Green Dealer Support

Large businesses are very visible when it comes to Corporate Social Policy and  Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and we see that most of the Fortune 500 businesses publish a CSR report at least annually. After all it is good to have a policy but the results are what really matters. Examples of some of these report are:

• General Motors: http://www.gm.com/company/aboutGM/gm_sustainability.html
• Walmart: http://corporate.walmart.com/global-responsibility/environment-sustainability/global-responsibility-report
• Toyota: http://www.toyota-global.com/sustainability/report/
• GE: http://www.geappliances.com/corporate-social-responsibility/
• Ford: http://corporate.ford.com/our-company/sustainability
• Apple: http://www.apple.com/environment/
• AT&T: http://www.att.com/gen/corporate-citizenship?pid=8506

When asked how important CSR is to these companies the answers were that it is important with almost 90% saying that it was at least somewhat important:

But what about smaller businesses like car dealerships. A study by Business4Better indicated that 66% of smaller businesses say they want to establish or improve their CSR efforts, believing it can increase business performance, drive employee participation and improve brand reputation.

Some of the ways businesses can begin to build a profile as a good neighbor in the community are through:

1. Sponsorships
2. Donations
3. Pro Bono Service
4. Volunteering

When businesses do this kind of thing their customers love them for it; 85% of consumers say they have a more positive image of a product or company when it supports a cause they care about  and 90% want companies to tell them ways in which they are supporting causes.

Where to Start

A good place to start is to develop a mission or purpose statement that defines your environmental interest. You can take a look at how you can advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves and then narrow it down and determine what you can offer.

Employees play a big role by being encouraged to support the company pet project. This can increase morale, teamwork, employee retention and satisfaction.

What is the payoff?

When a business is woven into the fabric of the community, everyone wins. The business is recognized as a good place to work and the is aligned with the beliefs and values of the community, employees and customers.