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Importance of CSR:

good publicity gains sales and increase revenue

customers are more socially aware

reducing the risk of negative action being taken against the business by pressure groups.

J&J: excelling in CSR

driving equity in healthcare

supporting local volunteer and outreach efforts

increasing access to care through charity partners

--> attract well-qualified employees

--> higher revenue and profits

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CSR is important, especially nowadays, as consumers are demand more from brands, include their sense of responsibilities toward society.

Brand reputation and image are being enhanced through CSR. By adopting green practices, firms are encouraging sustainability and help protect the environments. Moreover, CSR allows businesses to create a positive impact on society by engaging in philanthropic activities, .... CSR also promotes ethical practices in business operations. It includes adhering to ethical standards, fair labor practices, responsible marketing, and avoiding unethical practices such as bribery and corruption.

To make it easier to visualise, Japanese black companies are companies that do not follow labor laws. That means they tend to have poor working conditions and an unhealthy work culture — and they should be avoided.

These companies are known to take advantage of their employees, often leading to employees having no work-life balance or in extreme cases, even death because of work stress.

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The benefits of a business attempting to meet the needs of the community are:

-        improving the public image of the business, making it more attractive to investors and socially aware consumers

-        increasing the chance that the community will accept business decisions such as expansion or relocation

-        increasing the chance that the business will receive government grants and subsidies

-        reducing the risk of negative action being taken against the business by pressure groups.

Lego is the first, and only, toy company to be named a World Wildlife Fund Climate Savers Partner, marking its pledge to reduce its carbon impact. By 2030, the toymaker plans to use environmentally friendly materials to produce all of its core products and packaging—and it’s already taken key steps to achieve that goal.

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The benefits of a business attempting to meet the needs of the community are:

-        improving the public image of the business, making it more attractive to investors and socially aware consumers

-        increasing the chance that the community will accept business decisions such as expansion or relocation

-        reducing the risk of negative action being taken against the business by pressure groups.

Lego is the first, and only, toy company to be named a World Wildlife Fund Climate Savers Partner, marking its pledge to reduce its carbon impact. By 2030, the toymaker plans to use environmentally friendly materials to produce all of its core products and packaging—and it’s already taken key steps to achieve that goal.

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I think that each company has to at least be responsible to their consumers. This can mainly be achieved by not doing these activities:

Marketing that intentionally misinform or mislead consumers

Certain practices that maximizes profit by compromising the customer experience

As well as an over-assertion of monopoly to reduce choices for consumers

Apple is well known for doing all three of these

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CSR - corporate social responsibility - is the consideration of business regarding environmental and social benefits in their operations. CSR is significant since it ensures the benefits of all stakeholders rather than just shareholders and owners of the business. To be specific, CSR will encourage companies to operate more ethically. For example, Apple has taken into account benefits of the environment. Particularly, they has been carbon neutral (carbon emitted = carbon absorbed) since 2020, and they are aiming to make all their products using green cycling and chemistry instead of natural resources extraction. This will ensure that the nearby community will not have to suffer from the consequences of carbon emissions.

Link: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2023/09/apple-unveils-its-first-carbon-neutral-products/

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CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today announced its first-ever carbon neutral products in the all-new Apple Watch lineup. Innovations in design and clean energy have driven dramatic reductions in product emissions of over 75 percent for each carbon neutral Apple Watch. ¹ This milestone marks a major step in the company's journey toward its ambitious Apple 2030 goal to make every product carbon neutral by the end of the decade, including the entire global supply chain and the lifetime use of every device Apple makes.

As part of Apple 2030 and the company's broader environmental efforts, Apple has also ended the use of leather across all of its product lines, announced its first entirely fiber-based packaging for the new Apple Watch lineup, ² and continued to expand the use of recycled materials in iPhone. The company also introduced a new tool in the Home app called Grid Forecast, ³ which helps inform users when their power grid has cleaner energy available, so they can decide when to use electricity.

"At Apple, we have a longstanding and proven commitment to leading the fight against climate change. Our focus on renewable energy and low-carbon design has already driven industry-leading emissions reductions, and we're not slowing down," said Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives. "We've achieved an important milestone in making the world's most popular watch carbon neutral - and we will keep innovating to meet the urgency of the moment."

