If you’re wondering about how to make your corporate social responsibility (CSR) page worth reading, follow the principles that Swedish clothing company H&M apparently adhere to:
1. Put a human face on the CSR section: CSR Manager Ingrid Schullström lends her portrait to the front page of the section, which even features her own weekly blog on CSR issues and investor enquiries.
2. Link your CSR thinking to investor interests: The heading of the section introduces this concept:
“At H&M, quality is about more than making sure that our products meet or exceed our customers” expectations.
It also means that they have to be manufactured under good conditions and that our customers must be satisfied with us as a company. Taking responsibility for how our operations affect people and the environment is also an essential prerequisite for H&M’s continued profitability and growth”. After all, profits and growth are what investors are really about.
3. Show examples: H&M avoids the boring theoretical talk about principles and ideals which so often dominates CSR sections and can make them virtually unreadable. The right hand column links to examples of H&Ms CSR in action, as well as relevant reports and downloads.
