Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a concept whereby organizations consider the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on customers, employees, shareholders, communities and the environment in all aspects of their operations.
In my opinion while satisfying the customers, a company must be friendly to environment for all living forms. Recycling bags etc. Because I know some companies in Turkey do not care about this important subject. In this case I want to give the example of C&A..
C&A has been providing Europe with quality clothing at reasonable prices for more than one hundred years. And my mother is working as merchandiser for 20 years. So I wanted to give this company as a good example because I know about them.
This company is really friendly to environment, lets see what they say..
A considerable time ago C&A has started to assume responsibility for the environment and people. Furthermore, C&A, with its 34,000 associates in 16 countries, has been committed to sustainable measures for the protection of the environment. Yes the most important point "they C&A re"..
The leading aspect of C&A´s environmental efforts focuses on the introduction of a certified Bio Cotton collection. After approximately 1,200 tons of processed Bio Cotton in the autumn of 2007, around 7,500 tons are due to follow in the year 2008. The latter amount corresponds to approx. 12.5 million items of clothing products, including jeans, t-shirts, underwear and baby clothes. With the increased demand for ecological cotton, which is cultivated without the use of artificial fertilisers or chemicals, C&A is encouraging sustainable agricultural production to shift to environmentally friendly cotton cultivation.
C&A’s new environmental strategy
Eco labelling: By redesigning the composition- and care labels of clothing in the coming year 2008, C&A will encourage its customers to wash the products at lower temperatures, i.e. 30° Celsius instead of 40° C, and thus contribute to saving energy in their own homes. Around 40% of energy can be saved just by reducing washing temperatures.
Concerning power green energy: Since October 2007, C&A is using environmentally friendly energy generated by hydropower. Approximately 380 stores accounting for around 50% of C&A-Europe´s total selling space (m²) are already powered by renewable energy; by 2010, the use of renewable energy is scheduled to have risen to an impressive 80% of C&A´s operating- and selling space in its stores across Europe. Also, since of October this year, the C&A headquarter in Duesseldorf as well as the majority of the C&A distribution centres throughout Europe have been using ´green´energy.
Eco store concept: In cooperation with Redevco Europe, C&A will establish an Eco store concept which focuses on state-of-the-art building- and shopping infrastructure in terms of future energy efficiency. C&A plans to open the first Eco store in Germany in the second half of the coming trading year 2008. The C&A- Eco Store Concept will result in significant energy savings of around 50% and will trigger carbon- neutrality for the total store.
Concerning transport packaging and recycling: C&A´s target is to reduce all packaging materials to a minimum, which is why clear and consistent guidelines for suppliers have been developed. In the year 2006, as many as 570 tons of plastic packaging and 6,600 tons of paperboard/ cardboard were recycled.
Concerning transport and logistics : In the field of transport and logistics and together with forwarding partners, C&A pursues the concept of an ecologically compatible truck fleet with minimum emissions based on state-of-the-art technologies. By 2010, almost all truck deliveries to C&A branches in Europe will comply with the environmentally friendly Euro 5 standard.
As you know a textile fabric normally harms environment but C&A is trying to minimize them. A company must care about all living forms before caring money..
¨C&A’s increasing commitment to environmental matters is a credible extension of the existing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities - part of an ongoing journey into the future¨, said Andreas G. Seitz
As a company in society, we are not only limited to fulfilling our customers’ expectations. The well-being of everyone involved in the business process matters a lot to us. We feel socially responsible for all of these people. C&A...
The second important point: For all C&A suppliers the C&A Code of Conduct is binding. It strictly states that child labour is unacceptable for C&A.
Already in December 2007 C&A obliged all of its global suppliers in written form not to use cotton fibre from Uzbekistan in the manufacturing of C&A products.
Furthermore, C&A has requested all suppliers worldwide to clearly state the origin for cotton fibre which is used within any C&A merchandise.
For a company the social responsibility must be caring human life, ofcourse all living forms and environment before earning money.
My responsibilities as a designer must be the same I think. I have to give the best for my customers while caring environment because as designers we use lots of papers to print some of our works. Some times a word can be printed wrong, and it is not true to throw that paper. I used to do it when I was in university I know this is not true but if i was working in a big company and every people do this, it was a big loss of paper. At least for sample prints we can use recycling papers..
