The fact is that corporate social responsibility initiatives are about more than improving your company’s reputation. Responsibility is the key word here: there are areas of human activity where we have a responsibility to make a contribution, and to take it seriously.
Our Project REEFrame is a good example: Freestyle Divers began as primarily a dive training business, but in the course of our work we became aware of our responsibility towards the coral reefs of the UAE. Diving is a core part of what we do, but we must never forget that it is our moral duty to take care of the environment, and this is our particular area, the part of the global environment where we can make a real difference.
This is where corporate sustainability and corporate responsibility meet in a very real struggle for ecological survival and we cannot overstate the importance of playing our part in the restoration of coral reefs.

What Are Corporate Social Responsibility Programs All About?
Coral reefs are important and must be saved. That’s it in a nutshell. And this can be done. We as a Dubai dive company have the skills to carry out the work. Our marine biologists have the knowledge and insights to know what needs to be done and how to do it.
That makes it our responsibility, or rather we have chosen to stand up and take responsibility for it. Whoever or whatever is ultimately to blame for the ongoing degradation of the coral reefs around the UAE, something needs to be done to save them, and we are doing it. Not just on our own, mind you; we rely on the input of many other individuals, corporate bodies, and government agencies, but our communal aim is simple: to save the coral reefs.
Sustainability is in many ways a 21st-century word. It may have existed far longer, but its current prominence in our vocabulary is due to the realisation that it identifies something that might previously have been overlooked. To sustain the planet is to ensure it can continue to function as it was designed and created to do. Sustainability only enters the equation when the future of something is called into question and our awareness of the future of the Earth only came into focus relatively recently.
Previous generations paid scant regard to the future, with an out-of-sight, out-of-mind attitude that saw the environment polluted because the damage was not visible. Exhaust fumes disappeared into the sky like effluent into the rivers and plastic into the sea. It was only when scientists began to detect signs of damage that the concept of sustainability was introduced.
Along the way, coral reefs were damaged, directly and indirectly, through human contact and climate change, and whether mankind understood what was happening or not, the world knew something had to change. Many things had to change, in fact, and various people and groups had to take responsibility.

Who is Helping with This Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative?
We are working with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), the Fujairah Environmental Authority (FEA) and Fujairah Genetics to restore coral reef ecosystems in the UAE with coral reef protection programs and to help in the education of the adult and youth communities in this vital respect. You might say we are at the cutting edge of this initiative, but in addition to our in-house core staff, we rely on the help of volunteers and sponsors to make it all happen.
What Is Corporate Social Responsibility?
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a business model that assumes companies have a responsibility to improve society and the environment.
The fact is that corporate social responsibility initiatives are more than a buzzword for companies to bulk out the ESG section of their annual report. They’re a proactive means for companies to take control of their impact on several levels. Let’s unpack this further.
As the Denny Centre for Democratic Capitalism noted, the idea that corporations should ‘give back’ to their community is not new. In fact, it is centuries old. However, both the industrial and academic conceptualization of corporate social responsibility is fairly modern. By examining philosophically how corporations can improve quality of life and practically what this might look like, we can pave the way for strong CSR initiatives.
Writer and philanthropist Archie Carroll divided corporate social responsibility into four areas: economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic.
- Economic responsibility refers to companies making financial decisions that support their legal, ethical and environmental responsibilities. Another aspect of economic responsibility is that it must boost the local economy, create jobs, partner with not-for-profits and work alongside other local businesses.
- Legal responsibilities are less complex, dictating simply that a business must comply with local and international laws and rules, plus industry regulations. Legal responsibilities are, therefore, tied closely to compliance.
- Ethical responsibilities. A company must engage in fair and moral business practices. These business practices must involve treating all stakeholders (shareholders, employees and customers) with respect and fairness.
- Philanthropic responsibility, which assumes that companies exist to benefit their local communities, alongside driving profits. Though ‘philanthropic responsibility’ might sound like a conceptually heavy term, fulfillment might be as straightforward as a company donating prizes to a local raffle.
These CSR areas work in tandem – while CSR companies have a responsibility to provide economic growth on a local scale, they must also pursue avenues of promoting quality of life in a local community.
Of course, these are guiding principles, rather than discrete tenets.