Every Product Carbon Neutral by 2030

Apple has adopted a clear and rigorous approach to product decarbonization that prioritizes reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the three biggest sources across the product life cycle: electricity, materials, and transportation. Only after Apple steeply cuts product emissions, will the company apply high-quality carbon credits from nature-based projects for emissions that cannot yet be avoided or reduced with existing solutions.

Each carbon neutral Apple Watch model meets the following strict criteria: 100 percent clean electricity for manufacturing and product use, 30 percent recycled or renewable material by weight, and 50 percent of shipping without the use of air transportation. ⁴ These combined efforts result in at least a 75 percent reduction in product emissions for each model. The company will use high-quality carbon credits to address the small amount of remaining emissions, resulting in a carbon neutral product footprint. Every carbon neutral Apple Watch - which includes any aluminum Series 9 and SE models when paired with a new Sport Loop, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 when paired with a new Trail Loop or Alpine Loop - is certified by SCS Global Services, a leader in environmental standards and certification.

The Path to 2030

Apple's first carbon neutral products are the result of years of significant work and innovation across the company and its global supply chain. They also represent the latest step on a journey that began over a decade ago.

In 2020, Apple achieved carbon neutrality for its global corporate operations and announced Apple 2030: a bold strategy to be carbon neutral across its entire value chain by 2030. Apple's plan centers on an aggressive 75 percent reduction in overall carbon emissions from 2015 levels. By avoiding activities that generate carbon, significantly expanding renewable energy across the company's corporate operations and supply chain, and designing with recycled and renewable materials, Apple has so far reduced total emissions by over 45 percent since 2015, while still growing revenue by over 65 percent in the same period.

As Apple accelerates efforts to decarbonize its value chain, every product represents an opportunity to reduce emissions - from the electricity used for manufacturing and charging devices, to materials and shipping.

Spurring Progress in Clean Electricity

All manufacturing for the carbon neutral Apple Watch models is powered by 100 percent clean electricity through investments and sourcing by Apple and its suppliers. Additionally, every supplier that manufactures parts and components for these models has committed to 100 percent renewable electricity for all of their Apple production by the end of the decade. Apple also works with manufacturing partners around the world to advocate for policies that support wider deployment of clean energy solutions.

Apple began building and investing in large-scale solar and wind farms to power its data centers and offices over a decade ago. In 2015, the company started working with its manufacturing partners to help them create and invest in their own solar and wind projects, and source renewable energy for all Apple production. Since 2018, all of Apple's corporate offices, data centers, and retail stores worldwide have been powered by renewable electricity.

Thanks to these combined efforts, Apple and its global suppliers support more than 15 gigawatts of clean energy around the world today - enough to power over 5 million American homes. Across all product lines, more than 300 global suppliers - representing over 90 percent of Apple's direct manufacturing spend - have now joined Apple's Supplier Clean Energy Program, committing to 100 percent renewable electricity for all Apple production by the end of this decade.

Electricity for manufacturing and charging devices represents the largest source of Apple's emissions across all product lines. To address the latter, Apple has committed to invest in large-scale solar and wind projects around the world. For the carbon neutral Apple Watch models, the company will match 100 percent of customers' expected electricity use for charging.

Innovating in Low-Carbon Design

Apple has pioneered the use of many key recycled materials in its products through world-class product engineering, extensive design qualification, and supply chain expertise. The new products announced today build on these achievements.

To further reduce impact on the planet, Apple is ending the use of leather across all of its product lines, including iPhone accessories and Apple Watch bands. The company will replace leather with a new textile called FineWoven, an elegant and durable twill made from 68 percent post-consumer recycled content. FineWoven offers a subtle luster and a soft, suedelike feel, and is available on iPhone MagSafe cases and wallets as well as the Magnetic Link and Modern Buckle Apple Watch bands.

