Corporate social responsibility examples: 25 real CSR programs and how to start one
Real programs from real companies, checked on their own sites. Plus the pros and cons, and a plan to start your own.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a company's commitment to run its business in ways that help people, communities and the planet, beyond what the law requires. It covers how a company treats the environment, its workers and suppliers, and the causes it gives to. Below are 25 corporate social responsibility examples from real companies, corporate philanthropy examples by type, the honest pros and cons, 20 CSR initiatives a team can start this quarter and six steps to build a program.
The four types of corporate social responsibility
Most CSR programs fit one of four types. Every company can do some of each; size changes the scale, not the idea.
Environmental
Reducing the harm the business does to the planet.
- Small company
- Switch to a renewable energy tariff, cut single-use items and recycle old electronics properly.
- Large company
- Set emissions targets, redesign products for repair and reuse, and report progress every year.
Ethical
Treating employees, customers and suppliers fairly.
- Small company
- Pay fairly, write down a code of conduct and choose suppliers who treat their workers well.
- Large company
- Audit the supply chain, protect people who report problems and disclose how the company is governed.
Philanthropic
Giving money, products and time to good causes.
- Small company
- Give a set share of profit to local causes, match employee donations and donate what you make.
- Large company
- Run a foundation with grant programs, donate products at scale and fund causes for decades.
Economic
Making business decisions that also build up people and communities.
- Small company
- Hire locally, buy from local suppliers and offer paid internships.
- Large company
- Fund skills training and education, and invest in the communities where the company works.
25 real corporate social responsibility examples
Socially responsible companies and the CSR programs they run, grouped by type. Each program is described as the company itself describes it, on its own site or in its latest impact report, as of October 2026. Numbers are the company's own.
Environmental CSR examples (6)
Cutting emissions, waste and materials, with dated targets.
- Apple: Apple 2030. A goal to be carbon neutral across its whole footprint by 2030, including its suppliers and the use of its products, by cutting emissions 75% from 2015 levels and balancing the rest.Why it works: It counts the supply chain, where most of a hardware company's emissions sit.
- IKEA: Buy Back & Resell. IKEA Family members can sell used, assembled IKEA furniture back to participating stores for store credit, and IKEA resells it in the As-Is section.Why it works: It keeps furniture in use and brings the customer back to the store.
- Interface: Carbon negative carpet tiles. The flooring maker introduced what it calls the first carbon negative carpet tile in 2020, using recycled, bio-based and captured-carbon materials, and aims to be a carbon negative company by 2040.Why it works: It changes the product itself instead of offsetting it.
- Amazon: The Climate Pledge. Amazon co-founded The Climate Pledge in 2019 and was its first signatory. Companies that sign commit to net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.Why it works: It turned one company's target into a public commitment hundreds of others joined.
- Hilton: Travel with Purpose. Hilton's 2030 impact goals, set in 2018. Its site reports the hotel waste goal was reached in 2023, and that switching to full-size bath amenities cut nearly 3.7 million pounds of single-use plastic in the first year.Why it works: Small changes repeated across thousands of hotels add up fast.
- Nike: Science-based emissions targets. Targets to cut emissions from its own facilities by 75% and from its supply chain by 35% by 2030, against fiscal 2020. Nike reports its own operations now run on 100% renewable electricity.Why it works: Separate targets for its own sites and its suppliers keep both visible.
Philanthropic CSR examples (10)
Giving money, products and time, usually for many years at a stretch.
- Salesforce: The 1-1-1 model. Since its founding, Salesforce has committed 1% of its equity, 1% of its product and 1% of its time to giving. Its site reports more than $970 million given and more than 10.8 million volunteer hours.Why it works: Setting the rule at founding made giving part of the company, not a later add-on.
- Target: 5% of profit to communities. Target says it has given 5% of its profit to communities since 1946, in products, cash and Target Foundation grants, measured against an average of its prior three years of pre-tax profit.Why it works: A fixed percentage survives changes in leadership and budget cycles.
