A prominent player in the renewable energy industry, GreenLife Inc. (Greenlife), is looking to become a global leader in corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the coming years, and see this as an important part of their strategy. To further integrate CSR into the core values of their business, GreenLife Inc wants to put in place an integrated department that combines the Strategy, CSR, and Public Affairs functions. Currently, the CSR team is in a smaller department that occasionally collaborates with other functions.

So far, GreenLife's success came from its innovative approach to renewable energy. The company was founded in the early 2000s by its CEO, Mark Thompson, who aimed to build the first global renewable energy brand. Over the years, GreenLife made several global acquisitions, including in: the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The company was hailed in the news for its cutting-edge technologies and its ability to develop groundbreaking solutions that address the unique energy needs of different regions around the world. Using its technical expertise and innovation abilities, GreenLife succeeded in turning around each of its acquisitions to brand them under its own banner, slowly but surely assembling a global brand. Although faced with economic challenges over the years, GreenLife continued to produce steady returns.

In 2012, GreenLife announced an ambitious plan to increase its business activity over the next five years. The proposal aimed to increase its solar and wind businesses in both developing and established markets, while simultaneously decreasing overall operational costs. As a part of this strategy, GreenLife made considerable acquisitions and deals in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and eventually emerged as the leading provider of renewable energy solutions in those regions. By 2016, GreenLife had a workforce of 10,000 employees globally, provided services to over 3 million clients, possessed a market capitalization of $5 billion, and managed over $30 billion in assets.

As it grew, GreenLife's leadership did its best to uphold its commitment to CSR, and many of its employees believed that it was an integral part of the organization's values and subsequent success. In the initial stages, Thompson established several smaller organizations to promote employee community involvement. As well, in 2014, GreenLife created the "GreenLife Talks", a series of sustainability conferences designed to bring together business leaders to address environmental concerns and raise money to support other sustainable philanthropic organizations, through charitable activities and donations.

Despite its success and establishment of the aforementioned initiatives, GreenLife is still not where it wants to be in terms of CSR. In fact, the company still has yet to come up with a formal CSR strategy to embed into the overall corporate strategy. They are looking for the help of your firm to launch their first global CSR strategy.  

 

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