As recycled and renewable materials often have a lower carbon footprint than primary materials, Apple's industry-leading progress in the use of recycled content also advances the company's Apple 2030 goal. The new FineWoven material has significantly lower emissions compared to the more carbon-intensive leather, and both the new iPhone 15 and the Apple Watch lineups advance progress toward the company's 2025 targets for the use of 100 percent recycled metals in key components. This includes 100 percent recycled rare earth magnets and the company's first use of 100 percent recycled cobalt in the battery of iPhone 15, Apple Watch Series 9, and Apple Watch Ultra 2. ⁵ Additionally, the popular Sport Loop has been redesigned with 82 percent recycled yarn, which includes material from discarded fishing nets. Customers looking to upgrade to the new carbon neutral Apple Watch models can take advantage of Apple Trade In, and Apple will refurbish the device for a new owner, or recycle it for free.

Apple is also accelerating progress toward plastic-free packaging by 2025. In addition to achieving the first 100 percent fiber-based packaging for the new Apple Watch and band lineup, the packaging for every iPhone 15 model is over 99 percent fiber-based.

Reducing Transportation Emissions

Transporting products around the world makes up about 9 percent of Apple's comprehensive carbon footprint. The company is shifting more product volume to shipping modes that are less carbon-intensive than air transport, such as ocean or rail. Apple's carbon footprint methodology shows that shipping the same product by ocean emits 95 percent fewer emissions than by air.

For the carbon neutral Apple Watch models, including watches and bands, the company will ship at least 50 percent of the combined weight using non-air modes, cutting total transportation emissions nearly in half. Additionally, the packaging of all Apple Watch Series 9 and SE models has been redesigned for compactness, with a new, smaller shape that allows for 25 percent more devices per shipment.

At the same time, Apple is committed to supporting broader efforts to decarbonize shipping industries, such as by being a member of the First Movers Coalition, and by supporting analysis to identify pathways for developing sustainable aviation fuels. The company also seeks out technical innovations - including the use of alternative fuels and electric vehicles - and selects vendors that offer low-carbon options to help further drive decarbonization in the industry.

Investing in High-Quality Carbon Removal

After achieving steep reductions in product emissions, Apple plans to cover residual emissions with high-quality carbon credits primarily from nature-based projects that remove carbon from the atmosphere, like restoring grasslands, wetlands, and forests. Carbon removal is critical to addressing climate change and achieving global climate goals, as leading scientific bodies like the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have emphasized.

Apple defines high-quality credits as those from projects that are real, additional, measurable, and quantified, with systems in place to avoid double-counting, and that ensure permanence. Apple has helped advance natural carbon-removal solutions that meet this definition by creating the innovative Restore Fund, which currently supports projects in Latin America. The company uses credits from projects that are certified to international standards such as Verra; the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards; and the Forest Stewardship Council.

For the carbon neutral Apple Watch models, the high-quality carbon credits used to compensate for the remaining emissions will come from projects like the Restore Fund's investments with Arbaro Advisors and BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group, which are helping to restore and protect high-quality working forests and native ecosystems in Paraguay and Brazil.

Introducing Grid Forecast

As Apple decarbonizes its value chain, the company is also committed to engaging with customers and creating technology that helps them understand and address their environmental impact.

Grid Forecast is a new tool in the Home app on Apple devices that shows when a user's electrical grid has relatively cleaner or less clean energy sources available. For example, there are times when wind and solar projects produce more energy than the grid can use, leading to some of it being wasted. There are also times when electricity is being generated with lower emissions. By using electricity during these cleaner times, customers may lower the climate impact of the electricity they use at home.

Apple uses data that combines grid, emissions, and weather information into one, easy-to-follow signal. This can help people make decisions about the best time to run large appliances and charge electric vehicles or devices throughout the day. In the contiguous United States, Grid Forecast is available in the Home app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch, and can be added as an iOS widget or a watch face complication. As additional data becomes available through ongoing industry collaboration, Apple will continue refining Grid Forecast to maximize impact.

Beyond its 2030 goal, Apple is also working toward a 90 percent reduction in emissions by 2050 - which requires advocating for collective action from governments, businesses, and individuals to accelerate global progress in the fight against climate change.

For more information on Apple's 2030 climate goal and the environmental impact of Apple products, visit apple.com/2030.

About Apple

Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Apple's five software platforms - iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS - provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, and iCloud. Apple's more than 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.