- The LEGO Group: The LEGO Foundation. The LEGO Foundation owns 25% of the LEGO Group and works with partners around the world to give children better access to education, creativity and play.Why it works: Ownership ties the giving to the company's success for good.
- Merck: Mectizan Donation Program. Since 1987, Merck has donated its medicine Mectizan to treat river blindness, later adding lymphatic filariasis. Merck reports more than 5 billion treatments donated to 62 countries.Why it works: It gives what only this company can give, for as long as it's needed.
- Johnson & Johnson: VERMOX donations. J&J donates its deworming medicine VERMOX for children in countries where intestinal worms are common: more than 2 billion doses since 2006, with plans to continue through 2030.Why it works: A product donation planned decades ahead lets health programs depend on it.
- Lush: Charity Pot. The full price of every Charity Pot lotion, minus sales tax, goes to small grassroots groups working on animal protection, human rights and the environment.Why it works: Customers see exactly where their money goes, on the label.
- Warby Parker: Buy a Pair, Give a Pair. For every pair of glasses or sunglasses sold, Warby Parker distributes a pair to someone in need. Its 2025 impact report counts more than 25 million pairs distributed.Why it works: The giving grows automatically with sales.
- TOMS: Giving a portion of profits. TOMS gives a portion of its profits to support children's education, health and well-being through cash grants, product donations and partnerships, an approach that grew out of its original One for One model.Why it works: It shows a company changing its giving model when a better way to help appears.
- Google: Google.org grants and Fellowship. Google.org funds nonprofits with grants, and through its Fellowship, Google employees spend up to six months giving pro bono expertise to nonprofits and civic groups.Why it works: Engineers' time can be worth more to a nonprofit than the same value in cash.
- Deloitte: Impact Day. Deloitte's annual day of service in the US. For Impact Day 2026, it offered its people more than 1,200 in-person and virtual projects in more than 100 cities.Why it works: One shared day makes volunteering visible across a huge firm.
Ethical CSR examples (3)
How a company treats the people in its supply chain and the people who need its products.
- Hershey: Cocoa For Good. A 12-year, $500 million investment in cocoa-growing communities, aimed at farmer incomes, children's well-being and protecting the land where cocoa grows.Why it works: It works on the hardest part of the business: the start of the supply chain.
- Marriott International: Serve 360. Marriott's sustainability and social impact platform, with four pillars: communities, sustainable operations, careers and an inclusive workplace, and human rights, including work against human trafficking.Why it works: It treats human rights as part of running hotels, not a separate charity.
- Novo Nordisk: Changing Diabetes in Children. With partners including Roche and the World Diabetes Foundation, it brings type 1 diabetes care to children in low- and middle-income countries. Novo Nordisk reports reaching almost 82,000 children since 2009.Why it works: It pairs medicine with clinics and training, so care continues.
Economic CSR examples (6)
Community involvement examples: education, skills and jobs that build up the people a company hires and serves.
- Starbucks: College Achievement Plan. Eligible US employees can earn a first bachelor's degree online from Arizona State University with 100% tuition coverage. Starbucks reports nearly 20,000 graduates.Why it works: It invests in employees directly, and people stay to finish their degree.
- Cisco: Networking Academy. Free online courses in networking, cybersecurity, programming and data, running since 1997. Cisco reports more than 28 million learners in 195 countries.Why it works: It trains the people who will one day run its customers' networks.
- Verizon: Verizon Innovative Learning. Since 2012, it has given students free devices and internet access, trained teachers to use technology and provided free learning resources, with a goal of digital skills training for 10 million young people by 2030.Why it works: It uses what Verizon sells, connectivity, to close a real gap.
- Accenture: Learning to Earning. For more than a decade, Accenture has worked with nonprofit partners to help people from underserved communities find jobs or start businesses.Why it works: It measures success in jobs, not just training hours.
- Mastercard: Center for Inclusive Growth. Research, programs and partnerships on financial health, small businesses and technology for good.Why it works: It turns the company's data and payments know-how into public research.
