Firms that embrace corporate social responsibility can enjoy improved relationships with clients and the community. Jill Park looks at what's possible

Reducing environmental impact has become a near-ubiquitous feature on business to-do lists in recent years, with green schemes prominent in many packaging companies' corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies.

However, there is another, less publicised, side to CSR - social schemes. Projects such as fundraising or sponsorship can benefit a company by improving relationships with customers, the local community and boosting staff morale.

In fact, sustainability communications firm Ogilvy Earth hailed CSR as more critical than ever in a report published last year. Of the 2,100 people interviewed for the study, 66% said businesses would regret having scaled back environmental and social commitments once the economy recovers.

The companies featured in this article have taken a unique approach to the social side of CSR. Their experiences not only show what's possible, but the positive effect these projects can have on companies and communities.

Read on to find out how you could fit the last piece of the jigsaw that is the social side of CSR.

Robert Wiseman: charities month
Every September for the past few years, dairy Robert Wiseman has supported charities by giving up space on its cartons to promote events, special campaigns or to help raise general awareness. Last year, the company chose to partner with the Guide Dogs association, among others.

The company's involvement with charities began 15 years ago when it teamed up with the Anthony Nolan Trust to help raise awareness of the lack of bone marrow donated by ethnic minorities. It has only been over the past few years that these charities have featured on the cartons themselves.

But what impact can a picture on a pack actually have? According to sales and marketing director Sandie Wilkie, market research has shown consumers know cornflakes contain riboflavins because over breakfast "they've nothing else to do but read the packet". Robert Wiseman has applied the same philosophy to promoting charities on cartons.

"Changing labels is nowhere near as expensive as it used to be," says Wilkie. "On a purely commercial basis, something like this also adds a bit of theatre to the shelf, which is brilliant."

Staff can get involved in the project and suggest charities they would like to support, and they are encouraged to get involved in the charities' events.

Ardagh Glass: Ardagh League Cup
Football is a pivotal part of the community in and around Irvine, Scotland, where Ardagh has a plant. This goes some way to explain why the firm has sponsored the FA junior league, known as the Ardagh League Cup, for the past six years.

Ardagh employs 6,500 people at 20 plants in seven European countries. Many of these facilities have existed in the same location for years and forged strong relations with the local communities, so it is unsurprising to discover the number of local projects the firm is involved in.

These charitable projects allow employees to get involved. In the Netherlands, for example, there is the Ardagh-sponsored Roparun in May each year where teams run the 530km from Paris to Rotterdam in aid of young cancer patients.

At the other end of the scale is Ardagh's Limmared factory in Sweden. It runs an initiative to provide low-cost carbon energy to the local community from excess heat generated in its factory. In addition to this, it provides scholarships for local students who achieve outstanding exam results.

"How we relate to our neighbours, our communities, our employees and the environment is embedded in our core values and features prominently in company training programmes at group and local levels," says Ardagh's managing director of European operations Johan Gorter.

"For example, as local employers, we play an active role in local economic development groups dealing with training, infrastructure and inward investment."

Automated Packaging Systems: Mongolian rally
In celebration of its 25 years in Europe, Automated Packaging Systems decided to sponsor a team in the Mongolia Charity Rally last year. Over 8,500 miles and 47 days later their team - Alice Paisley, 23 and Juliet Waud, 23 - arrived at Ulaan Baatar and handed their vehicle to Save the Children.

APS worked with the rally organisers to find a team to sponsor. Out of several applicants, the girls were finally chosen because Paisley came from Malvern, where APS is located. Based on advice from the rally organisers, a Nissan Terreno 4x4 ambulance, named Norbert, was chosen as the pair's vehicle.

One of the firm's criteria was "to make a difference at the other end," says APS European marketing manager Mike Healey. "We were equally interested in the medical angle as this is an area we have worked in before." Norbert was delivered fully kitted with medical supplies.

"As an extension of the CSR, I've asked the girls to come back and give a couple of talks," says Healey. "We were fortunate in that we chose an enthusiastic team who were prepared to work with us."

APS is quick to encourage other companies to sponsor a similar project but cautions that such projects are not short-term commitments. "We wanted to be actively involved," says Healey.

Blue Marlin: bike ride
Blue Marlin views CSR as a top-down philosophy. Design agency founders David Hodgson and Andrew Eyles set the example when they cycled the 986-mile journey from Land's End to John O'Groats to raise £15,000 for Cancer Research UK last May.

"If you see people at the top of the business doing something like that, it becomes easier for people to get involved. It becomes part of the culture," says senior account director Catriona Crombie. In fact, Crombie went on to organise a workshop for second-year design students at the London College of Communications (LCC).

The students were invited to Blue Marlin's London office for a workshop to redesign the LCC brand. "It gave them a good idea how graphic development works in the real world," says Crombie.

Beyond this, the agency has undertaken pro bono work for portable ash tray brand ButtsOut. On an environmental slant, the Bath office has planted 1,600 trees to help offset its workers' carbon footprint. A micro wind turbine is also planned for the site, which could "potentially provide power for inhabitants and businesses in the area", says Crombie.

A global initiative is planned for next year, which will see all the global offices working towards one cause for a bigger effect. "Everybody can suggest something," says Crombie. "You feel like you can input into the organisation and come up with creative ideas, which is rewarding."

MDA: shares, stock and the Young Enterprise Initiative
Walk into the reception of contract packer MDA in Blackburn, Lancashire, and you will be confronted with an array of share certificates. These are a relatively recent addition to the site, and they follow the company's decision to buy a share in each of its customers for all 200 employees. Any dividends that are generated go to local charity Blue Tin Roof.

That's the firm's customers covered, then, but what about the local community? Last year, MDA supply chain director Dale Stokes spent one day a week in the local sixth form college, working with students on a Young Enterprise Initiative, the result of which was the book The Adventures of Colin the Cardboard Box.

Stokes said: "We are a major local employer so we want to give back to the local community wherever we can. Also we're a major employer of school leavers."

Even the recession is an opportunity for CSR in Stokes' eyes. "All our clients are trying to lower their stock holdings," he says. Therefore, MDA has worked with its customers to find a viable way to get rid of old stock in a charitable
way without potentially damaging their brands.

"You cannot have alcoholic items getting into the hands of under-18s," says Stokes by way of an explanation. Therefore the company has worked with charities to make sure the brands can see exactly where their old stock ends up. "The social aspect of CSR has probably been the last aspect of the CSR jigsaw for us," says Stokes.