Abstract
Over recent years, companies have developed multiple corporate social responsibility (CSR) actions with the aim of being more economically, socially, and environmentally responsible with their surroundings. In this context, many of these strategies are linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set out in the framework of Agenda 2030. As far as SDG 12 is concerned, the role of supermarkets in its achievement is evident, due to the fact that it is closely related to food, food waste, and healthy diets. Taking this into account, the objective of this research is to find out how Spanish supermarket chains are communicating their CSR strategies based on SDG 12 through their social networks. A survey of 300 people has been carried out to understand the level of importance that the Spanish population gives to supermarkets complying with and communicating their commitment to SDG 12. Thanks to the results of this research, companies will be able to carry out specific communication and social marketing strategies through social networks with which they will enhance their brand image and reputation.
TopBackground
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been defined by many experts from the academic and business world over the last few years. Taking as a reference the definition provided by the ISO 26000 standard, CSR is the responsibility of an organisation for the impacts of its decisions and activities on society and the environment through ethical and transparent behaviour that contributes to sustainable development, including the health and well-being of society. Furthermore, it must consider stakeholder expectations and current law, be consistent with international standards of behaviour and be integrated within the company and embodied in its relationships (ISO 26000, 2010).
Therefore, CSR is considered an asset that must be managed correctly, as it directly impacts the reputation of organisations (Estanyol, 2020). Therefore, correct management, implementation and communication of CSR can generate positive changes in the company (Pabón et al., 2013) and its reputation. Furthermore, other academic research has also demonstrated the positive impact of CSR strategies on the economic growth of companies and countries (Navarro & González, 2006; Skare & Golja, 2014).
Considering its positive impact, the weight of CSR actions has increased within organisations over the last few years. Business reports such as the one launched by SERES-Deloitte in 2022 show that Spanish companies invested 4% more in CSR in 2020, reaching 1,486 million.
Key Terms in this Chapter
SDG 12: Sustainable Development Goal defined by the 2030 Agenda that aims to ensure responsible production and consumption of existing food resources in order to safeguard food supplies for future generations.
Sustainable Development Goals: A universal call to action to ensure the sustainability of the planet, eradicate poverty and achieve a better quality of life for people everywhere.
Social Networks: Structures formed on the Internet in which groups of people with similar interests share content, experiences, and opinions.
Sustainability: Development that can meet the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future. To this end, it ensures a real balance between economic growth, social well-being, and care for the environment.
Agenda 2030: Agreement drawn up by the United Nations for the sustainable development of the planet. It includes a total of 17 Sustainable Development Goals focused on achieving a fairer and less impoverished society.
Corporate Social Responsibility: A way of managing companies whose aim is to have a positive impact on the environment in which they operate at an economic, environmental, and social level.
Instagram: Social network with 2,000 million users who share content in image, text or video format. The main valuable point of Instagram is picture content and during the last years it has grown a lot. In Spain, it is the most important social media platform, after WhatsApp, the messaging app. It belongs to the technology conglomerate known as Meta.