Energy efficiency as part of corporate responsibility
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the responsibility of companies to act in a sustainable, socially and environmentally compatible manner. The implementation of CSR measures differs from company to company. However, all companies have one thing in common when it comes to successfully implementing CSR and fulfilling their responsibility: it is not possible without a clear reference to their own business activities. In order to improve the company's energy efficiency, strategic energy targets should be underpinned by appropriate CSR measures.
Framework for corporate social responsibility
There are several basic principles or guidelines for CSR, e.g. the OECD Guidelines or the international standard ISO 26000, as well as sustainability reports or CSR reports.
What is Corporate Social Responsibility?
Corporate Social Responsibility includes measures for resource conservation, climate and environmental protection, climate neutrality as well as a social and holistic company policy. If possible, the topics should always be considered along the entire value chain of products and corporate activities. Concrete corporate social responsibility examples of evidence provided in the CSR analysis include a company's carbon footprint or social impact assessments of upstream suppliers' resource extraction.
Personal initiative and legal requirements
In order to determine the CSR status of a company, due diligence or verification reports with detailed quality requirements are usually demanded. On the one hand, some companies fulfill CSR requirements out of self-motivation, e.g. for high-profile certification. On the other hand, the legal framework is becoming increasingly comprehensive. Also, more and more companies are being held accountable. In addition to CSR requirements of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive and the EU Taxonomy Regulation, the European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is one of the key documents. In particular, large companies and capital market-oriented SMEs are required to submit sustainability reports or CSR reports. The requirements of the EU Supply Chain Act adopted at EU level must be applied in national laws.
Providing evidence of CSR using IngSoft InterWatt
Our software IngSoft InterWatt offers you comprehensive support in meeting the necessary requirements. It significantly simplifies the creation of sustainability reports, enabling you to meet your legal obligations with relatively little effort. Benefit from the audit-proof data management. Combine this with individually designable reports that can also be updated regularly and automatically – the perfect basis for time-efficient reporting. Because once a report has been created, IngSoft InterWatt can provide the current status for verification compliance in the next reporting year without much effort on your part.
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IngSoft Interwatt offers a wide range of functions for corporate sustainability.
Questions on the topic of corporate social responsibility in companies
Corporate social responsibility as a concept can be applied to three central areas of responsibility, which are also called the three pillars of sustainability:
- Ecological sustainability focuses on environmental aspects and on the target-oriented use of resources. The generation of energy from renewable sources has gained massively in importance in this context in recent years. Corporate guidelines should be defined for environmentally compatible business activities. These include environmental protection, preservation of ecosystems, protection of human health and careful use of natural resources.
- Economic sustainability relates primarily to the responsible handling of finances. It ensures that a company can operate successfully in the long term and provide for its workforce. Acting in an economically sensible manner is essential for sustainable social commitment and corporate social responsibility.
- The top priority of CSR is social justice. Fair salary distribution, equal opportunities and the preservation of social systems – all this is part of the social responsibility. Other goals on the social level include a healthy work-life balance, combating discrimination of any kind, and promoting diversity within the company.
Our software IngSoft InterWatt supports you in all tasks related to "measurable sustainability", i.e. in the collection and optimisation of your energy, climate and environmental data.
In practice, the two terms are largely used synonymously. In theory, CSR as a concept is narrower than sustainability: the specific contribution that companies make to sustainable economic activity, i.e., to sustainability. There is currently no independent, generally applicable and recognized definition of corporate social responsibility.
Under the CSR Directive Implementation Act (CSR-RUG), the CSR reporting obligation currently applies to companies that employ more than 500 people and are capital market-oriented. This also affects insurance companies, banks and investment fund companies. The content of the CSR-RUG has been tightened and will be realised in future in the form of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
Sustainability reporting in accordance with CSRD is subject to an audit requirement by an accredited external auditor. If a company does not sufficiently comply with its reporting obligation in the future, it may be liable to fines and sanctions,
