I had an interesting conversation with Net Impact Austin advisor Sarah Cooke last week about the definition of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). She has embarked on a new project on how employees can shape their employers CSR strategies. One of the members of her team was tasked with creating a definition of CSR and they responded with something like "it's anything a company endeavors to do that doesn't effect the bottom line."

I'm sure a lot of people would agree. Worse yet, I'm sure there are a lot of companies that are scared of CSR programs for that very reason. The fact is, often CSR can have a positive effect on both revenue and profits. Just last week I was working with a client in an industrial space not known for it's conservation efforts. But we helped find a process that eliminated the need for the end user to use petro-chemicals to maintain their products. Not only does this cut down on wasting natural resources, but it offers the manufacturer a clear (and valuable) market differentiator against it's competitors. 

Andy Mangan of the US Business Council for Sustainable Development does this on a massive scale. They have been working with some of the largest manufacturers to help them identify what wasted byproducts could be re-purposed as raw materials for other manufacturers. This helps eliminate waste and create new revenue streams in a big way.

Still, CSR remains relatively undefined. What is your definition of CSR? Please share your thoughts with us.