Social responsibility of business at the enterprises of the forest industry

Institute of Economics of Karelian Research Center of RAS, Petrozavodsk, Russian Federation

^* Corresponding author: Morozov589@gmail.com

Abstract

The article is devoted to one of the most important socio-economic categories - the social responsibility of business in the forestry sector. Forestry companies have been the target of public criticism for the mismanagement of forest resources, huge energy consumption, high exhaust emissions and water pollution. The forest industry faces challenges such as environmental safety, climate change and energy shortages. At the same time, it plays an important role in shaping sustainable development practices. With globalization and growing societal expectations for the sustainable use of forests, corporate social responsibility practices in the forest sector are gaining attention and increasing importance due to the environmentally sensitive nature of forest enterprises. CSR can help forestry companies improve stakeholder relationships, maintain legitimacy, achieve competitive advantage and ensure sustainable development. The article discusses the main aspects of social responsibility of business in the forest industry. Examples of implementation of CSR principles of forest companies of one of the server regions of Russia are given. It is shown that the social responsibility of forestry enterprises in the territories of presence as a tool for interaction between business, government and local communities is used only in subsidiaries of large federal companies. Small forest companies, on the other hand, have little incentive to support CSR principles. The fulfillment of social obligations for them is an exorbitant financial burden.