I often hear about CSR (Social and environmental responsibilitye) within SMEs, and this is very often a misinterpreted fashion phenomenon, with many SMEs wanting to "get into CSR" in the same way as they would decide to launch a social networking presence or a new advertising campaign.

But for the strategist, the debate is quite different: succeeding in including in the development cycle a consideration of the PESTEL elements that can influence the success or failure of a product, and henceforth, the risk linked to the lack of images of a product that is not ecological or dangerous for the planet can be an essential criterion for the success or failure of a project.

Having an eco-responsible and socially advanced policy has therefore become above all a vital commercial marketing element for the success of a project.

Case studies of successes and failures

• In a real estate project recently validated by a major success, the choice of energy autonomy was decisive in ensuring that the perceived value was greater than the economic value, because the ecological value of the project was added to the company's value chain.
• In a water purification product, the presence of toxic substances in a component that could have been manufactured otherwise caused market share to plummet in less than half a year: the lack of prudence and consideration of CSR risk destroyed 25 years of commercial development.
• In another project, the use of noble, non-plastic materials (domestic greenhouses) enabled us to win 25prc of additional market share...

In conclusion

CSR shouldn't just be a publicity stunt; it needs to be integrated into research and development in order to anticipate obstacles.