According to a fairly high cross section of consumers, a company’s implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) “goes beyond compliance, while engaging in actions that appear to further some social good, away from the interests of the company or that which is mandatory.”The aim”, they claim, “is to increase long-term profits and stakeholders’ trust through cheery public relations and high ethics.
Political sociologists, on the other hand had measured CSR in the context of globalization, neoliberalism and outmoded capitalism. Some also viewed CSR as a type of capitalistic left over, while hastening to add that what originally started as social movement against uninhibited corporate power was transformed by businesses into a ‘business model’ and a risk management device ‘,mostly producing questionable results.
However, right thinking business personalities such as those who run globally recognized Richie Bags (manufacturer and exporter of eco-friendly Jute handbags world over) consider CSR is titled to aid a business’s mission as also serve as a guide to what the business represents for its consumers. Nevertheless, with Richie Bags, it has surpassed all.
To begin with, the company has tied up with several educational institutions located in rural areas, while assuming the responsibility of financing their students leveling up to Class V, as a means of providing basic education for backward classes of the society. This philanthropic move on behalf of the company has nothing to do with profit motivation or other gainful activities, save and except projecting its mission to do something good for the people.
Appalled at the miserable economic condition of helpless needy women living below the poverty line and located at difficult to reach localities, the company has donated Sewing Machines to them so that they could earn their living in an honest and honorable away. Over and above, Richie Bags looks after the healthcare requirements of several families that are economically weak and so unable to take care of this essential service on their own. Mind you, these people are not even remotely related to Richie Bags in any way whatsoever.
Appreciating the contributions committed by Earth Week, a UVA tradition that helps us to understand the importance of eco friendly environment, green living workshops, reconnecting with nature and the cosmos, Richie Bags have gifted abundant quantity of Jute and Cotton bags to quite a few schools in Kolkata so that they can observe Earth Week appropriately on one hand, while creating awareness about catastrophic use of plastic bags.
The production process as followed by Richie Bags is one hundred percent eco-friendly, while the employees are always induced to wear safety gear while working with machines. For the safety of the employees, devices such as Emergency Eye Wash Station in the printing area have long been installed. Since there are both male and female workers working in the industrial unit, separate washroom facilities have been provided for both.
While most of the employees are provided with Mediclaim benefits, they are covered under the government run Employees State Insurance Corporation where their health is appropriately insured. The company contribute regularly to Employees Provident Fund and as a result, employees are assured of a getting a lump sum money at retirement.
Synopsis:
In short, steps taken by Richie Bags in terms of maintaining a healthy attitude towards implementation of Corporate social responsibility is unique. Nevertheless, if the standard set by Richie Bags is followed by other industries in the country, India will, in not too distant future, lead the way towards 100% implementation of CSR. We take care of environment, for this we have installed Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP).We also sell to some NGOs at discounted price to help them raise funds.
