More than 80% of companies are implementing corporate social responsibility and environmental initiatives. This approach has become essential over the years. The RSE-IDD exhibition is the first dedicated CSR trade show in Madagascar. An increasing number of companies are adopting CSR. The tenth edition of the RSE-IDD salon kicked off yesterday at Novotel Alarobia. Under the roofs of around fifty stands set up in the hotel's parking lot, hundreds of companies are working to promote their corporate social responsibility and environmental (CSR) models. This practice has gained momentum over the past decade and green initiatives are multiplying.

"Ten years ago, when we talked about CSR in Madagascar, it was vaguely limited to social actions, distribution of goods to local communities and occasional reforestation, with no real impact. But companies are now aware of the need to adopt this approach and have integrated it into their development strategies," explains Ulrichia Rabefitiavana, director of Innoveo consulting firm, which has been behind this salon for ten years.

According to surveys conducted by the firm, more than 90% of companies that participated in the salon are now convinced of the importance of taking social and environmental issues into account. Some have even made it their core business. Their vision is to ensure this model works and to demonstrate it. "When it comes to companies, we immediately think of profits and revenues. But for a company focused on environmental and community impact, this may not be obvious at first; that's what really makes the difference," says a small and medium-sized enterprise operating in agribusiness.

Support
It has made CSR its flagship, although this was not obvious during its first year. "It was only from the second or even third year that I was able to have stable income," says the head of this SME.

Nevertheless, these initiatives are finding support from private investors and the State, which has decided to make CSR an essential approach to investment. And for good reason: for a company supposed to make a profit, CSR is first and foremost an investment. The State wants to support these initiatives and even encourage them. "Companies' commitment to practicing CSR shows that there are opportunities and jobs being created. It also demonstrates that companies contribute to social development, environmental preservation and value creation," said Ny Riana Nampoina Raharimanjato, Minister of Industrialization and Private Sector Development, yesterday.

The legal framework related to investments has even been revised to allow companies to implement their CSR approach. In 2023, Madagascar revised its investment law. This new law gives significant importance to CSR. The authorities have also put in place a national CSR strategy. "The objective is to make this practice a tool for competitiveness for Madagascar, through companies' contribution to the preservation of natural resources and value creation for communities and the country," explains the strategic document that Madagascar plans to implement until 2030.

The State plans to rely on the private sector to achieve this objective. The country has also enacted CSR Decree No. 2024-1354. It sets the standards to be respected by companies that choose to integrate CSR. It also defines the rules of the game (waste management, good neighborly relations, inclusion) and provides for compensation and tax benefits to reward committed structures.