Broadly speaking, Corporate Responsibility or Corporate Social Responsibility (commonly referred to as “CR” or “CSR”) is a commitment and sense of responsibility towards the community within which a company or brand operates. It speaks to a sense of obligation and duty to operate in a manner that will provide a positive and lasting impact on society.
In the collegiate industry CR most often takes the form of affiliation with the Fair Labor Association or Worker Rights Consortium, the adoption of a Code of Conduct for the manufacture of licensed merchandise, and/or more rigorous requirements for licensees with regards to their supply chain transparency.
As part of becoming a Lehigh University licensed vendor, vendors are required to committ to a code of conduct that states they are conducting their business affairs in a socially responsible and ethical manner consistent with their respective educational, research and/or service missions, and to protecting and preserving the global environment.