corporate social responsibility

It may be a good time to re-look at corporate social responsibility ("CSR"). Instead of the norm in looking at charities or endangered species to protect, it may be relevant or useful to look at the integral business concerned.

On a typical sale season in the shopping mall, for instance, in the clothes department, one can see so much of clothes piled up high with its prices slashed. It gives one an idea of how much over-production is involved in each production run. This is where i believe the CSR team in the company should begin. Is it possible to look beyond economies of scale for management to decide how much of the stocks can truly be sold and ultimately consumed? Can social responsibility begin way before production and the creation of the waste. Instead of tagging bonus to the sales people who can rake in the turnover. Should management deduct bonus where there is a major overrun in production resulting ultimately in pollution. Should CSR look into the amount of waste created and contributed by its own business?

It would seem even more critical to consider this issue of over production, particularly where consumption is expected to be much lower. Is management looking into lowering production? or slowing the release of new designs. To take it a step further, should ethical standards be placed on consumption. For instance the use of bottled water to be banned in certain countries. Could this global economic turmoil become a catalyst for striving towards a more ethical consumption and ultimately resulting in a better environment?