7 Ways to Be a Socially Responsible Startup

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is about running a business in a responsible, professional, and sustainable manner. It is about developing and maintaining good relationships with everyone you deal with. This includes employees, customers, suppliers, investors, funders, and the community and environment in which you operate. 

When you run a startup there several ways to take proactive stance on environmental and social issues. Here are 7 of them:

2. Use only recyclable materials for your packaging

3. Donate a percentage of your sales to conservation efforts and/or social issues 

4. Protect your users’ privacy

5. Reduce your company’s carbon footprint

6. Engage in ethical labor practices

7. Volunteer your company’s time for local causes and community events 

Your company can be responsible for society however, that does not necessarily mean that you are not responsible for profit as well. Alex Edmans in his TEDx Talk video about the social responsibility of business states that, even though financial rewards were not the motive for acting ethically, they typically manifest anyway. Caring about society and the environment is not at the expense of profit, it supports profit.