Corporate Social Responsibility and Philanthropy: Small & Large Acts of Kindness by Luxury Companies

Consumers are looking at what companies are doing with regard to social responsiblity. They are looking beyond donations and want to know how the companies are getting involved with the environment and society around them. This is especially prevalent with luxury consumers. A luxury brand's corporate social responsiblity makes a huge impact on the consumers choice to purchase its goods. What luxury brands are doing what in terms of CSR?

Luxury brand Louis Vuitton has a program with SOS Children's Villages called Parnership for Children's Futures. The partnership helps children who are orphaned, abandoned or whose families are unable to care for them. Worldwide, SOS Children's Villages cares for over 78,000 children and young people in 500 children's villages.

Bulgari works with Save The Children organization and has been raising millions to help children worldwide.  Gucci partners with the United Nations Childrens Fund and has environmentally friendly packaging.  Burberry has its own Burberry Foundation, which helps young people realize their creative dreams. Burberry also partners with 17 charity groups in Asia, America and in Europe.  Giorgio Armani has supported the following charities: American Foundation for AIDS, Global Fun, UNICEF, and RED to name a few.

Now more than ever consumers are scrutinizing what their favorite luxury brands are doing for others. There is and there will be an increasing social pressure to become more charitable, generous and attentive to society and the environment. The pressure is on and rightly so.

Discussing Corporate Responsibility: Burberry President Angela Ahrendts and Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey at Annual Vendor Conference, London.