CSR Activities UAE | Corporate Social Responsibility Activities Dubai

Little acts of kindness can make this world a happier place, enhancing feelings of confidence, happiness, and optimism – they beautifully translate themselves into corporate social responsibility (CSR activities UAE) in the business world.

The CSR activities in UAE show the accountability and commitment of the companies to contribute to the social well-being of communities and society through various environmental and social measures. As a result, these companies enjoy better brand recognition, talent retention, and overall business success.

In this article, we’ll paint a clear picture of the various CSR activities in Dubai.

What are corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities in UAE?

Corporate Social Responsibility is the idea that a business should positively invest in its workforce, community, and the world. CSR activities could combine time, money, skills, resources, and policies. Some general examples of CSR activities uae include volunteer opportunities, charitable giving, sustainable practices, environmental policies, and consciousness.

Generally, what’s socially responsible varies from business to business. It is often guided by the triple bottom line concept, which says a company should be committed to its environment, social impacts, and profits. CSR activities in UAE, Dubai promote a culture of generosity, encouraging independence, cooperation and tolerance.

What are the core principles of corporate social responsibility?

The three core principles of CSR are sustainability, accountability, and transparency.

Sustainability

It means meeting our needs without affecting the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. For instance, coal, iron, and oil are finite in quantity and unavailable for future use once used. Sustainability, therefore, implies that a business must use no more of a resource that can be regenerated.

Accountability

Accountability means a business recognizing that its actions affect the environment, assuming responsibility for its actions, and taking measures to protect the environment.

Transparency

This principle involves being open about the functioning of the business, giving clear reports, and not disguising pertinent facts within the reporting.

What are the three essences of CSR in Sharjah?

The three essences of CSR activities include philanthropy, environment, and ethical labor practices.

Philanthropy

It’s the love of humanity; in short, philanthropy is generosity in all its forms–––– giving one’s time, talent, and treasure for good causes. Philanthropic CSR involves donating foods, funds, and services for a reason, for example, donating money to the 100 Million Meals Campaign or volunteering for Dubai Cares.

Environment

Emphasis on CSR becomes critical as companies contend with their carbon footprint. Luckily businesses can incorporate CSR in the following ways.

• Boosting the environmental performance of supply chains
• Investing in renewable energy
• Reduce package wasting
• Mindful of water consumption
• Eco-friendly lighting options
• Eco-conscious building construction
• Reducing the waste
• Effective transport systems
• Eco innovative technologies

Ethical labor practices

Ethical means engaging in work practices that are legally fair and ensure proper treatment of the workforce and create an environment that does not physically or mentally harm the workers. Some ethical practices include the following:

• Developing ethical standards and making it clear which behaviors are and aren’t acceptable
• Praising positive behavior
• Promoting community involvement
• Ensuring leaders show humane behavior

What is the purpose of corporate social responsibility?

The primary purpose of corporate social responsibility is to maximize shared values among employees, customers, community members, organizations, and shareholders. With a focussed CSR strategy, brands can build significant value to their market assets.

Nowadays, organizations address issues closely related to their business model. For example, energy companies face challenges concerning climate change, and coffee companies manage how local farmers are treated.

Here’s how to build a CSR program that delivers massive benefits to the community and the company.

Align with your brand’s purpose

Be authentic in your CSR work and ensure connectivity between the values you hold as a company and your everyday work. For instance, the Coco-Cola CSR program ‘5×20’ focuses on employing 5 million women in developing countries in bottling and distribution roles by 2020 and ensures education and better healthcare for women and their families.

Focus on real human challenges

Customers want to see fundamental changes in their communities and are tired of drive-by corporate philanthropy. They’re interested in companies that offer meaningful social impact campaigns. Look at Visa’s CSR program; they partnered with governments and local community-based organizations and brought banking benefits to previously unbanked individuals.

Drive engagement inside and out

Running a successful CSR program is apt to build a talented and unified team within your company that works well with local leaders who are already engaged in community work. Also, it involves the local community by understanding their historical context and links to existing efforts in those neighborhoods.

Talk about it and be about it.

CSR is excellent fodder for your marketing team, and there’s nothing wrong with it. But make sure it’s not all about marketing. After a while, community members and employees will disengage from your CSR efforts if they’re not seeing any actual results and tangible action. So speeches, panel discussions, and annual reports should all be a part of your CSR strategy campaigns.

Benefits of good CSR Activities

Reputation Institute states that over 91% of people surveyed said they bought from companies with an excellent CSR track record. Having a successful CSR program UAE has several benefits, which are listed below.

• Better brand recognition
• Enhanced employee engagement
• Better financial performance
• Better organizational growth
• Enhanced ability to attract talent and retain staff
• Increased sales and customer loyalty
• Operational costs savings
• Attract positive media attention
• Easier access to capital
• Identify new business opportunities
• Access finance
• Reduce regulatory burden

Is CSR mandatory for Corporates?

The UAE laws mention that CSR initiatives are mandatory for all United Arab Emirates businesses that come under the scope of the CSR law. However, there are some exceptions.

Registration in the CSR portal is compulsory for

• Commercial companies that are legally registered
• Foreign companies whose branches carry out business in UAE
• Directly and indirectly, owned companies by the federal government.

Registration is optional for

• Individual firms
• Free zone companies
• Professional and civil companies and
• Cooperative societies

What kind of corporate social responsibility activities do top companies do?

LEGO

This toy-making giant does not only help children develop and grow through play but also protects the planet in the process. It’s currently aiming to remove single-use plastics from its operations and seeks to have no waste from any LEGO factory by the year 2025.

