Day 10: Tesla and their CSR

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a business model which (along with being profitable) is able to take social accountability to itself and its stakeholder. This is done by integrating environmental and social justice concerns into their business model.

Tesla may not be reporting their corporate sustainability report however it is the very essence of their company which makes their purpose clear. They aim to ‘accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy’. While they do not indulge in this CS reporting they do release annual sustainability reports which provide sufficient information about their behaviour. In their most recent publication, they ensure that their aim is to largely increase the proportion of renewable energy. In fact, being an electric car manufacturer the whole company is built around this. With plans to build a dozen Gigafactories around the globe, they are also supporting the international/social aspect of the CSR. Providing thousands of jobs for all ethnic groups of different backgrounds.

In Australia over 30,000 homes are being powered by Tesla’s mega battery. Reportedly saving the residents a total of $116 million over the course of 2 years. This is linked to Tesla’s subsidiary company SolarCity which manufactures seem less solar panels into roofs of homes. Again a very sustainable endeavour. As well as being a publicly listed company with millions of shareholders to satisfy, they are also taking a large social responsibility outside of that.