Consumers are increasingly demanding about the environmental impact of businesses. The State is multiplying laws and regulations to reduce the country's carbon footprint. In this context, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) approach is no longer a good voluntary action: it is essential. CSR certifications and labels allow prove your commitments to social and environmental issues. The result: financial savings, improved brand image, increased productivity at work, and many other benefits.
- Which CSR label should you choose for your company?
- What to prefer between label or CSR certification?
- How to sort through the multiple proposals, more or less reliable?
At Sami, we also asked ourselves these questions to choose our ideal label (spoiler alert).
Discover our advice + one selection of 7 recognized environmental labels!
1. CSR label or certification for your company: what are the benefits?
1.1 Back to basics: what are corporate social responsibility labels about?
CSR is Corporate Social Responsibility. It is a company's strategy to take into account its environmental, social and economic impacts in every decision. The objective? Think long term, think global, think climate!
CSR certifications and labels focus on the company's extra-financial balance sheet (environmental, social, etc.), but especially on the strategy to improve it.
How are carbon emissions measured? What measures can be taken to reduce them? How are strategic decisions taken to integrate sustainable development? These are all questions asked by these standards.
ISO 26,000 standard, a reference in the field, covers 7 areas of impact assessment:
- governance of the organization,
- human rights,
- relationships and working conditions,
- Environment and climate change,
- fair practices,
- respect for consumers,
- communities and local development.
But not all labels are the same, do not have the same field of action. This is why it is important to choose the right certification!
1.2 The benefits of CSR certifications for an SME
Climate issues are increasingly present in the public debate and in the minds of French people (and thankfully!). Consumers expect companies to make real commitments to reduce their carbon footprint... As do stakeholders: partners, investors, etc.
In this context, labelling your SME offers numerous benefits.
- Structuring the CSR policy. Thanks to the label's specifications and recommendations, you know how to measure your impacts and what relevant actions to put in place to reduce them. You are committed to a continuous improvement strategy.
- Valorization and credibility of the CSR approach among customers and stakeholders. A good label guarantees the quality and relevance of your commitments.
- Improvement of the brand image. Making it possible to facilitate access to financing, to win tenders or to have better media coverage for example.
Beyond the stamp attesting to your goodwill, you of course benefit from all the advantages of a CSR policy.
- Improvement of the productivity of employees, thanks to an improvement in their quality of life at work, a gain in meaning, a better sense of belonging to the company, etc.
- Better talent attraction and retention.
- Financial savings, by reasoning the consumption of energy, water, raw materials and other flows.
- Respect for the law! Yes, more and more regulations require SMEs to take into account their ESG (environmental, social, governance) impacts in their activities. A few examples? Environmental labelling And the CSRD.
2. How to recognize a reliable and recognized certification in corporate social responsibility?
Labelling promises a multitude of benefits... As long as you get there! But the path is not without pitfalls. First obstacle: the choice of the famous label.
Indeed, there is a multiplication of corporate social responsibility labels... With very variable reliability!
Here are our recommendations for choosing the right one.
2.1 Label, certification, charter, standard... What are the differences?
Which CSR label should you choose? But above all: is it really a label you are looking for? Let's do a quick vocabulary check.
- The label is an independent tool to prove your commitment. It is obtained when you meet all the required criteria. It then takes the form of a small visual that can be applied to your products and communication elements. The problem? This accreditation is not regulated by law. It can be issued by a private organization such as an association. Sometimes, companies create their own label to cause confusion: it's a Greenwashing practice.
- Certification is regulated by law, but not mandatory. Like the label, it proves your actions in terms of CSR. This recognition is the most reliable. It indicates a commitment that exceeds the law. For example, the ISO 9001 (quality) and ISO 14001 (energy performance) standards are relevant in terms of CSR and give rise to certification.
- The standard is a framework. It provides tools, recommendations and best practices to standardize CSR strategies. The reference? The ISO 26,000 standard, created in 2010. The latter does not lead to certification. You can claim to follow the framework... but without proof. A distinction is made between regulatory standards (and therefore mandatory) and voluntary standards (such as ISO 26000). The former provide a framework for properly applying the law.
- The charter is a document formalizing a company's commitments. Like a declaration of honor : the document is signed, without any verification by a third party. The charter can be provided by an external body or written by the company itself. In CSR, we find for example the Diversity Charter (fight against discrimination and for inclusiveness at work) or the Responsible Purchasing and Supplier Relations Charter.
You will have understood it: the ideal is to obtain a CSR certification, or a particularly reliable and recognized label. The standard will support you in your policy, while the charter will be a good communication tool.
