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The CSR manager is a key player in the company, responsible for promoting corporate responsibility towards society and the environment. What is their role? What are their missions? How do you become a CSR manager? Here’s what you need to know!
What is corporate social responsibility (CSR)?
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an approach to integrating social, environmental and economic concerns into a company’s business activities. CSR takes into account the expectations of stakeholders such as customers, employees, suppliers, associations, investors, local communities and public institutions.
It therefore concerns all aspects of the company and its subsidiaries, whatever their size, legal form or sector of activity, and is based on the voluntary commitment of companies to improve their overall sustainable development performance and promote corporate social responsibility.
This commitment may take the form of a corporate social responsibility policy, an ethics charter or a code of conduct.
Companies that commit to a CSR approach seek to increase their responsibility towards their stakeholders and to respond to sustainable development issues such as environmental protection, workplace safety, professional equality, the fight against corruption or the social concerns of employees.
CSR also implies the implementation of concrete actions to improve a company’s economic, social and environmental performance. These actions can be linked to risk management, the implementation of eco-responsible practices such as eco-design, recycling, responsible purchasing and the protection of the environment as a whole.
To integrate CSR concerns into their activities, companies can refer to various reference frameworks, such as the ISO 26000 international standards and their seven central themes:
- Organizational governance ;
- Human rights ;
- Labor relations and working conditions
- Environment ;
- Fair practices;
- Consumer issues;
- Communities and local development.
They can also engage in dialogue with stakeholders to understand their expectations and assess their responsibility.
Finally, CSR is an approach to sustainable development within the company that engages its social responsibility. Through the intermediary of a CSR manager, companies are called upon to promote global responsibility in terms of sustainable development and to implement social responsibility initiatives.
What is the role of a CSR manager?
The CSR manager is a professional who helps companies understand their social and environmental impact. He or she encourages companies to integrate social and environmental concerns into their activities in order to promote sustainable and responsible practices.
The role of the CSR manager is to implement a policy of social and environmental responsibility within the company. He or she plays a key role in assessing the company’s overall social, environmental and economic responsibility and performance. This includes implementing measures to reduce the company’s environmental impact, promoting responsible business ethics and helping companies take concrete steps to improve their economic and social performance.
What are the missions of a CSR manager?
The CSR manager is also responsible for the company’s environmental management. He/she is responsible for setting up an environmental management system, standards and certifications to offer guarantees to partners and customers. They are also responsible for carrying out audits to measure the company’s environmental impact and establish a CSR diagnosis. These tools and awareness-raising actions enable the company to adopt a continuous improvement approach and meet its responsibility challenges.
The CSR report is a key tool for measuring and communicating the company’s CSR performance. This sustainability report can include information on the company’s economic, social and environmental performance, its achievements and its sustainability challenges.
What skills does a CSR manager need?
The CSR manager must be an experienced project manager with significant professional experience in environmental engineering and management. He or she may specialize in environment-related fields such as environmental protection, eco-design or resource management.
The CSR manager must have the technical and interpersonal skills required to successfully carry out his or her mission.
He or she must be capable of managing a project, drawing up an action plan, ensuring the company’s certification to ISO sustainable development standards, and carrying out internal and external audits.
He or she is the guarantor of quality and safety in the workplace, managing risks and taking corrective action where necessary. The CSR manager must also have a good knowledge of environmental and societal issues, as well as regulations and standards in this field.
They must be able to propose innovative solutions to constantly improve their company’s environmental performance and win the loyalty of key accounts and service providers. They must also be able to manage different departments, lead teams and work closely with general management.
The CSR manager must be able to make proposals, keep abreast of regulations and monitor performance indicators. He or she must also develop the company’s sustainable development policy and ensure that its actions are consistent with the challenges of sustainable development.
In addition, the CSR manager must be able to federate the various departments, lead operational projects and ensure compliance with regulatory standards and guidelines in force. He or she is a key player in the company’s sustainable development policy, and an essential lever for protecting the environment and meeting societal challenges.
How to become a CSR manager?
Training levels range from baccalauréat to licence professionnelle, from BTS to business school, and even engineering degrees.
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