The Importance of Consumer Perception of Corporate Social Responsibility to Meet the Need for Sustainable Consumption

Abstract

Industries have to rethink their value creation processes in a sustainable perspective. In order to satisfy their stakeholders and pursue the well-being of society in the long term, manufacturers must operate under corporate social responsibility (CSR). Embodying the identity of multiple stakeholders, consumers are the key to ensuring the success of sustainability efforts. This chapter analyses the relevance of CSR from the perspective of consumer perception, which has been neglected thus far in literature. The chapter also embraces the idea that CSR and sustainable consumption are two sides of the same coin that need to be integrated in order to create sustainable industrial value. After the theoretical background, this work presents and discusses the results of an empirical research focused on an emblematic industry and brand. The findings support the idea that although a company is trying to seize Industry 4.0. opportunities for sustainability, its efforts can be partly hampered by consumers' lack of perception or their misperception.