An analysis of the practices of social responsibility and sustainability as strategies for industrial companies in the furniture sector: a case study

Mello, Mario Fernando de; Mello, Arthur Zago de

doi:10.1590/0104-530X1625-16

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Articles • Gest. Prod. 25 (1) • Jan-Mar 2018 • https://doi.org/10.1590/0104-530X1625-16 copy

An analysis of the practices of social responsibility and sustainability as strategies for industrial companies in the furniture sector: a case study

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

Changes in worldwide reality indicate the need of a responsible entrepreneurial awareness in the development process, and require socially responsible and sustainable attitudes and practices from businessmen. The current research aimed to analyze these practices and the correlation between social responsibility management, sustainability and the strategies of furniture industries. This paper is a qualitative and descriptive research of a case study with semi-structured interviews. The empiric concretization of this qualitative research happened in two furniture factories located in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. The results highlighted the importance of social responsibility and sustainability once these themes are part of these company values. As internal challenges, they pointed out internal barriers for the implementation of sustainability; and also showed that sustainability and social responsibility are not part of the essential aspects of the business but are complementary ones. As external challenges, in a broader way, we verified that companies involve their suppliers, customers and their communities in some kinds of actions aiming to understand the questions about social responsibility and sustainability. The data collected and analyzed allowed us to realize that these enterprises give importance to the sustainability and to social responsibility and that their practices contribute positively for the economic and social performance of the organizations.

Keywords:
Furrniture industries; Strategies; Social Responsibility; Sustainability

Year	Billing	Growth commpared to the previous year
2010	40.8	Not available
2011	50.8	24.5%
2012	55.7	9.7%

Year	Billing	Growth compared to the previous year
2010	450	Not available
2011	550	22.2%
2012	650	18.2%

Importance of sustainability
Internal challenges with the employees
Company	Challenges	Research information
A	Internal awareness	“[...] we have sustainability as one of the values of the company.” “[...] planning highlights of the positive aspects of doing things conscientiously without compromising the development of future generations.” “[...] issues on the sustainability tripod are highlighted, especially in the actions of the PGQP (Quality and Productivity Program of Rio Grande do Sul state) that the company participates in.” “Much is worked on the concepts of PGQP, which is the management tool used by the company.”
A	Dynamics in favor of sustainability	“Courses that involve sustainability, workshop and evaluation program of the PGQP (Gaúcho Quality and Productivity Program).” “Through training, information passed through internal communication channels [...]” “Through meetings the importance of avoiding waste is passed on to everyone.”
B	Internal awareness	“Through private consultancies and explanatory and expository meetings within the company.” “[...] we instruct our employees on the need not to waste the raw material ... and how to discard the unusable.”
B	Dynamics in favor of sustainability	“Through talks and meetings with the team, explaining the needs and forms of application and the return that is gained from sustainability.” “[...] we instruct our employees not to waste the raw material, but to reuse and reinvent [...]”

Barriers in the implementation of sustainability
Main barriers
Company	Barriers	Research information
A	Internal awareness	“[...] cultural barriers such as lack of knowledge of people, resistance to change and adoption of new habits and posture.” “[...] difficult to change and accept [...]” “[...] lack of a sustainable stance.” “[...] we all want to be part of a sustainable company.”
B	Internal awareness	“Yes, there is no planning and proper guidelines for such an implementation [...]” “[...] there is no support from the competent municipal bodies [...]”