2.2 Criteria for choosing a CSR label or certification
Faced with the multiplication of labels, which are more or less reliable, the CSR Platform has set up a working group. Result: a document with recommendations to improve the quality of CSR labels and 10 key principles.
You don't have control over these principles... On the other hand, you can target organizations that respect them! So, here are some criteria to check before choosing your CSR label.
- Ambition : the framework proposes actions that go further than regulations and allow for a real improvement in ESG impacts.
- Independence : awarding the label requires an audit by a third party — neither the company to be labelled, nor the organization that created the label.
- Follow-up over time : a second audit is carried out after certification, to verify the correct application of the strategy and ensure continuous improvement.
- Seniority and number of certified organizations: these criteria prove a certain reputation and recognition.
- Quality of the frame of reference : what standard is the audit based on? Is it a list of criteria specific to the label, or recognized by an external organization?
In addition, there are sectoral labels that are interesting depending on your activity. But also thematic labels, focused on a specific subject of CSR.
3. Which label should you choose for your CSR approach? TOP 7 to structure your environmental and social commitment
Since a table is worth more than 1,000 words, here is a summary of 7 reliable CSR labels.
3.1 The LUCIE and Engagé RSE labels, the reliability of AFNOR
Les LUCIE labels and Committed to CSR are particularly reliable and recommended. They have both been developed in partnership with AFNOR, a reference organization in France. Independence, regular monitoring, robust frame of reference... They tick all the criteria for a solid label!
3.2 The BCorp label, an international recognition
The BCorp label is international. A specificity: it asks the company to include a reason for being in its statutes! Initially intended for SMEs, it is particularly accessible. To get this environmental green light, you fill out a free questionnaire on the BCorp website. Is your score good enough? You can request an audit.
3.3 The PME+ label, a framework adapted to small businesses
The PME+ label is aimed at... French SMEs, as its name suggests. Supported by the FEEF (Fédération des Entreprises et Entrepreneurs de France), It also checks all the boxes for a reliable CSR stamp : external and regular audit, reference system inspired by the ISO 26000 standard, etc. On the agenda: 21 requirements adapted to SMEs.
3.4 The Ecovadis rating, a highly sought-after CSR grade
The Ecovadis rating does not award a label, but a CSR rating. The grade is based on 21 criteria concerning environmental, social, ethical and responsible purchasing. A collaborative platform allows each organization to share and monitor its CSR performance. This initiative has met with great renown., with more than 90,000 companies rated at the beginning of 2022.
3.5 Positive Company®, to engage stakeholders in CSR
Positive Company® is a European label, created in France. Its reason for being? Involve stakeholders in the company's CSR strategy. The particularity? To obtain it, you must ask your customers, suppliers and employees about the 5 audit categories (activity, governance, social, environmental footprint, local impact.). At the end of the day, a label with 3 levels.
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“Positive Company®: that's the label we chose at Sami! ”
First of all because we found it complete and transparent, but also because the environmental part (our favorite subject) seduced us: the audit is comprehensive and the proposed action plan concrete and ambitious. In its CSR approach, as in its low-carbon approach, it is very important that the initial state of affairs be as accurate and fair as possible, so that the resulting areas of improvement are relevant!
In addition, involving our customers and all Saminauts in the process seemed essential to us, so that the result was as faithful as possible to reality.
For us the verdict came at the end of 2021: two stars to hang on to our Sami ⭐⭐ jersey with an overall score of 63.37/100 (yes yes, it's accurate)... And a comprehensive action plan to get the third ⭐ during our next audit.
Then in APRIL 2023, when our audit was renewed, we joined the club of companies with the 3 stars ⭐⭐⭐ label. This last star, justified by our score of 70.33/100 and the inclusion of our raison d'être in our legal statutes, rewards the efforts of the entire team and we are very proud of it!
3.6 The Responsible Digital Label, to target digital pollution
The Responsible Digital Label (NR) applies sustainable development issues to digital technology. Accessible to any type of organization, it was built by the Institute for Responsible Digital Technology, in partnership with the Ministry of Ecological Transition, ADEME and WWF... A guarantee of quality! For greater accessibility, the label is divided into 2 levels.
You got it: obtaining a CSR label is a relevant strategic choice. TO the key: a better brand image, involved and happy employees, financial savings... And, above all, a commitment to ecological and social transition ! Different labels exist: turn to reliable references to appear credible in the eyes of your stakeholders. In mind: the LUCIE label and the AFNOR CSR Committed Label. The first step in your CSR approach? Measuring your carbon footprint!
Sources:
The sites of the labels and AFNOR
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