What are the Benefits of Corporate Sustainability During a Disaster?

During natural or artificial disasters, such as fires, cyclones or other extreme events which affect the community, efforts from corporations and local businesses have proven crucial to economic, social and environmental recovery.

More and more for-profit organisations are including disaster relief as a key part of their sustainability commitment. Organisations can contribute towards disaster relief through monetary or time donations or donations of goods and / or services.

The benefits of participating in disaster relief are numerous. The first, of course, is the altruistic side of getting a community back on their feet and assisting in environmental recovery.

Ensuring the local community gets back on track after a disaster, however, is not solely about doing the right thing. The sooner the community is functioning again economically, socially and environmentally, the more they can return to their regular consumer behaviour. With this in mind, it makes good business sense to become involved in disaster relief. Additionally, once the community has returned to its normal consumer patterns, this will lead to increased revenue for your business which then in turn allows you to make a greater contribution back into sustainability.

Another benefit of including disaster relief in your corporate sustainability commitment is the meaningful relationships your organisation builds with those affected. These relationships continue after relief efforts and can ultimately grow your consumer base.

A fantastic way to engage with people during a period of crisis response is through social media. However, it is vital to ensure that this communication is authentic, lines up with your organisational core values and has the ultimate goal of providing economic, social and environmental assistance.

To learn more about how your organisation can become involved in disaster relief efforts, contact a member of our team!

This article was originally published on the Strategic Sustainability Consultants website.