Sustainability and social responsibility in the company’s business strategies
Integration of sustainability and of social responsibility
Company	Sustainability and social responsibility – actions	Research information
A	Sustainability in strategies	“Integrates through the search for new technological equipment that aim at sustainability.” “Yes, sustainability is in the company’s values.” “[...] strategic planning that contemplates actions in all areas, actions aimed at the development and well-being of all stakeholders in the business.” “Yes, through well-founded action plans.”
A	Social respnsibility in strategies	“[...] strategic objectives in the area of human resources that meet social responsibility.” “Through strategic planning that contains actions that work the welfare of employees and the community where the company is inserted.” “It is embedded in organizational strategies.” “[...] work environment where employees feel good.”
A	Sustainability has been an important factor in improving the company's image	“[...] linking sustainability to a brand is always positive ... the company has not used sustainability in a major way in campaigns [...]” “The company has not worked sustainability with the focus of improving the company's image [...]” “[...] there is sustainability in our process, but it is not being disclosed to the market.”
A	Sustainability has been an important factor in improving the company's image	“[...] we do not work on this theme with a focus on improving the image.” “Yes, because it demonstrates that it is an innovative and up-to-date company in social management [...]” “[...] actions are taken that affect local society more [...]” “Yes, because we want to consume products of companies that are not interested only in profit, but rather that use their strength for the common good.”
A	Sustainability and Social Responsibility in Profit Sharing (PLR)	“The company has PLR, but sustainability is not tied to PLR.” “The company has PLR, but it has no connection [...]”
A	Sustainability as part of the company's performance appraisal	“I do not know how to say ... but it should be part of having a real performance coefficient.” “Not part of it.”
A	Role of employees in relation to sustainability and social responsibility	“Must have a receptive attitude to new habits, more interest in learning, develop the spirit of teamwork [...]” “[...] participate in the actions that the company promotes.” “Should disseminate knowledge to its colleagues, especially to the next generation.”
B	Sustainability in strategies	“It is in the organizational strategy, aiming short and long term benefits to our employees, the company and society in general.”
B	Social Responsibility in strategies	“It is inserted separately from the corporate actions, because there is no specific planning [...]” “We act alongside those who seek the company [...]”
B	Sustainability has been an important factor in improving the company's image.	“Certainly, the investment in lectures and equipment to reduce the amount of pollutants, brought good benefits to the company.” “We have a machine that processes the waste of paints and solvents, which, once processed, returns to us in more clean and occupational solvents [...]” “Yes, we tried to build and maintain a company profile focused on these issues.”
B	Social responsibility has been an important factor in improving the company's image.	“We are certainly recognized by the local community in providing help [...]” “We donate MDF leftovers to schools and entities for handicrafts.”
B	Sustainability and Social Responsibility in Profit Sharing (PLR)	“It does not have “PLR.”
B	Sustainability as part of the company's performance appraisal	“Yes, through the reduction of costs to the company, or even generation of income on reused materials, part of the income destined to employees.”
B	Role of employees in relation to sustainability and social responsibility	“Participatory, committed and entrepreneurial.” “[...] we are careful not to damage the life and daily life of our neighbors and to not harm the environment [...]”

Internal education focused on social responsibility and sustainability
Internal formation
Company	Training actions	Research information
A	Managers	“Yes, through courses, lectures, workshops [...]” “[...] yes, as the company participates in the PGQP, it provides several training opportunities [...]”
A	Employees	“Yes, but not in a way that reaches everyone.” “Not directly, but there are lectures whenever possible [...]” “Yes, in the formation of CCQ groups (circle of quality control) we talked a little about the subject [...]” “Yes, through meetings [...]”
B	Managers	“Yes, by means of programs and lectures carried out, for example, by SENAI and SEBRAE.”
B	Employees	“Yes, through meetings and lectures” “We instruct our employees ... on how best to use it and how to discard the non-usable items”

External challenges in relation to social responsibility and sustainability
External challenges involving stakeholders
Company	Challenges - Actions	Research information
A	Involvement of suppliers	“Sensitizing the actions that the company proposes to do.” “Through an evaluation that is carried out before choosing the supplier.” “Through purchasing criteria where the question of sustainability has weight in the decision.” “[...] requiring raw materials from reforestation.”
A	Involvement of consumers	“Through the dissemination of materials on the subject in its magazine made exclusively for consumers [...]” “Announcing that the raw material comes from reforestation.” “I have no knowledge.”
A	Involvement of the communitiy	“Through partnerships with charities and openness to schools and universities for visitation.” “Opening to visitation of institutions and disseminating the techniques applied in the company.” “We are always open to guests [...]”
A	Hiring consultancies to develop sustainable strategies	“For this specific purpose not, but several papers proposed by external partners address this issue.” “It was recently concluded a consultancy of a Lean Production course, where he had themes involving sustainability.”
B	Involvement of suppliers	“Buying veneers from reforestation forests and paints with a lower degree of pollutants [...]”
B	Involvement of consumers	“We instruct for the correct disposal of furniture which is not being used anymore.”
B	Involvement of the communitiy	“Lectures, informational flyers distributed in the community.” “We donate the leftovers from MDF to entities for handicraft purposes.”
B	Hiring consultancies to develop sustainable strategies	“Yes, through the furniture network we have partnerships with SEBRAE to get consulting services.”

Universidade Federal de São Carlos Departamento de Engenharia de Produção , Caixa Postal 676 , 13.565-905 São Carlos SP Brazil, Tel.: +55 16 3351 8471 - São Carlos - SP - Brazil
E-mail: gp@dep.ufscar.br

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