Are CSR and Sustainability a ‘First World Problem’? Western and Eastern European Perspectives

Abstract

CSR and sustainability are evolving concepts that need to be understood over time and in the context of events and conditions. They are fuzzily defined, they overlap and they are often (mis)understood synonymously. One of the authors understands them hierarchically, with sustainability as a subcategory of CSR. The other understands them as complementary, with CSR providing a narrow organisational perspective, and sustainability providing a broader systemic – planetary – perspective. In framing CSR and sustainability as First World problems, we recognise that we limit the perspective and stay within established boundaries of business models and corporate sustainability. At the same time, we propose to reframe the problem toward next generation solutions which no longer regard commercial success as the first priority. With regard to our initial research findings from interviews in Germany, the UK, Bulgaria and Romania, we conclude that the First World perspective is inadequate to describe the problem and possible solutions. Instead, we propose that sustainability communication become a strategic tool to reframe the question and thus open up new paths for innovative solutions.