CSR is not a side hustle. It is your business model wearing a conscience

Illustration: TBS

"Let's do some CSR this quarter. Maybe donate blankets. Or plant trees."

Does this sound familiar? It's the corporate version of 'Let's hit the gym next week' — a well-intended but rarely transformational plan. But what if I told you that CSR has the power to transform your business, just like a consistent gym routine can transform your health? This is not just a possibility but a reality waiting to be embraced.

CSR  (Corporate Social Responsibility) is often misunderstood as a list of standalone activities designed to make a company look good. But CSR is not a charitable afterthought. It's a conscious business model, a culture, and a set of principles that define how an organisation operates, not just what it gives away.

In many boardrooms, CSR is treated like dessert: optional, sweet-looking, and served after the main course. But here is the truth — CSR is not dessert. It's the flour in your cake, the yeast in your bread, the rice in your biryani. Without it, the whole thing collapses.

CSR is not about cutting a ribbon at an orphanage, colouring an old home or funding one-off plantation drives. It's not a department. It's a philosophy, a strategy, and, most importantly, a long-term business enabler. Done right, it aligns your company's operations with the well-being of the communities it serves and the planet it depends on. Let's unpack that.

Patagonia is the poster child of purpose

When it comes to CSR, deeply embedded in business, Patagonia, an outdoor clothing company and closest competitor to The North Face, is perhaps the world's most respected name.

Patagonia doesn't just 'do CSR' — it is CSR. From how it sources materials (organic cotton, recycled polyester) to its activism (legal battles to protect public lands), Patagonia has aligned its mission with planetary protection.

Patagonia's mission is to run an environmentally and ethically sound business; no matter its impact on its bottom line, it is a top priority. This guiding principle is perhaps best summed up by the copy that accompanied what was essentially an anti-promotion on their website, which ran during the holidays some years back: "We design and sell things made to last and be useful. But we ask our customers not to buy from us what they don't need or can't really use. Everything we make — everything anyone makes — costs the planet more than it gives back."

Besides, they famously ran an ad in The New York Times saying, "Don't Buy This Jacket" to promote conscious consumption. They repair old clothes, resell used gear, and donate one percent of sales to grassroots environmental causes. In 2022, founder Yvon Chouinard literally gave away the company to a trust that will reinvest profits into fighting the climate crisis.

The result? A fiercely loyal customer base and consistent profitability.

Besides, due to their strong company culture, which focuses on employee well-being and engagement, they have exceptionally low employee turnover of four percent against the industry average of 13 percent.

They've proven that doing well and doing good aren't mutually exclusive but interdependent.

Local champions who get it

Now let's come home.

A great example of CSR, aligned with core business, is Bangladesh's leading mobile financial service provider, bKash Limited. Rather than taking the traditional route, bKash focuses its CSR efforts on promoting financial inclusion, which is at the heart of its mission and perfectly aligns with its nature of business. Through partnerships with organisations like BRAC and UNDP, it delivers digital financial literacy programmes to underserved communities, empowering people, especially women and youth, to manage money safely and confidently. 

By digitising allowances and stipends for vulnerable groups such as farmers and garment workers, bKash's CSR supports the underserved and builds familiarity with digital finance, reinforcing its business purpose while creating lasting social impact.

BRAC Bank showcases how CSR can be integrated into a bank's business model. Building on BRAC's ethos, the bank was formed to support the missing middle of the economy — the cottage, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (CMSMEs) — and has, to date, adhered to its mission. Today, it is the biggest supporter of collateral-free financing to CMSMEs in Bangladesh, especially women-led ones. BRAC Bank is not merely lending money; it is responsibly uplifting livelihoods.

Grameenphone, as a telecom and digital connectivity company, has aligned many of its CSR initiatives with digital inclusion and online safety. One standout effort is its "Internet Safety for Children" programme, which educates students, teachers, and parents across Bangladesh on staying safe online — a pressing issue relevant to their nature of business. 

The company also supports digital literacy for rural entrepreneurs through partnerships with the government and NGOs, helping them access market information and financial tools via mobile technology. By promoting responsible and inclusive digital access, Grameenphone fulfils a social need and expands the foundation for sustainable growth in its user base.

Swapno, the ACI-owned retail chain, is another quiet force. It connects small-scale farmers and rural producers to the mainstream retail supply chain, ensuring better income and less waste. Offering fair prices and local sourcing opportunities doesn't just move inventory — it moves people out of poverty.

Besides, many small firms in Bangladesh's handicrafts and cottage industries are powerful engines of community empowerment, especially for women artisans. From the looms of Tangail to the nakshi kantha workshops of Rajshahi, these enterprises create dignified livelihoods while preserving local heritage. 

CSR is a business model

What ties Patagonia with bKash and Grameenphone or BRAC Bank to Swapno? "Conscience and integration".

They didn't bolt CSR onto the side of their business — they built it into the chassis. CSR wasn't the icing — it was the batter. This means that CSR should not be separate within your business but integrated into every aspect of your operations, from HR to marketing.

Too many companies treat CSR like a marketing campaign. But today's customers, co-workers, and investors are asking more profound questions: "Does your supply chain exploit labour?" or "Does your factory poison rivers?" or "Do you pay women and men equally?" or "Do your profits come at the expense of your community?"

These aren't just social questions — they're strategic business questions. And CSR is not just an answer — it's the answer to these and many more strategic challenges businesses face. 

The business case for conscience

CSR is no longer just for reputational karma. It's a growth driver.

It helps create brand trust; purpose-driven brands outperform the stock market. It also helps in employee retention. People want to work where values align with ambition. CSR can help build customer loyalty. Consumers now vote with their wallets — and they vote for fairness. And it helps a company become resilient. 

Companies with strong Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) scores weather economic crises better. These are potential benefits and proven outcomes of a well-executed CSR strategy.

Even Tesla, for all its controversies, has used CSR principles to redefine mobility. Its mission to "accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy" isn't just a slogan — it's visible in its electric vehicles, battery innovations, and energy storage systems. It's a profit-making machine rooted in a purpose.

CSR is a culture, not a calendar event

Here's a myth worth busting: "Our CSR officer handles that." That's like saying your HR officer handles all your company's emotions.

CSR must be everyone's responsibility — from procurement officers choosing ethical vendors to the marketing team avoiding greenwashing, the operations team ensuring sustainable practices, and the finance team ensuring investments don't harm the environment or society. When CSR is siloed into one team, it becomes performative. When it's shared across functions, it becomes transformative.

CSR should be reflected in your office culture, supplier dealings, and customer policies — even in the voice of your CEO. If your annual report screams "green", but your rooftops are leaking toxic fumes, people will see right through it.

Time for a Bangladeshi CSR blueprint

Too often, we try to copy-paste Western CSR playbooks. But Bangladesh doesn't need borrowed ideals — it needs contextual CSR.

With our entrepreneurial culture, community networks, and vibrant NGO ecosystem, we have what it takes to create a uniquely Bangladeshi-responsible business model.

Imagine tech start-ups solving rural access to education, RMG factories with zero-waste policies, banks rewarding eco-conscious investments, or retail chains empowering farmers and women entrepreneurs.

CSR isn't just about being kind — it's about being relevant in a changing world.

Sketch: TBS

Shafiq R Bhuiyan is a storyteller who examines the intersection of social progress, effective communication, cultural development, and corporate social responsibility while sharing insights to inspire change. 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.