- The Home Depot Foundation: Path to Pro and veteran housing. The foundation trains people for skilled trades careers through Path to Pro and funds housing for US veterans, with a pledge of $750 million to veteran causes by 2030.Why it works: Both draw on what the company knows best: building and repair.
Notice the pattern: the programs that last use what the company already does well. That is also the test for whether a program fits your core values.
Corporate philanthropy examples, by type
Corporate philanthropy is the giving side of CSR: money, products and time a company donates. These are the main ways companies give, and how each one works.
- Matching gifts. The company matches what employees give to eligible charities, often dollar for dollar up to a yearly cap per person.
- Volunteer time off. Paid hours or days each employee can spend volunteering during work time, on top of vacation. Example: Deloitte's Impact Day.
- Volunteer grants. The company donates to a charity after an employee has volunteered a set number of hours there. Sometimes called dollars for doers.
- Grants. Cash gifts from the company or its foundation to nonprofits, usually through applications tied to a focus area. Example: Google.org and the Target Foundation.
- In-kind giving. Donating products, equipment, space or services instead of cash. It works best when the gift is something the company makes well. Example: Merck's Mectizan and Warby Parker's glasses.
- Pro bono work. Employees use their professional skills, like legal, design, data or marketing work, for a nonprofit at no charge. Example: the Google.org Fellowship.
- Payroll giving. Employees give a small amount from each paycheck to charities they choose, often with a company match on top.
- Profit and equity pledges. The company commits a fixed share of profit, equity or product to giving, written into policy so it survives budget cycles. Example: Salesforce's 1-1-1 model and Target's 5%.
For volunteering ideas your team can do from home, see our virtual volunteer opportunities, and for in-person giving events, our charity team building ideas.
Pros and cons of corporate social responsibility
CSR is worth doing, but not free and not automatic. Here is the honest version.
The pros of corporate social responsibility
- It helps you hire and keep people. Candidates ask about it in interviews, and people who are proud of where they work tend to stay.
- Customers and partners trust you more. Large clients often ask suppliers about environmental and labor practices in their vendor questionnaires.
- Some of it saves money. Using less energy, packaging and waste lowers bills as well as emissions.
- It surfaces risks early. Looking hard at suppliers and working conditions finds problems before they become headlines.
- It brings teams together. Volunteering and team projects connect people across departments who rarely work together.
- It does real good when it lasts. A cause supported for ten years changes more than ten one-off donations.
The drawbacks
- It costs money and time. Smaller companies feel every volunteer day and every donated dollar.
- Results are hard to measure. Inputs are easy to count; real outcomes can take years and depend on partners.
- Greenwashing backfires. Claims bigger than the actions behind them damage trust, and advertising rules on environmental claims apply.
- It can feel like PR. Employees notice when a program exists for the press release rather than the cause.
- Causes can divide people. Picking a charity or a stance some staff disagree with can create friction. Broad, local causes are safer.
- Public promises are hard to walk back. A missed target or a scaled-back goal is visible to everyone who saw the original pledge.
20 CSR initiatives a team can start this quarter
Corporate social responsibility initiatives sized small, medium and big, so you can start where your budget is.
Small: start this month (7)
CSR activities with little or no budget. One person can organize these.
- An electronics recycling drive. Collect old phones, cables and laptops for a certified e-waste recycler.
- A one-month team donation match. The company matches what the team gives to one chosen charity, up to a set cap.
- Care packages for a local shelter. Ask the shelter what it needs, then pack the boxes together at lunch.
- Reusable kitchenware in the office. Swap disposable cups and cutlery for real ones and a dishwasher rota.
- A seasonal coat or school-supply drive. Pick the season's real need, set a two-week window and deliver together.
- A one-page supplier code of conduct. Write down what you expect from suppliers on pay, safety and the environment.
- An hour a month of student mentoring. Partner with a local school or a mentoring nonprofit for short sessions.
Medium: run it this quarter (7)
Some budget and a named owner.
- One paid volunteer day per person. Add it to your leave policy and let people pick the cause.
- A standing matching gift program. Match employee donations year-round, with a yearly cap per person.
