Design Bundles: Making Corporate Social Responsibility a Priority in the Digital Design Industry

In the 21st-century business landscape, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is no longer an optional added-value pursuit. The modern consumer expects brands to deliver more than products and services. And knowing that an organization takes CSR seriously can sway consumers more than lower prices.
Meaning a robust and purposeful CSR strategy is not just the right thing to do but essential if you want to thrive in your industry.
The savvy consumer of today, in general, makes it their mission to identify how your business gives back and cultivates positive social value to the communities in which you operate. And if, like Design Bundles, you operate globally, consumers wish to know how your organization adds value to the world as a whole.
As a community-led business with a strong focus on exceptional customer service, Design Bundles are no strangers to putting their customers first. The company has put its best foot forward to prioritize CSR in their service delivery to help people, the planet, and creativity, making them industry leaders in this respect.
“I am from a customer service background, and so it has been extremely important to me from the very beginning to put ourselves in our customer’s shoes…By listening to our customers, we have really driven forward our ethos of putting our customers first by implementing changes and improvements they have requested….” said Andy Croft, co-founder of Design Bundles.
Bringing Sustainability to the Digital Design Industry
As of May 1, 2021, Design Bundles became the first in the digital design industry to achieve CarbonNeutral® company status. In an announcement on their website, Andy Croft stated that he and fellow co-founder Alex France “…are passionate about climate and making a difference.”
To achieve this sustainability milestone, the company offers support to the Darkwoods Forest Conservation in Canada. The conservation project ensures the protection of 150,000+ acres of forest across British Columbia, including native animals, trees, and freshwater systems. Darkwoods Forest Conservation offsets 400,000+ tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
“We’re trying to make Design Bundles a sustainable business by offsetting our carbon and supporting carbon-reducing initiatives. Our employees share our passion and also have their own ways of helping the environment,” continued co-founder Andy Croft.
By supporting Darkwoords Forest Conservation, Design Bundles offsets emissions from general electricity use and electricity usage from the company server. The company also uses a remote working model for internal and external stakeholders, further reducing carbon emissions by removing carbon-heavy daily commutes or traveling to meetings.
Integrating Ethics and Integrity into the Company Mission, Vision, and Values
A well-thought-out and purposefully constructed corporate social responsibility strategy should align with most (if not all) business areas, including the company mission, vision, and values. Ethics and integrity hold particular relevance to CSR and are both facets of Design Bundles’ core company values.
In the broader context of their values, ethics and integrity mean that Design Bundles as a whole aspires to do the right thing, and they are honest.
By integrating ethics and integrity into their company values (CREDIT: creativity, respect, ethical, diversity, integrity, and teamwork), they have embedded these traits into the ethos of the business. As a result, the co-founders and the Design Bundles team recognizes and implements ethics and integrity each day while striving to achieve the vision of becoming “the most comprehensive craft and design marketplace in the world.”
In short, en-route to achieving their commendable vision, integrity, and ethics are never compromised.
Supporting a Relevant Cause
Corporate social responsibility can take many forms, but whichever route you choose, it is essential to engage the broader team in the process – from planning to execution. CSR does not just benefit consumers; it helps build team morale because, like your customers, the modern workforce value being part of an organization that cultivates positive social impact.
Consider providing your team with paid volunteer days so that they can give their time to something they care about or donate to a cause or charity based on your business values and suggestions from the team.
Design Bundles have integrated this kind of team-centered program giving into their operations through a ‘charity roulette’ initiative. Each month the company picks a charity to donate to based on the recommendation of one of their team.
So far, they have donated to charities all over the world, including Mind, Parkinson’s UK, the Northern Colorado Down Syndrome Association, and the CFC ANCOP Global Foundation. Meaning they have created a positive social impact in local communities globally.