II. A corporate social justice approach

Executive Summary

• Taking a social justice approach means integrating positive and equitable social outcomes as a primary objective of a strategy, decision, or action.
• Applying this approach in a corporate setting builds on existing efforts (in particular, human rights-based approaches) to mitigate negative social impact and risks but raises the bar on process and objectives.
• The approach diverges from business as usual in five key ways, and meaningful application requires a clear-eyed understanding and commitment to these shifts.
• Applying a social justice approach shouldn’t be separate from core business activities—it is a lens that can be applied directly to strategy development and implementation.
• Corporate approaches don’t have to be all or nothing. Companies can apply a social justice approach organization-wide or test in specific instances.

Businesses aiming to incorporate social justice across their value chain can leverage this guide to build their social justice approach. The four social justice pillars (human rights, participation, equity and access) are guardrails for informing and directing corporate strategy.

The Center for Business & Social Justice (CBSJ) has created a 23-page, downloadable PDF that defines the key terms related to corporate social justice and provides a framework for engagement to help businesses address social justice issues.