- An energy and waste baseline. Measure what the office uses and throws away now, so next year has something to beat.
- A pro bono day for one nonprofit. A small team spends a day on one real project: a website fix, a budget model, a campaign plan.
- A sustainability workshop for the team. An hour on composting, upcycling or cutting waste at home, so the habits travel.
- Local and diverse suppliers for catering and swag. Move the everyday spend first; it's the easiest money to redirect.
- Sponsor a local youth program. A team, a club or a summer program near your office, for the whole season.
Big: commit for the year (6)
Leadership sign-off, a budget line and a public report.
- Pledge a fixed share of profit to charity. Pick a percentage, write it into policy and report it every year.
- An emissions target with yearly reporting. Measure your footprint, set a dated target and publish the progress.
- A paid internship or apprenticeship program. Open entry-level paths to people who wouldn't otherwise get a first job.
- Repair or take back one product line. Offer repairs or buy old items back so fewer end up in landfill.
- A community grant fund employees vote on. Set aside a pot each year; teams nominate local nonprofits and everyone votes.
- A year-round sustainability program. One hosted workshop a quarter, so impact work isn't only an Earth Day event.
Planning around a date? Our Earth Day team building activities and the guide to composting in the workplace cover the environmental side.
How to start a CSR program in 6 steps
A program a small company can run, which scales as you grow.
- Start from what your business does. The strongest programs use what the company already has: its products, its skills or its supply chain. A software firm can give tools and pro bono time; a food company can tackle waste.
- Ask employees what they care about. A short survey with a few causes to rank shows where people will actually turn up. Keep the options broad and non-political.
- Pick one or two focus areas and a budget. Set money and time separately: a giving budget, plus volunteer hours per person. Fewer causes, done well, beat a long list.
- Choose the formats. Matching gifts, volunteer time off, team events, in-kind giving or pro bono work. Mix one ongoing format with a few moments the whole company shares.
- Name an owner and put it on the calendar. One person owns the program, with an executive sponsor. Plan the year by quarter so it doesn't stall after launch.
- Measure honestly and report it. Publish what you did, what it achieved and what you'll change. Small and true beats big and vague.
How to measure it, without borrowed benchmarks
- Inputs. Dollars given, volunteer hours and the share of employees who took part.
- Outputs. Items donated, nonprofits supported, projects delivered, waste or energy saved.
- Outcomes. What changed for the people or places you helped, from your partners' own reports.
- Employee feedback. A short pulse survey after each event: did it matter, and would they do it again?
- Your own trend. Compare this year with last year. Someone else's average tells you little about your program.
A one-page CSR plan
Fill in the blanks with your team, or copy it into a doc.
| Focus area | The one or two causes we commit to |
|---|---|
| Why it fits us | How it connects to what our business does |
| Money | Giving budget for the year |
| Time | Volunteer hours per person, and how they're booked |
| Formats | Matching gifts, volunteer time off, team events, in-kind, pro bono |
| Owner | Program owner and executive sponsor |
| Calendar | One moment per quarter: Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 |
| Measures | Inputs, outputs and outcomes we'll track |
| Reporting | Where and when we share results |
Run it with a host: team-level impact
Company programs set the direction; teams make it real. A hosted workshop gives every employee one practical habit, on a video call. For a full year of it, see our annual sustainability program or browse the sustainability collection.
- Composting covers why composting matters, what can go in and how to start at home, with a tabletop compost bin and seeds in every kit.
- Upcycling 101 is a hands-on session on turning everyday items that would end up in the trash into something useful.
- Small Actions, Big Impact breaks down sustainability myths and shows realistic climate actions anyone can take.
- Each runs about an hour on Zoom by default, or Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request. Book Upcycling 101 and Small Actions, Big Impact about 2 weeks ahead, and Composting 3 weeks ahead so kits arrive. Teams split across time zones can have a session run twice.
Three sustainability workshops, with today's price.
Send your date and headcount and get a free quote. We reply within 24 hours. Want to know what your team cares about first? Our multiple choice survey questions make a quick cause survey easy.
