BIO

I am a sophomore studying finance & marketing with a minor in urban planning & regional development. I applied to UROP in order to get enriching, hands-on experience with research and gauge it as a potential path for me. A significant career goal of mine is to segway into marketing or product management, where I hope to merge my passions in sustainability, nutrition & wellness, and design with market research, business strategy, and the entire product development process.

Assessing the Social Side of Corporate Sustainability

Abstract

This study aims to identify current social sustainability metrics and understand the role they play in fostering corporate social responsibility (CSR). We examined consumer and stockholder demand for sustainable products and the net benefits of engaging in environmental and social sustainability practices. Next, we compiled social and environmental sustainability metrics and constructed a consumer-facing sustainability framework, entitled the Corporate Sustainability Indicator (CSI). We centered our framework around social and environmental sustainability in the agri-food industry and evaluated two chocolate companies, Alter-Eco and Tony’s Chocolonely. Then, we compared the results of the the CSI with the results of an existing framework, the Good Shopping Guide (GSG). Based off the data collected in the case study, we will assess the effectiveness of the CSI. Our results can be beneficial to corporations, small businesses, governmental agencies, shareholders, and consumers among other entities.

Keywords: corporate social sustainability assessment