ClayDesk e-Discovery Blog: Corporate Social Responsibility in E-Discovery Industry

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a management concept in which companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and interactions with their stakeholders. The basic definition according to Wiki:

“Corporate social responsibility is a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model. CSR policy functions as a built-in, self-regulating mechanism whereby a business monitors and ensures its active compliance with the spirit of the law, ethical standards, and international norms”

CSR is best incorporated with the “Triple Bottom Line” (TBL) approach, which is essentially an accounting framework incorporating three dimensions of performance: financial, social, and environmental.

A triple bottom line measures the company's economic value, "people account" – which measures the company's degree of social responsibility and the company's "planet account" – which measures the company's environmental responsibility. While CSR indoctrination within the e-Discovery industry may be prevalent, only a handful of companies may actually have developed and adopted CSR.

Adopting to a mindset of a good corporate citizen, at ClayDesk, we have initiated a CSR program and embedding CSR practices in our business. The foremost area of focus for CSR initiatives are directed towards promotion of legal education, e-Discovery laws, Pro-Bono legal work, sponsor a student, and steps towards a paperless (go-green) environment. These steps will bring about positive change and improve the quality of life of members of the society.

Some of the core CSR issues relate to: environmental management, eco-efficiency, responsible sourcing, stakeholder engagement, labor standards and working conditions, employee and community relations, social equity, gender balance, human rights, good governance, and anti-corruption measures. Denmark, for instance, has CSR Law in place which mandates companies to report their CSR initiatives. Apart from providing charity and sponsorships, CSR concept goes beyond by allowing companies the opportunity to become a socially and ethically responsible corporate citizen.