Introduction
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Agenda in 2025 will continue to focus on activities conducted beyond the mandatory requirement of investing 2 % of their profits as per the Company’s Act 2013. Besides the other 14 thematic areas, where investments have been carried out in the past decade, interventions on ‘Social’ and ‘Environment’ will remain key drivers of change. It will also be a conscious effort on the part of business in 2025 to increasingly focus on human rights due diligence because CSR is not just about legal obligation but it is an important business tool as it brings in brand value, improves community relations, and attracts socially conscious investors and customers.
With increasing pressure on corporations to close the gaps toward a carbon-neutral economy, the ESG framework has also come to center stage. However, all activities directly connected to ‘E’ and ‘S’ have to be aligned to the UN SDGs and impact measured.
Key SDG Drivers in Strategic Development 2025
- SDG 1 – If we see over the past decade, poverty alleviation has been targeted on a war footing with various thematic CSR initiatives trying to uplift the 270 million people living below the poverty line. Corporations over the next few years have to collaborate with other corporations and further strengthen existing government institutions to mitigate the problems
- SDG 3 – Good health and well-being – Great strides have been made in improving people’s health in recent years. 146 out of 200 countries or areas have already met or are on track to meet the SDG target on under-5 mortality. However, inequalities in health care access persist. The COVID-19 pandemic and other ongoing crises have impeded progress towards Goal 3. Childhood vaccinations have experienced the largest decline in three decades, and tuberculosis and malaria deaths have increased compared with pre-pandemic levels.
- SDG 4 – Education beyond just numbers is what has to be carried out. It is the quality of education that matters The NEP – 2024 has a clear framework but it is important to plug the gaps in quality education, which will involve streamlining the implementation process and bringing in technology
- SDG 6 – WASH programs, ensuring clean drinking water and improving the health indices linked to waterborne disease and clean air merit adequate attention by corporations and require additional investments in CSR
- SDGs 7 and 13 – These SDGs essentially focus on ‘Energy’ and ‘Climate change’ respectively. What does this involve in the ever-growing population scenario, with scarce natural resources and a lack of funding resources to combat the problem of sustainable energy usage? There is a need to reduce carbon footprint and opt for quicker steps to move toward alternate sources of energy, especially for heavy industries
- SDG 17 – Collaborations are critical in sustainable development and inclusive growth. Hence it is important for the collectivisation of resources and to see a larger growth vision together.
Conclusion
Hence it is a systematic approach that enhances the scope of CSR discussion and addresses the current trends such as investment-driven CSR models and the Social Stock Exchanges (SSE), which connect social enterprises and NGOs with funding opportunities. In addition, employee volunteering has been a game changer with company profits soaring in the USA, where volunteer programs involving 1. 2 billion volunteers resulted in a USD 41.5 billion increase in business profits. Hence 2025, marks an important year to know and show a corporation’s effort toward inclusivity and growth and make CSR even more relevant with ESG adding value to the efforts.
