What is a CSR report?
A Corporate Social Responsibility report details a businesses efforts and impact on areas such as sustainability, people and communities. It’s published for the benefit of internal and external stakeholders, providing transparency on how ethically a business currently operates and informing them of commitments for the future.
Within the fashion and retail industry, a good CSR support will also present information on practices throughout the supply chain. This is especially important as partners are often located in other countries, meaning the human impact of the brand's decisions spread way beyond their own employees and borders.
How can a CSR report help?
Striving to make the world a better place should be at the core of a company’s values, yet many can still do more for the environment and society. The Fashion Revolution’s 2023 Fashion Transparency Index reported slow progress among 250 of the world's largest brands and retailers. It highlights concerning areas such as wages within the supply chain and climate pledges but also acknowledges the highest scores ever achieved for transparency.
As well as shouting about all the good you currently do, creating a CSR report is an opportunity to look inward, find areas for improvement and make clear commitments to tackle these.
We get it, nobody is perfect! But, being open and honest about your plans to improve is just as important as celebrating your success. The growing trend of customers and clients who prefer to spend with brands that have a reputation for purpose over profit shows that CSR reporting can boost your image and reputation.
Making yourself accountable with a CSR report affirms your commitments for a better future and if you don’t hold yourself accountable, your customers will! The ripple effect this can create across an entire industry is immeasurable, others will be inspired by your actions or compelled to compete! Never has the phrase ‘healthy competition’ been truer when the planet and people are the beneficiaries!
It’s no surprise that the value of CSR practices and reporting has been noticed and laws have been introduced to make reporting compulsory to keep companies accountable. The EU has recently announced broadened criteria for businesses required to publish CSR reports from 2024 as part of their Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.
So, why publish our CSR report now?
Pixelz is a global business with clients around the globe. Our offices and employees are spread across Europe, USA and Vietnam. Since the start, we’ve been making conscious decisions in the best interest of our employees and their well-being, cementing these into our ethos with a CSR policy along the way. As the business has grown, our responsibilities have spread across borders into new communities and, in a digital age, we’ve found new ways to make a positive impact through initiatives such as Ethical OutSourcing.
We exist to create more and better opportunities for our colleagues, customers, and community. We grow together.
Instead of reacting later to new legislation, we felt now was the time to take a good look in the mirror. Not just at the wins and how we can build on them but also to seek out ways we can do better for our people and the planet. Like we said, nobody’s perfect! But it’s important to us that we’re honest and transparent.
Creating our first CSR report has given us a clearer understanding of our operations and inspired us to push further. We’re dedicated to reducing our impact on the environment and supporting our community in the years to come, ensuring all areas of the business are aligned and working towards a better future.
Wherever you are on your journey, if you’re looking for a helping hand, our Guide to Sustainability is a great place to start. You can also join the community on Linkedin for further insights and conversations on similar topics - see you soon!