PPB August 2021

perspectives Robert I. McLean, Jr., CAE, CPA, CEM Interim President CSR – Good For The Community, Good For You A s I write this column inmid-June, our promotional products familymembers in the Pacific Northwest are suffering through a heat wave that was described on the local newscast as “once in a 100 lifetimes.” Temperatures there exceeded 117 degrees yesterday, shattering the record high by several degrees. I heard that roads are buckling, powerline coverings aremelting and community pools are closed because it’s not safe to be outside. In February, Texas suffered throughwhat we are now calling “Snowmageddon.” Snow fell for several days, accumulating up tomore than nine inches in some areas. Temperatures were in the single digits and the “feels like” temperatures were below zero. The Texas power grid failed and many of us lost electricity and running water, in some cases for days. Those less fortunate had frozen pipes burst and their homes flooded. While thismight be an easy time to proclaim that global warming is here and that our weather patterns will never be the same, I amnot advocating that. I have no idea if these strange weather occurrences really are “once in a hundred lifetimes” events or whether this is going to happenwithmore regularity. Personally, I don’t think it matters; it doesn’t changemy opinion that we need to bemore conscious of how we treat Mother Earth and our community. My two previous Perspectives columns introduced the concepts of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental, social and governance (ESG) programs. I describedwhat theymean and why they are important to your businesses. Research shows that companies with strong CSR programs that embrace diversity, equity and inclusion, that have strong environmental and sustainable processes, and that have the proper governance andmeasures in place to enforce their commitments, actually outperformother companies and return a higher shareholder value. I also pointed out that increasing shareholder valuemay not be the only purpose of a business. Businesses are now concerned about CSR’s impact on all its stakeholders, which includes not only shareholders, but also employees, customers, vendors, competitors and the community. When I joined PPAI more than 13 years ago, I was told that the promo industry is different; we are like a family, we help each other, we trust each other andwe hug a lot (a whole lot). I hadworked in many industries before joining PPAI and I thought, “Sure, every industry says that. This industry isn’t any different.” Well, I couldn’t have beenmore wrong. We do help each other, not just in times of crisis but in day-to-daymatters as well (I have seen competitors helping competitors and customers helping vendors). We do trust our members to dowhat they say they will, not just in fulfilling business orders, but in generosity, in kindness, in outreach; andwe do, indeed, hug—a lot. I believe it’s now time for us to expand our community and our CSR focus outside the promotional products industry. We cannot expect CSR to eliminate the world’s problems at once, that’s just toomuch to expect, but it can definitely benefit the communities inwhichwe are operating. Strong CSR companies help their communities by implementing diverse hiring practices and by paying a fair wage, helping to bring economic stability to their community. They help by being environmentally friendly, thereby reducing pollution in the air andwater, minimizing waste that goes into landfills andmaking their community a place inwhich people enjoy living. And they stand for justice, kindness, generosity and respect for all people, making their community a place they are proud to call home. I know that many promotional products companies already embrace CSR and are great corporate citizens, and that more and more companies fromour industry are joining their ranks. PPAI is committed to helping our industry continue to adopt or grow its CSR programs. We will do that by offering relevant educational programs, advocating about the efforts and results in our industry, and by setting a good example by howwemanage your Association. PPAI’s Product Responsibility ActionGroup and our Board of Directors are currently working on a new, aspirational Code of Conduct that can serve as a blueprint for how your company can become a good corporate citizen and, as a result, not only grow your shareholder value, but benefit the communities youwork and play in. That’s a win-win for everyone. We do help each other, not just in times of crisis but in day-to- day matters as well (I have seen competitors helping competitors and customers helping vendors). 4 | AUGUST 2021 |