Google

In 2007, GOOGLE became the first-ever company to achieve carbon neutrality, and just ten years later, it reached the 100 percent renewable energy target.

Likewise, the tech giant issued $5.75 billion in sustainability bonds in 2020. As if all these are not impressive enough, the company aims to pursue new carbon-free technologies and wants to prove that a fully decarbonized future is not just a dream but entirely possible.

Salesforce

The 1-1-1 idea of Salesforce is a revolutionary CSR concept. It means giving 1 % of Salesforce’s product, 1% of its employees’ time, and 1% equity to philanthropic causes. Since the initiative’s launch, the tech giant has given $240 million in grants, donations to 39000 nonprofits and educational institutions, and 3.5 million hours of community service. Impressive, is it not?

What are some main CSR events in the UAE?

Here are some top companies practicing CSR in UAE

ENOC

Emirates National Oil Company Limited promotes environmental sustainability, drives awareness of various social and ecological issues, and empowers underprivileged individuals. Some of its CSR activities include blood donation camps, a cleanup UAE campaign, and distributing care packages to motorists at traffic light junctions before sunset during the whole month of Ramadan.

DUCAB

Ducab launched the ‘Power Over Fire’ program to raise awareness of fire safety and hazards that can potentially cause building fires. Likewise, for its ‘Gift of Light’ project, it donated $2 for every kind and positive sentiment message shared on its portal to Salma Humanitarian Aid, a project which provides free meals to victims of natural disasters.

Mashreq Bank

Mashreq Bank has a CSR initiative called the Orange Envelope. It will donate 1 million dirhams to benefit blue-collar workers in the UAE who have faced salary cuts and loss of work.

How can corporate social responsibility events be organized?

Corporate social responsibilities emphasize the motto of doing well by doing good. The many benefits of CSR include:

• Long-term prosperity for all stakeholders.
• Increased employee wellbeing and satisfaction.
• Increased public trust.

Here are some ideas to organize CSR events in Dubai to position yourself as a socially conscious and ethically sound entity to kickstart your CSR strategies.

Partner with NGOs to support a cause

Giving back to less fortunate people has always been a part of the CSR playbook. Partner with a nonprofit organization to spearhead initiatives that help unprivileged people while allowing company employees to participate in charitable activities. For example, the Altayer group partners with Dubai Autism Center to focus on children with special needs––– a cause close to their heart.

Incorporate CSR cause into corporate team building events

Not only does social responsibility limit itself to donations, but it also applies to teaching the do-good philosophy and values to your employees.

UAE based wellness vendor Corporate Sports helps businesses organize various CSR activities in Dubai, which include the following

Environment sustainability initiatives

Planting trees

Reforestation is a golden ticket for businesses that want to attain their CSR sustainable development goals successfully. Tree planting for CSR provides various benefits, including goodwill for the company, increased employee engagement, and improved environmental outcomes. Reforestation helps companies reduce their carbon footprint and supports local communities by bringing tourism and providing jobs,

Corporate Sports effectively organizes tree-planting activities. The activity begins with an introduction to the local environment, after which we will take your employees to the nearby forest to plant trees, and the day ends with a nice picnic.

Cleaning beaches to protect marine life

The beach cleanup activity improves the beach ecosystem and saves the lives of marine animals. Single-use plastics are a significant concern in the marine environment. Statistics say each year, 1,00,000 animals are affected by plastics. In like manner, plastics end up in our plates due to the biomagnification when we eat seafood.

We’re giving back to nature by doing beach cleanups and keeping our beaches clean. Corporate Sports effectively organizes beach cleanups that help nature and is also a great team bonding activity.

Making dolls for refugee children

Every child deserves a cuddly toy, especially the refugee kids who have gone through so much affliction. We know how much stuffed animals bring joy to these little kids in crisis. There’s something special about making a doll and receiving a handmade doll.

Corporate Sports wellness experts brief participants about the refugee kids and teach the step-by-step methods of doll preparation. Finally, these handcrafted dolls will be gifted to underprivileged children.

Charity run

Charity runs help raise funds for a cause close to your heart. When your employees participate in a charity run, they help raise awareness for the charity, gain a support network, make new friends, and improve their wellbeing. It’s an excellent opportunity to practice teamwork and collaboration. It quickly engages people in ways most have never experienced before.

For instance, Corporate Sports organized a charity run for Friends of Cancer Patient Charity, where employees and their families from different companies participated and made the run a great success.

Roundtable sessions on corporate sustainability

Roundtable sessions help to engage your employees in meaningful conversations regarding CSR events. These sessions offer a platform to discuss CSR best practices and share knowledge from leading experts, allowing your staff to cultivate thought leadership and position your company as a leader in social consciousness.

By participating in these discussions, your employees feel that they are a part of something greater than themselves. The topics of seminars may include the following.

• Sustainable investment practices
• Roles and responsibilities of business on CSR
• Sustainability reporting
• Driving business efficiency by adopting sustainable technologies

Reach your goals for CSR activities in Dubai with Corporate Sports

Successful implementation of KPMG CSR activities gains your business a reputation as a grateful, giving, and socially conscious organization that earns public trust and places your company in the first-line option in any satiated market.

Similarly, your inspiration to make a difference in society encourages your employees to be more engaged in their work. Whether it’s your workforce, customer base, business associates, or the world at large, strong CSR efforts will help you forge relationships that can benefit everyone involved.

If you’re wondering how to organize CSR activities in Dubai, check out our Corporate Sports CSR page or contact us today. Our wellness experts will be happy to answer all your questions.