I just read an excellent article titled “Environmental strategy – good business or good sense?” on a site called management-issues.com.

Few, if any, business people aspire to be unethical or non-environmental.

But few actually claim to operate ethically, apart from the values-based businesses such as Body Shop. For most, this has never been an explicit issue.

Those who have chosen to address it explicitly (and honestly) have, of course, reaped huge benefits, Body Shop and Patagonia being two shining examples.

As consumers and other stakeholders become better informed, the issue is becoming an important differentiator for the more savvy companies.

Today an increasing numbers of senior executives are struggling with the challenge of introducing environmental or social issues directly into their companies.

The issues are broad, wide-ranging and complex.

They affect every part of the business and everyone in the business, because CSR is about how a company affects the world.

Environmental issues are probably most familiar and will seem most straightforward to deal with for many companies.

But environmental impact is not just about energy use, pollution and waste generated within the company walls. It must also include the impact of products or services in use.

If your product is associated with anything perceived negatively, it will impact you.

So, if the retailer sticks it into a plastic bag, you share the negative rub-off.

Why would you risk that? Instead, include a reusable bag in your CSR planning.

Stumble it!