CSR

Green is our passion, Orange our Home

CSR refers to the specific contribution that companies make to sustainability by sustainable management. The field of action for CSR is as broad as the business models are diverse. Over the years, we as consultants have focused on selected topics and instruments of CSR. We have built up extensive knowledge and expertise in these fields, which we apply to our solutions.

Regardless of whether CSR is part of a company’s risk prevention or opportunity strategy, communication plays a key role. Successful CSR requires not only active discussion of one’s own position, but also continuous and authentic dialog with stakeholders. Those who only talk and do not act quickly lose trust and credibility.

Well-known companies have been relying on our expertise in the field of sustainability for years. Discover your CSR communication potential anew with us.

SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING: OVER 20 YEARS OF GRI EXPERTISE

When it comes to sustainability reports, crossrelations probably has the longest experience in applying the guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) in Germany. As early as 2000, we launched the first report explicitly oriented towards GRI with VAW aluminium. Since then, we have actively assisted in the application of each new generation of the guidelines. As a member of the GRI Standards Pioneers Group, we advised on the introduction of the currently valid standards. Of course, we also keep an eye on all other standards that need to be monitored today, be it CSR-RUG, DNK, SASB, the UN’s SDGs or even the new EU taxonomy.

The EU’s ambitions for climate protection and sustainability will also have a noticeable impact on sustainability reporting in the years to come. With the introduction of the EU Sustainability Reporting Standard and the entry into force of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), many more companies will also become subject to reporting requirements in Germany. This will have a significant impact on the communicative quality of sustainability reporting. We would be happy to inform you about the upcoming changes.

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH PROTECTION

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Sustainably protecting the health of employees

Since the introduction of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, sustainability has had a direct influence on the way companies are evaluated by analysts and rating agencies. The more committed and successful a company is in acting sustainably, the higher its rating. Many CSR indices and ratings have been added in recent years and measure the progress performance of companies: as an employer, as a contributor to decarbonization, as a supplier or simply as a sustainable investment target.
A key perspective of almost all ESG ratings comes from the category of Occupational Health and Safety. What does a company do to protect the health of its employees and make work safer?

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Rethinking Safety

Particularly in manufacturing companies, low accident rates for example, are a sign of good occupational safety standards. However, things often look different in reality. Despite a wide range of measures and informative materials, too many accidents happen. The routine in recurring work processes becomes a problem. The task of successful occupational safety communication is to break up this routine. The following applies: A company that does not succeed in ensuring safe work is hardly trusted to effectively align a corporate culture with more complex sustainability goals. This is the new basic understanding of employer branding.

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Excellent occupational safety

crossrelations has many years of experience with occupational safety campaigns. We know the challenges, especially in addressing behavior-based safety (BBS) of occupational safety topics. Too many campaigns and communication offers in this field are characterized by wishful thinking on the part of management and turn into largely ineffective token formats. Our approaches and campaigns are characterized by a deep understanding of specific behavioral realities in the workplace.
Campaigns by crossrelations have won several communication and occupational safety awards.

SPECIAL TOPIC ENERGY TRANSITION:
ACCEPTANCE AND PARTICIPATION
IN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

For years, the energy transition in Germany has shown stable fundamental support among the population. Now, in the face of growing momentum, the limits of approval are becoming apparent. This is because – unlike the conventional power plants of the past – renewable energy plants are in essence more small-scale and are becoming increasingly present in people’s living environments. This is also increasing resistance. Acceptance of solar parks and wind farms, but also of new grid infrastructure, is no longer based solely on ideological support. Today, citizens rightly expect to be involved from the start.

There are important touchstones for the acceptance of energy projects today: Maximum transparency, improved involvement of the public in official processes, distributive justice and financial participation by citizens and communities, as well as proactive participatory communication.

The challenge gets easier if you are willing and start early. Not only are we familiar with issues and changes in the energy market, but we also have extensive experience in implementing communication programs for citizen engagement and acceptance campaigns that translate complex issues into clear and simple messages.

PANDEMIC AND CLIMATE DRIVERS:
NEW MOMENTUM FOR CLIMATE PROTECTION, SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCE

No matter your role, be it as a consumer, as an employee, as an entrepreneur, as a citizen, as a neighbor: The pandemic was an enduring call to solidarity and social orientation. The experienced restrictions have sharpened our awareness of how vulnerable supply chains, workplaces and even stationary trade are to disruption. The threats of a pandemic remain as invisible as the threats of climate change, species extinction and long-term ecological damage. Consequently, sustainably operating companies are feeling a lot of approval and support from their stakeholders, who recognize that sustainability also makes companies and products more resilient to crises. CSR is thus moving into the core area of business models. This presents a great opportunity for new communicative offerings, be it the decarbonization campaign for employees or a new attitude towards product responsibility.
With professional know-how, thematic competence, and ethical sensitivity, we provide orientation in important questions of sustainability. crossrelations works across disciplines and formats. In this way, we strengthen the communication and persuasive power of our clients.

#TRIPLEBOTTOMLINETHINKER

The so-called “triple bottom line” approach calls for a lasting balance between economic, environmental, and social performance under the concept of sustainability. Figuratively speaking, to be a truly sustainable company, a triple bottom line should be applied to a company’s profit and loss statement, incorporating environmental and social commitment. Sounds complex, and it is.

In our LinkedIn segment #triplebottomlinethinker, we let experts have their say on selected aspects of sustainability accounting and let them contribute to a better understanding of the need for action.