Fundamental Concepts of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability

Social value is created when resources, inputs, processes, or policies are combined to generate improvements in the lives of individuals or society as a whole. It is crucial for any organization to be able to demonstrate the value it creates by its very existence. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has never been more important. Citizens nowadays demand a responsible business behavior from all kinds of organizations, corporations, and their leaders who have become aware of the crucial role of social responsibility in seeking performance excellence and sustainable growth. This chapter introduces the concept of CSR and explains its importance providing the historical background that made it synonymous to sustainability. The benefits resulting from CSR are briefly presented while the main recent developments in the area of CSR and sustainability are analyzed. Particularly, emphasis is given on the 2030 Agenda, the European Directive (2014/95/EU) on non-financial reporting, and the recent trends for socially responsible investments.