Target, Ecolab, 3M excel with social responsibility efforts

According to the American Society for Quality’s 2008 Futures Study, social responsibility (SR) is a key leading force of change in quality. Investing in quality principles such as continual improvement, employee empowerment and reduction of errors and waste contribute to the overall SR profile of an organization. ASQ’s latest Quarterly Quality Report looks at the SR approaches taken by three very different companies: Target, Ecolab Inc. and 3M.

All three Minnesota-based organizations were represented on a social responsibility discussion panel held during ASQ’s World Conference on Quality and Improvement in Minneapolis on May 19. The panel was organized as part of ASQ’s national social responsibility initiative – the SRO –the Socially Responsible Organization, www.TheSRO.org. The initiative was launched to help the world understand the value of, and the business case for, social responsibility and the role of quality to achieve results.

To read the complete Quarterly Quality Report, visit http://www.asq.org/quality-report/reports/200906.html

Target: When a Teapot Is Not Just a Teapot
With nearly 1,700 retail stores in 49 states across the country, Target is a very well-known retail presence in the United States. The company’s social responsibility activities are geared toward establishing an image of Target in the minds of the public as a socially responsible organization.

Nate Garvis, senior public affairs officer at Target, says he thinks most people know what the company does, but oftentimes they don’t know how they do what they do. “I want them to think of us as a valuable entity in their world,” he says. “And that’s because they understand what we mean in the world. And what we’re trying to do in their communities. I like people to understand that the way we make money is a result of our focus not on being just an excellent merchant but understanding that excellent merchants can’t thrive in anything other than an excellent community.”

Target works to ensure that the communities in which it operates are as successful and healthy as possible. “It’s in our self-interest” to do these things, says Garvis.

Target is widely known for giving 5 percent of its pretax profits back to its community, a policy in place since 1946. Currently, that commitment amounts to more than $3 million per week channeled to organizations that support education, the arts and social services.

Ecolab Inc.: Working Through Others to Advance SR Goals
When you are in countless situations dependent on the safety of food and beverages, the cleanliness of utensils and the cleanliness of the commercial environments where food is prepared and consumed, chances are very good that you are being protected by one of the many products from Ecolab Inc. Ecolab cleaning, food safety and infection control products and services also are found in healthcare facilities, commercial laundries, hotels, schools and other commercial settings.

Many of Ecolab’s SR activities are focused on working with its institutional and commercial customers, helping them to be more sustainable and more socially responsible. The company wants to make sure its customers are providing a safe, clean environment for their employees and the customers who enter those locations by offering products that are sustainable and friendly to the environment. That is how it sees its greatest value and impact as a socially responsible organization.

“We want to make sure that we develop the best product that uses the least amount of energy, the least amount of water, a high level of safety, and at the end of the day there’s very little waste involved,” says Kristina Taylor, director of community and public relations at Ecolab.

3M: Social Responsibility, Innovation, Quality
3M produces thousands of imaginative products and is a leader in many markets—from healthcare and highway safety to office products such as Post-it and Scotch. Their success begins with an ability to apply technologies – often in combination – to an endless array of real-world customer needs. This focus on customers, and on the commitment of 3M employees to make life easier and better for people around the world, is the foundation for the company’s focus on sustainability and social responsibility.

3M’s operating philosophy is consistent with the United Nation’s “Sustainable Development” framework, commonly referred to as sustainability. More specifically, 3M pursues customer satisfaction and commercial success via a three-pronged approach that balances environmental protection, social responsibility and economic success.

“Companies with a long-term commitment to success must focus on all three components of sustainability – they are explicitly intertwined,” says Paul Narog, 3M’s manager of environmental operations. “In addition to focusing on financial success, obviously critical to the long-term health of an organization and all stakeholders, one must also act in a way that respects people and the environment. People and productive relationships are cornerstones of every business. Natural resources are limited and must be used wisely and in a renewable manner.”

Coming Soon: Guidance for Social Responsibility
The approaches of these organizations have been formed over a period of many years, shaped by their unique corporate cultures. And soon there will be a new tool that organizations can use to form their approach to social responsibility. The ISO 26000 Guidance on Social Responsibility is scheduled for release in 2010. ASQ is coordinating the U.S. involvement in the standard, serving as the U.S. Technical Advisory Group secretariat.

In its current draft, ISO 26000 defines social responsibility as the “responsibility of an organization for the impacts of its decisions and activities on society and the environment, through transparent and ethical behavior that: contributes to sustainable development, including health and the welfare of society; takes into account the expectations of stakeholders; is in compliance with applicable law and consistent with international norms of behavior; and is integrated throughout the organization and practiced in its relationships.”

The ISO 26000 international standard will lay out fundamentals providing guidance for the particular social responsibility choices that an organization makes. But the details will still be up to the individual organizations, ensuring a continued broad spectrum of social responsibility engagement.

For more information on the ISO 26000 standard, visit ASQ’s Standards Central at http://www.asq.org/standards/index.html.

The American Society for Quality, www.asq.org, has been the world's leading authority on quality for more than 60 years. With more than 90,000 individual and organizational members, the professional association advances learning, quality improvement and knowledge exchange to improve business results and to create better workplaces and communities worldwide. As a champion of the quality movement, ASQ offers technologies, concepts, tools and training to quality professionals, quality practitioners and everyday consumers, encouraging all to Make Good Great. ASQ has been the sole administrator of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award since 1991. Headquartered in Milwaukee, ASQ is a founding partner of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), a prominent quarterly economic indicator, and also produces the Quarterly Quality Report.