Providing a fair workplace with compliant hiring practices and good opportunities for professional development might fall into four sections of Carroll’s model for corporate social responsibility, for example.
While Carroll’s model of corporate social responsibility reflects the core values of corporate social responsibility, when contending with a concept like the ocean, we believe that our responsibility goes beyond making an impact on the local community.
We’ll ‘dive’ into how we’ve established our company’s corporate responsibility initiatives later.
One of the most significant foundations of the CSR business model is that it assumes that unchecked, companies will degrade the quality of surrounding community life. How they might degrade the quality of life is broad, although examples of how corporations undermine their quality of life include increasing pollution, resource depletion, poor labor practices, child labor, job displacement, inequality and surveillance capitalism.
Consequently, CSR is conceptually an ambitious goal, as it assumes that, with the correct execution, companies can improve society and the environment. Companies cannot simply avoid causing harm; they must proactively plan, develop and execute strategies and initiatives to improve society and the environment. These might be commonly known as strategies, initiatives or programs.
Let’s break them down.
What are Corporate Social Responsibility Programs?
An essential part of CSR’s definition is that it is voluntary. In other words, though corporations can establish initiatives to honor regulations and rules concerning CSR, adherence to CSR values is wholly the company’s. In other words, businesses must self-regulate their own CSR.
Yet, many corporations may be reluctant to dedicate resources – including potential profits – towards corporate social responsibility programs.
CSR does have its detractors, with most criticisms being levelled at its potential to skew focus from providing shareholder value. For public companies in particular, there is an argument that their first priority should be to nurture the bottom line rather than attempting to split their objectives or purely focus on supporting quality of life.
The idea that firms should measure their social and environmental impact in addition to their revenue is known as the triple bottom line. Profit, people and the planet (or the 3 ‘Ps’) is a catchy aphorism often used alongside the concept of the triple bottom line.
One problem that critics could level against the triple bottom line is that it is intangible. It is easy to log revenue in financial statements; it is less easy to quantify the positive impact generated by firms. Yet there are a number of standards, such as the ISO 26000 norm, which clarifies that CSR is intrinsically linked to Sustainable Development; by ‘transparent and ethical behavior’, an organization should ‘contribute [e] to sustainable development’. For more information about the work of intergovernmental organizations and NGOs focusing on CSR, we recommend checking out the Library of Congress’s Resource Guide.
Therefore, companies can be CSR-compliant, but developing CSR initiatives often requires a creative approach. The self-regulation aspect of CSR means that companies must put together effective initiatives. How they might do so is:
- Identifying the core missions and values of their company. For instance, if it’s a bakery, they might value providing wholesome and nourishing food to their local community.
- Setting measurable goals, identifying the key stakeholders (and their requirements), and then identifying a CSR objective. In this case, the stakeholders would be the employees and undernourished people in their community, who might need a sustainable source of nutritious food.
- Developing a strategy. The company must then create a plan accounting for any challenges. In this example, the bakery might donate a portion of its daily production to local schools and homeless shelters, ensuring that surplus food is distributed to those in need. If producing more food, a potential challenge might be ensuring that they have enough ingredients and other resources to do so.
- Marketing the CSR and its impact. Businesses observing the triple bottom line are likely to harvest the publicity from the CSR program to spread awareness (and boost revenue). They might promote a press release, add it to their sustainability report or use it in social media campaigns.
Best Practices & Corporate Social Responsibility Examples
As the Australian Human Rights Commission noted, large corporations have begun taking on the services previously delivered by governments – pharmaceuticals, education, waste management, transportation, energy and technology, for instance. Corporate social responsibility ensures that, like a government, companies must place human rights first and can be held accountable for their actions.
Socially responsible businesses come in all shapes and sizes, after all. Even for SMEs or startups, it’s essential to observe best practices of corporate social responsibility. Examples of CSR that you might observe in the workplace include:
- Environmental initiatives like recycling, energy conservation and sustainable sourcing.
- Community engagement, such as local volunteering days (which are often included as a job benefit), community events or donations.
- Employee well-being measures like flexible working arrangements, health and wellness provisions and employee assistance programs.
- Inclusive hiring and diversity training.