1. Carbon reductions are calculated against a baseline scenario: No use of clean electricity for manufacturing or product use, beyond what is already available on the grid; Apple's carbon intensity of key materials as of 2015; and Apple's average mix of transportation modes by product line across three years.

2. The breakdown of U.S. retail packaging is by weight. Adhesives, inks, and coatings are excluded from calculations of plastic content and packaging weight.

3. Grid Forecast will be available in the contiguous United States.

4. 50 percent or more of all carbon neutral products by total weight are planned, as of product launch, to be shipped using non-air modes of transportation - like ocean freight - from the factory to their next destination over the lifetime of the products.

5. All cobalt content claims are based on a mass balance allocation.

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Apple unveils its first carbon neutral products

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Innovations in design and clean energy have driven dramatic reductions in product emissions of over 75 percent for each carbon neutral Apple Watch.

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CSR is important for companies to show that they care more than just about profit. This further reinforces trust with customers, employees, and the community.

This often also results in better, safer, and more environmentally friendly practices that benefit the business's social aspects.

A company like Volkswagen was involved in a scandal where they cheated on emissions tests. They claimed their cars were environmentally friendly, but they were actually polluting more than they said. This hurt the environment and damaged their reputation, showing that pretending to be responsible without actually doing good can backfire.

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What is Volkswagen accused of?

It's been dubbed the "diesel dupe". In September, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that many VW cars being sold in America had a "defeat device" - or software - in diesel engines that could detect when they were being tested, changing the performance accordingly to improve results. The German car giant has since admitted cheating emissions tests in the US.

VW has had a major push to sell diesel cars in the US, backed by a huge marketing campaign trumpeting its cars' low emissions. The EPA's findings cover 482,000 cars in the US only, including the VW-manufactured Audi A3, and the VW models Jetta, Beetle, Golf and Passat. But VW has admitted that about 11 million cars worldwide, including eight million in Europe, are fitted with the so-called "defeat device".

The company has also been accused by the EPA of modifying software on the 3 litre diesel engines fitted to some Porsche and Audi as well as VW models. VW has denied the claims, which affect at least 10,000 vehicles.

In November, VW said it had found "irregularities" in tests to measure carbon dioxide emissions levels that could affect about 800,000 cars in Europe - including petrol vehicles. However, in December it said that following investigations, it had established that this only affected about 36,000 of the cars it produces each year.

Full details of how it worked are sketchy, although the EPA has said that the engines had computer software that could sense test scenarios by monitoring speed, engine operation, air pressure and even the position of the steering wheel.

When the cars were operating under controlled laboratory conditions - which typically involve putting them on a stationary test rig - the device appears to have put the vehicle into a sort of safety mode in which the engine ran below normal power and performance. Once on the road, the engines switched out of this test mode.

The result? The engines emitted nitrogen oxide pollutants up to 40 times above what is allowed in the US.

What has been VW's response?

"We've totally screwed up," said VW America boss Michael Horn, while the group's chief executive at the time, Martin Winterkorn, said his company had "broken the trust of our customers and the public". Mr Winterkorn resigned as a direct result of the scandal and was replaced by Matthias Mueller, the former boss of Porsche.

"My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group - by leaving no stone unturned," Mr Mueller said on taking up his new post.

VW has also launched an internal inquiry.

With VW recalling millions of cars worldwide from early next year, it has set aside €6.7bn (£4.8bn) to cover costs. That resulted in the company posting its first quarterly loss for 15 years of €2.5bn in late October.

But that's unlikely to be the end of the financial impact. The EPA has the power to fine a company up to $37,500 for each vehicle that breaches standards - a maximum fine of about $18bn.

The costs of possible legal action by car owners and shareholders "cannot be estimated at the current time", VW added.

How widespread are VW's problems?

What started in the US has spread to a growing number of countries. The UK, Italy, France, South Korea, Canada and, of course, Germany, have opened investigations. Throughout the world, politicians, regulators and environmental groups are questioning the legitimacy of VW's emissions testing.

VW will recall 8.5 million cars in Europe, including 2.4 million in Germany and 1.2 million in the UK, and 500,000 in the US as a result of the emissions scandal.

