Smart Green Buildings for Advancing Corporate Social Responsibility Goals

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has evolved and is a regular part of business today, with companies among the most influential agents of social and economic change in the world. With a strong commitment to reducing waste and saving resources, companies have been raising the standard of living and wellbeing for their extended communities. Employee engagement, operational planning, and the effective use of technology comes bundled with modern day CSR. Large and small companies alike have been striving to strike a balance between tackling the climate crisis and empowering employees with a sense of social responsibility and sustainable morality towards greater planetary good. One of the most effective ways that organizations can step up to global sustainability and champion obligatory CSR goals is through green buildings. Ensuring employee wellbeing and health while encouraging cleaner energy and zero carbon emissions may seem overwhelming. But if the buildings that large corporations operate from do not support the fundamental objectives of healthier people and a greener planet, then the beneficial effects of their other social efforts are undermined. Buildings contribute to almost 37% of the total global carbon emissions (UNEP, Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction: Towards a Zero emission, 2021), making green structures an effective CSR tool and an important part of any company’s investments. In fact, over a fifth of the largest corporations in the world have committed to net zero targets (Martella, Now is the time for businesses to act on Global Sustainability, 2022), going beyond just their own governmental requirements. This paper explores various ways greener buildings can help companies shift towards green CSR using Smart technology and sustainable practices. It highlights the critical need to leverage persuasive and behavioral strategies to increase employee engagement with sustainability. Both existing structures and new buildings can utilize a variety of techniques to transform the way they function. This can fulfil the triple bottom lines (3BL) of people, planet, and profit that are crucial for CSR. However, because a building’s operation is primarily determined by its occupants, influencing employees’ energy consumption habits by means of effective communication is often key to achieving sustainable sustainability.