that favor SCI in terms of environmental management, safety and social profile;
regulating bodies and local governments that are ever more aware of the possibile environmental and social risks in business;
banks, which are no longer solely concerned with economic risk, but are also taking into account socio-environmental risks before financing an organization;
rapid growth in the financing of socially responsible organizations that have a socio-environmentally responsible image and
the insurance industry, which is beginning to evaluate socio-economic risks in business and consequentially lowering premiums for responsible businesses.

Benefits

In the development of difficult business prospects, CSI is added value, rendering the organization more competitive. CSI should not be considered a cost, but rather as a tool of organizational management that warrants being intergrated to improve development prospects and lowerthe risk profile.

What concrete benefits are created when an organzation has socially responsible practices?

permette di accedere a incentivi fiscali, attraverso la defiscalizzazione delle elargizioni (fino al 10%);
riduce il tasso medio di tariffa INAIL;
permette di accedere ad incentivi sia in fase di selezione per inviti alle gare di appalto sia nella aggiudicazione delle stesse a parità di condizioni d’offerta;
migliora il clima aziendale ed aumenta la motivazione dei collaboratori;
aumenta le capacità dell’impresa di attrarre e mantenere personale qualificato e motivato;
rafforza il valore del marchio e lo rende competitivo nei mercati sempre più affollati;
accresce la reputazione complessiva dell’impresa;
riduce i rischi di iniziative di boicottaggio, interne ed esterne;
crea un rapporto stabile e duraturo con i consumatori/clienti, basato sulla fiducia e sulla fedeltà al marchio;
migliora la relazione con le istituzioni finanziarie: accesso più facile alle fonti di finanziamento in virtù di una riduzione del profilo di rischio.

Premi

La crescente attenzione alle tematiche di RSI è testimoniata dalla creazione di specifici premi, in particolare il Sodalitas Social Award (www.sodalitas.it) che è attribuito alle aziende italiane, piccole medie e grandi, che si siano distinte nella realizzazione di programmi di responsabilità sociale.