No wonder the carmaker's shares have fallen by about a third since the scandal broke.

Will more heads roll?

It's still unclear who knew what and when, although VW must have had a chain of management command that approved fitting cheating devices to its engines, so further departures are likely.

Christian Klingler, a management board member and head of sales and marketing is leaving the company, although VW said this was part of long-term planned structural changes and was not related to recent events.

In 2014, in the US, regulators raised concerns about VW emissions levels, but these were dismissed by the company as "technical issues" and "unexpected" real-world conditions. If executives and managers wilfully misled officials (or their own VW superiors) it's difficult to see them surviving.

Are other carmakers implicated?

That's for the various regulatory and government inquiries to determine. California's Air Resources Board is now looking into other manufacturers' testing results. Ford, BMW and Renault-Nissan have said they did not use "defeat devices", while other firms have either not commented or simply stated that they comply with the law.

The UK trade body for the car industry, the SMMT, said: "The EU operates a fundamentally different system to the US - with all European tests performed in strict conditions as required by EU law and witnessed by a government-appointed independent approval agency."

But it added: "The industry acknowledges that the current test method is outdated and is seeking agreement from the European Commission for a new emissions test that embraces new testing technologies and is more representative of on-road conditions."

Environmental campaigners have long argued that emissions rules are being flouted. "Diesel cars in Europe operate with worse technology on average than the US," said Jos Dings, from the pressure group Transport & Environment. "Our latest report demonstrated that almost 90% of diesel vehicles didn't meet emission limits when they drive on the road. We are talking millions of vehicles."

Car analysts at the financial research firm Bernstein agree that European standards are not as strict as those in the US. However, the analysts said in a report that there was, therefore, "less need to cheat". So, if other European carmakers' results are suspect, Bernstein says the "consequences are likely to be a change in the test cycle rather than legal action and fines".

Certainly is. Over the past decade and more, carmakers have poured a fortune into the production of diesel vehicles - with the support of many governments - believing that they are better for the environment. Latest scientific evidence suggests that's not the case, and there are even moves to limit diesel cars in some cities.

Diesel sales were already slowing, so the VW scandal came at a bad time. "The revelations are likely to lead to a sharp fall in demand for diesel engine cars," said Richard Gane, automotive expert at consultants Vendigital.

"In the US, the diesel car market currently represents around 1% of all new car sales and this is unlikely to increase in the short to medium term.

"However, in Europe the impact could be much more significant, leading to a large tranche of the market switching to petrol engine cars virtually overnight."

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The scandal over VW cheating pollution emissions tests in the US is casting a cloud over the whole car industry.

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Companies have a moral obligation to act ethically and contribute to the well-being of society. This includes fair labor practices, ethical sourcing, and ensuring their operations do not harm the environment. CSR promotes sustainable development by encouraging businesses to adopt practices that protect the environment and conserve resources for future generations. Engaging in CSR can enhance a company’s reputation and build trust with consumers, employees, and other stakeholders. This can lead to increased customer loyalty and employee satisfaction. The company uses recycled materials in its products and encourages customers to repair and reuse their gear instead of buying new items.

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CSR can help improve society and promote a positive brand image for companies. Also reduce costs by promoting sustainability practices such as energy efficiency and waste reduction

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CSR can help improve society and promote a positive brand image for companies. Also reduce costs by promoting sustainability practices such as energy efficiency and waste reduction

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They stated that " We have put peak carbon behind us and aim to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 "

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The oil company that owned the Piper Alpha platform failed dramatically with their CSR obligations because they put profit ahead of peoples safety. This resulted in one of the worst disasters in the oil industry and the loss of 167 lives. This disaster could have been avoided if the company had better management procedures in place to ensure the safe working environment on the platform.

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Welcome to our CSR Debate Wall! Please follow the instructions below to complete the activity. If you have any questions, please ask your teacher for help.
• Create a post sharing your view on the importance of corporate social responsibility.
• Support your opinion with an example of a company that is either excelling in CSR or failing to meet societal expectations.
• Add an image or link related to your chosen company's CSR practices.
• Comment on at least two other posts to engage in discussion with your classmates.
• Like posts that you find particularly insightful or well-argued.