Selected Aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Industry Related to the Production and Supply of Energy

Abstract

The development of the economy is related not only to its benefits, but also its negative aspects. One of the negative impacts is the impact on the environment and society. Many types of industry and, in a narrower sense, of enterprises, adversely affect their surroundings. It is one of the many factors that has contributed to the growing popularity of the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR). It is important to balance business and industry with the environment and community impacts. This study presents selected aspects of corporate social responsibility, such as society, the environment, and corporate governance in relation to the industry responsible for energy production and distribution. This group includes the energy sector (mining oil, gas, consumer fuels, and energy equipment and services), the materials sector (metallurgy and mining), as well as distribution (gas, electricity supply, independent energy producers, and renewable energy). The aim of the article was to present the level of implementation of the concept of corporate social responsibility in enterprises responsible for the production and supply of energy. The article uses the analysis of the literature and the statistical analysis showing the level of use of the described concept in the analysed entities. It was based on an analysis of 1904 companies from 41 countries around the world. The article presents the level of implementation of the concept of corporate social responsibility in selected sectors, divided into three areas: social, environmental, and corporate governance. In each of them, the analysis was performed with regard to the selected, most important factors. In addition, an analysis of the described industry, in relation to the others, is presented, which shows the level of use of individual CSR aspects. Thus, it shows which criteria are followed by enterprises in their activities and indicates the real areas of CSR impact on companies.