Carpe Antoine

Does CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) have a real impact outside of marketing ?
« For each product bought, a tree planted ». In 2011, the french firms Danone and Casino, as many others, answered the SOS Sahel association call to fight massive deforestation. This operation was an environmental success, and allowed more than one million trees to be planted in different areas. But it also was a marketing success, boosting the sales of the participitating firms. This is a perfect example of CSR. This concept of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model emerged in the 1960’s, and encompass different fields, such as environmental sustainability, ethical marketing practices or community involvement. If CSR looks at first like a good way of exiting the old « all profits » business model by mixing different considerations, it has also been very criticized, some consumers associations seeing it just as a new marketing plea to increase sales, without a slightest calling into question of the classic business model. It seems that, although CSR stays mainly used as a marketing pretext (I), it sometimes have a big impact outside of the firms main goals (II).

I – CSR mainly used as a marketing pretext

There is no social involvement without advertisement of it. This fact proves by itself that the improvement of the firms reputations is always targeted while taking CSR measures. Most of the companies first proceed to an estimation of the impact on sales, and will then launch their program only if it seems profitable. Sometimes, the firms involvement looks even like a total hypocrisy. The gas and petroleum companies who adverts on the environmental aspects of their operations, or the fast-food companies financing nutrition programs against child obesity, really looks like they want to distract the consumer from the ethical questions their