Guest blogger “Edil K” posted these questions in the lead up to Mission Measurement’s session at the 2010 Health and Human Rights Conference in Toronto last week. 

Sara Lee recently introduced a new line of whole-grain bread touting its innovative farming techniques that reduce the use of fertilizers. Natural food advocates and environmentalists can count another tick in the win column, right? Not so, according to The Cornucopia Institute.

It’s conference season and corporate responsibility professionals from across the country are convening under the auspices of a number of CSR-related topics and themes.  As leaders in CSR strategy and social innovation, Mission Measurement staff leads workshops, serves on panels and participates in conversations about the next generation of corporate social responsibility and impact measurement in the context of CSR.  Over the past month, our team has take part the following events:

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a term that has evolved in recent years.  Those who follow the pattern in which corporations engage in social issues have noted how the role of CSR has grown from that of mindful compliance to one of strategic importance.  I was reminded of this recently while chuckling at an episode of the NBC sitcom “30Rock.”  In it, one of the show’s characters sports a t-shirt with the corporate slogan, “Sheinhardt Wig Company: Not Polluting Rivers Since 1997.”    

“Is the economic downturn affecting the willingness and readiness of companies to look at the economic, social, and environmental impact of their business practices? Or is this a perfect time to reassess current programs and adapt them to changing—and in many cases increasing—needs in society?” 

Sometimes, we can find corporate social innovation in the most unlikely of places. Lube Stop, a northeast Ohio-based chain of three dozen oil change outlets, is taking recycling and sustainability in the auto industry to an entirely new level. They are thinking through every aspect of their business in order to reduce their environmental footprint, while also adding value to their business and their customers.