CSR - Adidas restate’s its CSR objectives

Lots of big announcements coming out relating to CSR at the moment, and this one is an example that might appeal to students and teachers looking for some more evidence for their CSR research. Global sports giant Adidas has launched an updated Environmental Strategy, publishing the details at the same time as their 2010 CSR report. Here is the direct link to Adidas’ announcement.

As we have been discussing at our AQA BUSS4 revision workshops, brands such as Marks & Spencer, Unilever and Co-operative Group have aimed to differentiate their brands and products by placing CSR (including sustainability) right at the top of the corporate objectives. Is Adidas attempting to follow suit?

Part of the revised Adidas strategy is a pledge to use 100% “better cotton” and improve its environmental impact on the cotton industry over the next seven years. The “better cotton” initiative aims to improve the environmental impact in the mainstream cotton industry by reducing the amount of water and pesticides used in farming the product.

A good quote in the announcement from Herbert Hainer, chief executive, Adidas Group, who said:

“Implementing environmental performance across our value chain is an important step to deliver sustainable operations over the long term.

At the same time, our environmental strategy creates a sustainable platform for future performance improvements and innovations, and is therefore essential for the success of our business.”

Lots of scope for using the Adidas strategy (and quote above) in essay evaluation. Sustainability is seen as both a long-term objective, but also essential to business growth (performance improvement and innovation).