Week 8: CSR

     This week we took a look at CSR, "corporate social responsibility". Which I loved, business and corporations have a huge place in American society, and I think that businesses should absolutely take responsibility for the impact they have on society and the environment. The world needs more corporations that care about being ethical and actually helping society as a whole.

    Which brings me to my favorite part of this week. I really loved having to evaluate a company and determine if their CSR works. The company I chose was OverDrive, which provides digital books and audiobooks to libraries and schools. They do a little more than that, but that is the gist of it. The whole point of the company is to promote literacy and provide accessible education. Which, I think they do. My own husband uses Libby, which is an app OverDrive created for libraries, all the time. So I really enjoyed looking at what they do, and how they can improve. 

    I think that CSR has become more popular because since the internet became mainstream, it's a lot more difficult for companies to hide the negative impacts they have. This has led to more awareness of what companies are doing, and consumers who are willing to pay more money to companies that align ethically with their own beliefs. I'm a poor person right now, but when I can support a company that's more sustainable, I do. An example of this is one of my favorite shoe brands, Chacos. Not only do I think their shoes and sandals are cute, but they care about the environment. They use recycled plastic bottles for their straps, and they also repair customer's shoes instead of forcing them to buy a new pair. As a consumer, I love companies like that. And I hope to see more and more of these type of companies become more popular.  

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