How do you know whether a particular company honors CSR rules? Unfortunately, there is no tangible list of corporate social responsibility companies, but there are several identifiers, including:
- Having an available sustainability report (e.g. on their website).
- Providing publicity about CSR ventures (this is likely to be the most effective way of conveying CSR values to consumers).
- Prominently displaying trademarks, logos or certifications.
- Providing a comparison against local CSR benchmarks or averages.
Proof of CSR through any of these means can be a significant marketing asset, as well as a means of building strong relationships with customers, suppliers, and the community. Other notable benefits of CSR include:
- The ripple effect. If positive publicity emerges about one corporation establishing effective CSR initiatives, it is likely to spur a chain reaction that results in more corporations considering their social, environmental and economic impact. In simpler terms, when competitors observe a corporation strengthening its brand reputation through CSR, it inspires others to do the same. A part of CSR may, therefore, be to encourage other corporations to address their CSR impact.
- Establishing a solid brand. Showing consistent commitment to corporate social responsibility means developing a following among demographics, which equates to a sustainable pipeline of sales.
- To a lesser extent, CSR can also encourage better-quality hiring. With millennials and Gen Z being more concerned about climate change than any other generation, a strong CSR brand profile can attract top talent. Plus, CSR can encourage retention, as employees who feel connected to their company’s mission and values are more likely to stay with the organization long-term.
It is worth noting that while SMEs might have CSRs, these will likely not be as well-publicized as larger enterprises. Here are a few examples of famous CSR initiatives, including their results.
- In 2011, Patagonia famously ran an ad campaign named the ‘Don’t Buy This Jacket’. The campaign’s core messaging encouraged customers to think twice before buying a new jacket, emphasizing the environmental impact of producing clothes. Patagonia’s campaign proved that consumers do, in fact, care about CSR, as sales rose by nearly one-third.
- Swedish furniture corporation IKEA has set ambitious targets to become climate-positive by 2030 and circular by 2030 (‘circular’ meaning here that all their products will be designed with reuse, refurbishment, remanufacturing, and recycling in mind). They plan to achieve these goals by focusing on reducing waste, using renewable energy, and sourcing sustainable materials. It looks like they might be on track to meet their goal, as IKEA bases over 60% of their products on renewable materials, plus over 10% contain recycled materials.
- Tesla has established ‘gigafactories’ that produce electrified and decarbonized products (such as cars, solar panels, and so on) that aim to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles and renewable energy. It seems to have worked, if their $86 billion turnover in 2023 is any indication.
In summary, CSR for enterprises can boost sales (and therefore revenue), restore brand reputation, successfully launch new companies and inspire innovation.
The dominance of large-scale programs can drown out the publicity of smaller businesses’ CSR initiatives. For consumers, this is likely to be inconvenient when making informed choices between local services as it requires them to actively complete due diligence. However, one of the best ways to support CSR is to choose companies that implement CSR strategies. As previously noted, competitors will likely uptake CSR if they believe it will benefit their business.
Corporate social responsibility has become a core part of Freestyle Divers’ business model.
- As the sole dive center in the region to have developed a comprehensive online and in-person marine conservation education program, we offer courses for ages 6 and up, culminating in university-level internships. Central to our CSR approach is providing dedicated education in the most easily accessible way.
- We have had large scale interaction with 128 UAE schools and their students, creating awareness and education about the importance of the oceans, the threats to the marine environment, and how conservation programs can help.
- We are actively involved in long-term scientific projects, such as artificial reef creation and monitoring. Our visitors can participate in coral reef restoration efforts, helping rehabilitate fragmented coral in our nurseries and replanting it on artificial or natural reefs. Freestyle Divers’ science lab is equipped for citizen scientists of all ages, allowing them to conduct experiments, study microplastics, and engage in hands-on conservation projects.
We also work alongside organizations like the Ministry of Climate Change and the Environment (MOCCAE), the Fujairah Environment Authority (FEA) and Fujairah Genetics to accomplish our CSR goals.
Our CSR initiatives focus both on protecting the local coastline and reefs of the United Arab Emirates and on the ocean as a whole. A little-known fact is that the ocean produces over 70% of the world’s oxygen.
As our company continues to grow, we will continue to develop innovative schemes that bring people together to protect the ocean.