We are currently facing very difficult and challenging times.

The world is just recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, during which many lives were sadly lost and millions of people lost their jobs. Moreover, we are witnessing many unprecedented social and environmental events: global warming, resource scarcity, drought, famine, migration, and social conflict – all caused primarily by human pressures on natural resources and the planet.

This has resulted in increasing inequalities both between industrialized and developing countries as well as between social classes. With such intense human pressures, scientists believe that the Earth has entered a new era called the “Anthropocene Epoch”, an unofficial unit of geological time, used to describe the most recent period in Earth’s history when human activity started to have a significant impact on the planet’s climate and ecosystems, as per the National Geographic’s definition. This new era means that “We are the first people to live in an age defined by human choice, in which the dominant risk to our survival is ourselves” (UNDP Human Development Report, 2020).

This is extremely significant for Madagascar. According to an article published by CIRAD in 2019, “Madagascar has lost 44% of its natural forests since the 1950s and the rate of deforestation is increasing,”[1] threatening Madagascar's unique biodiversity and the livelihoods of millions. Moreover, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a recession in 2020 comparable to that of the 2009 political crisis and the reversal of close to a decade of progress in poverty reduction, plunging nearly 1.4 million people into extreme poverty due to loss of jobs and incomes (World Bank, 2020), not to mention the drought and famine in the South of the Island.

It is a critical moment for changing behaviors and calling into question our modes of production and consumption because economic and human activities have, as direct consequences, the loss of community livelihoods and the loss of resources that companies need in their production. This weakens the economy and the development of the entire country.

In the face of such challenges, the question remains: What path are we going to take in order to build a better future and to ensure Madagascar’s sustainable development?

Everyone has a role to play; however, companies remain a central actor in economic and social development. Indeed, as economic actors, enterprises are not only the first providers of employment and social value, but are also corporate citizens contributing to sustainable development. It is for this reason that the Salon RSE & IDD was initially developed; the October 2022 event will mark the seventh edition of this annual event.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a concept whereby “Companies voluntarily integrate social and environmental concerns into their business operations and in their interactions with stakeholders. In other words, CSR is the contribution of companies to sustainable development issues. A company that practices CSR will seek to have a positive impact on society while being economically viable." (European Commission).

Businesses are becoming increasingly aware that companies and communities constitute a single entity, as one cannot survive without the other. It is difficult for a company to survive in a hostile and risky environment just as it is difficult for a country to develop without a strong and resilient private sector. Thus, by integrating social and environmental objectives into its strategy, a company is able to build its own sustainability.

In Madagascar, various studies and a current analysis of trends show a rather disparate practice of CSR, often determined by the sector of activity, the size of the company, and the level of knowledge and expectations of these companies' stakeholders.

In industries having a strong social impact, for instance, CSR is largely determined by environmental and social compliance, in conjunction with risks and impacts combined with the implementation of approaches and actions that meet the expectations of stakeholders such as local communities, investors and civil society.

For companies that export their products, commitment is generally motivated by certification, which is a condition for access to markets. Other companies that require an abundant, quality workforce direct their actions towards the development of human capital and professional training. This is the case, for example, in sectors such as textiles and new information and communications technology, where a company's sustainability and the achievement of its objectives depend on a quality workforce in sufficient quantities.

Other companies are going further by integrating the Sustainable Development Goals into their core business. We are talking more often about companies having a mission and about social companies, mainly driven by a new generation of entrepreneurs who want to bring value to the country while generating profit.

Often seen as a communications and risk management tool, CSR could and should contribute to building social cohesion within a company and with its stakeholders, to establishing a dynamic and motivating work environment for employees, and especially to strengthening a company's competitiveness. For the most committed, a CSR approach contributes to stimulating and inspiring a change in behavior and production methods within an entire value chain or in the sphere of influence.

Regarding the question as to whether or not CSR is outdated, let's ask ourselves instead how we can go beyond the way we perceive CSR and how we can consider it as an approach to creating value, improving competitiveness, and being a vector for social change.

Despite very timid beginnings, the path to sustainability is definitely well outlined for Madagascar. CSR and sustainable development have managed to find their way into debates and exchanges, but more importantly, into the center of various parties' concerns and into companies' core business.

During these difficult and challenging times, we cannot take our planet and our resources for granted. We must transform our differences in order to think together about common solutions to these problems. By putting business at the center of economic development through the creation of decent jobs, safe and dignified working conditions, and by creating solutions or technologies that address our daily challenges, we each have our roles to support these initiatives and to take positive and transformative actions that contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda.

Let’s move forward together towards sustainability, since we have reached the point of no return. The power is in our hands!

[1] https://www.cirad.fr/les-actualites-du-cirad/actualites/2019/science/deforestation-a-madagascar-concilier-developpement-et-biodiversite.