Why was a plastic product company at a beach cleanup and what are the implications for corporate social responsibility? INTEX? Recreation Corp. distributes quality plastic products--air mattresses, above ground pools, and more. You might not think a plastic goods company would spend a Saturday morning taking part in any eco-friendly endeavor. And yet there we were, Sept. 21, at the Belmont Shore for California Coastal Cleanup Day. Our 30 volunteers sported the very cool T-shirt one of our artists designed for the occasion. What we’ve already been doing Corporate conservation often starts with baby steps. For years prior to the beach cleanup, we had included waste reduction in our operations: ·????????Buyback from retailers of store-worn and warehouse-damaged products—the weight equivalent of about 10.5 million mobile phones—otherwise headed to landfills ·????????Sale of raw materials from the above, to recyclers at a significant loss Why it’s good to engage like this We could go on about the altruistic reasons to do these things—saving the planet, wanting to pitch in and do our part, etc.—and all would be sincere. But here’s one major reason sustainability makes sense in a corporate context: consumers like it. ·????????A Harvard Business Review study found that Gen Z and Millennial customers are 27% more likely to purchase from a brand that cares about its impact on people and the planet than older generations are ·????????A five-year study by McKinsey & Company, a consumer packaged goods (CPG) consulting firm, determined that products that make environmental, social, and governance-related (ESG) claims achieved faster growth. Moreover, it revealed a trend toward broader interest in environmentally and socially responsible products across demographics. How we got involved The idea started with an employee and caught fire. He saw an opportunity to do more for the environment and set an example. Cleanup organizers planned to debut a new “Jellyfishbot”—a remotely operated device that cleans ocean debris by dragging multiple nets through the water. Our employee got INTEX? to sponsor an upcoming art/robot-naming contest for local kids. In return, we could feature our own conservation story at a display tent—which also gave us a stage to attract new social media subscribers. Voila! An eco-friendly partnership that can bolster our 50+ year relationship with the Long Beach community. Your story Of course, every company must weigh its own realities against any sustainability program. As you consider the possibilities, here’s some guidance from your fellow corporate citizens at INTEX?: ·????????Tap into your people: employees are also consumers and recyclers with creative ideas ·????????Create enduring programs that can grow with your company ·????????Don’t be afraid to build self-promotion into your efforts—for all its negative perceptions, capitalism also has the power to work wonders for the common good.
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