For CR to have a legitimate place at the corporate table, it cannot be an end in itself. CR needs to produce tangible value not only for the environment and society, but also for the company. Otherwise, CR is simply not sustainable.

The global business community knows this. As a result, many companies, as a matter of course, try to measure the value created by their CR activities. That's why new emerging standards, like those set forth by the UN's Global Reporting Initiative, have made it easier for companies to evaluate their CR activity.

If annual CR reports are any indication, companies are making progress in tying CR actions to a variety of both social and business outcomes. Managers are setting ambitious CR-related goals, and, in many cases, achieving them. For example, 3M plans to reduce emissions by 50 percent over the next fifteen years with expected savings to the company of $200 million. More examples of the direct route to CR value are shown in Figure 3.1.