How gifting can support your corporate social responsibility initiatives when done right

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the idea that business operations should prioritize people and the planet in addition to profits. CSR has become increasingly important as consumers hold brands to higher standards, and employees expect more from their employers. 

Common initiatives companies engage in to be more socially responsible include:

 
• Minimizing environmental impact by reducing harmful practices and using sustainable resources
 
• Offsetting environmental impact by planting trees and funding research
 
• Increasing their minimum wages 
 
• Ethically sourcing materials based on free trade standards
 
• Donating, volunteering, and starting charitable organizations

As leadership and CSR teams lead their companies to take action to be better, they should evaluate where improvements can be made across their organization. When it comes to making your gifting and incentive programs more sustainable, that’s where Loop & Tie comes in. 

Providing incentives and gifts in a socially responsible way

Our CEO & Founder was motivated to start Loop & Tie to help fill a gap in the corporate world: a sustainable gifting solution.

As the first and only carbon regenerative gifting platform, you could say that social responsibility has been at the heart of what we’ve done from day one. With our focus on environmental, economic, and social impact, here’s how we can help you provide incentives and gifts in a socially responsible way.

Environmental impact

Reducing waste in landfills

In corporate gifting, a lot of waste is generated as items and packaging end up in landfills. In fact, 40% of gifts are unwanted and usually end up in the trash. Plus, 146 million metric tons of plastic are used in delivering gifts and packages each year.

When you partner with a gift-of-choice platform like Loop & Tie, you allow recipients to opt-in to receive a gift. Whether you’re sending a collection of marketplace gifts or your own branded swag, recipients have a role in the gift-giving process, creating a better brand moment for you and less waste for the world. After all, how many people throw things away they actually want or need?

Plus, our packaging is all recyclable or biodegradable. We’re excited to evolve our shipping practices by introducing Boox reusable boxes to our operations as another way to reduce our environmental impact. 

Carbon regeneration

As the first and only carbon regenerative gifting platform, we invest in regenerative agriculture programs to help give back more than we take from the earth. For each gift shipped, we plant a tree. To date, we’ve planted more than 433,350 trees. When you send a gift through Loop & Tie, you are helping replenish valuable resources. 

Economic impact

It’s easy to source gift ideas from large online retailers that guarantee same-day or one-day delivery, but is that the type of organization you want to elevate, especially in times of economic uncertainty?

While convenient, we find it’s more valuable to support small business makers and creators. Small businesses are vital to our economy as they employ nearly 62 million Americans each year. Additionally, research shows that small businesses are more likely to be involved and give back to their communities.

Our marketplace connects these independent creators, makers, and artisans – often founded by individuals from historically marginalized communities – with your gifting programs. Sending our gift collections allows you to support the growth of locally-owned businesses and introduces recipients to new brands they may not have been familiar with. Amplifying products and stories from independent makers are important to building economic sustainability.

Rather than create another drop in a bucket, create a wave in a pond. That’s what gifting through Loop & Tie does for the small businesses we partner with.

Social impact

As part of our gift-of-choice technology, recipients can choose to gift-it-forward to a cause they’re passionate about. With our Essentials subscription, you can create custom collections with nonprofits that align with your company’s values, which is a great way to show your audiences that you mean business when it comes to bettering the world.

It’s clear that gift recipients value the change nonprofit organizations generate locally, nationally, and globally. To date, over $2 million has been donated to many causes, including environmental clean-up, disaster recovery, health research and support, and law reform. 

Communicating your corporate social responsibility initiatives

A key component of prioritizing corporate social responsibility is communicating the steps you're taking to be better. This is where many companies get into trouble – from being defensive or lying to their internal and external audiences about their progress. When communicating your CSR plans, here are 5 tips to keep in mind:

1. Don’t be defensive

If you’re receiving criticism or challenging questions about the impact your business practices have made, it can be easy to become defensive. While this is a natural reaction, it’s important to focus on being proactive and acknowledging the steps you’re taking to be better. Consumers are more likely to grant grace to brands who own up to their actions, which will benefit your bottom line.

2. Connect your initiatives back to your core values

Your core values link your brand to your employees and customers. Everything you do should connect to these values, including your CSR initiatives. As you evaluate the programs you undertake, consider how they relate to your core values and stakeholders.

3. Use data to support the story you’re telling

People want to see companies be more socially responsible, and a key part of proving you’re making a difference is sharing data that supports your claims. For example, if one of your CSR initiatives involves donating and volunteering time with environmental organizations, share how much you donate, how many team members volunteered, and the total volunteer hours your team racked up.

4. Use different channels to reach your audiences

If you want to make sure your communication about your CSR initiatives is reaching your audiences, you should use multiple communication channels to reach them. Depending on age, location, and preferences, people engage with media differently, so it’s important to adapt to where they are. Your communication plan could include social media pushes, press releases, emails, and website pages.

5. Customize your message to your different key audiences

Corporate social responsibility is something that customers, employees, investors, and community members care about. Craft your messaging to speak to each of these audiences in a way that will keep them engaged with your brand.

When done right, your gifting and incentive programs can support your CSR initiatives. From reducing environmental impact, supporting economic sustainability, and encouraging change through our gift-it-forward capabilities, when you partner with Loop & Tie, you’ll know you’re making a difference. When you’re ready, sign up for free or set up a time to talk with our team of gifting experts.