Industry & Business

Minister for Employment and Small Business Pat Breen announced the launch of a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) online Tool for SMEs on Wednesday. CSR refers to enterprises integrating social and environmental concerns into their mainstream business operations on a voluntary basis.

The online tool is designed to help SMEs understand more about CSR and provide further supports to adopt and implement responsible business practices. Completing the Tool will help SMEs recognize that many of the activities they already engage in represent CSR best practice, will inspire new ways of operating responsibly, and will help towards understanding the benefits of embedding CSR into their day-to-day business operations.   The Tool will also help confirm that the size of your company is not a factor in the ability of a business to make a positive impact in the world.

This collaborative project by the CSR Stakeholder Forum and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation is another step in raising awareness of CSR among the SME community.

“There is a perception that Corporate Social Responsibility is largely associated with big companies but it is as important for small and medium sized businesses,” Breen said at the launch. “The benefits of CSR to a company are significant, especially for attracting and retaining talent. There are many other worthwhile benefits for companies, from becoming an intrinsic part of the local community within which they operate to saving on energy costs. I’m delighted to launch the Corporate Social Responsibility online Tool for SMEs which will assist SMEs in understand more about CSR. I would encourage all SMEs to become involved in Corporate Social Responsibility”.  Embedding CSR into long-term business strategies can help towards ensuring that a business’s future is sustainable.”

The online tool can be accessed here.