From CSR to Place-Based Responsibility: A path toward Regeneration

Last week, a member of the executive committee at a leading food company said something that stuck with me:

“Place anchoring is the ultimate truth test. You cannot lie to a place.”

Her words capture a fundamental truth: corporate responsibility cannot rely solely on global strategies and abstract goals. The real test of impact happens at the local level, in the places where businesses operate.

For years, CSR has dominated how companies justify their impact. While it has achieved notable progress, such as carbon reduction initiatives and global charity efforts, CSR often feels disconnected from local realities. As environmental and social challenges intensify, businesses are beginning to recognize the need for a more grounded and authentic approach: place-based responsibility.

Ambitious promises, local oversights

Traditional CSR focuses on global challenges but often misses the mark locally. Sustainability pledges may aim for carbon neutrality, but they often overlook the immediate impact on the places where resources are extracted or goods are produced. Similarly, carbon offset projects in distant regions fail to address environmental impact at the source, while diversity campaigns often ignore the specific needs of local communities.

This disconnect is increasingly untenable. As the executive’s words suggest, places don’t lie. They reveal the true impact of corporate activities, often in stark contrast to polished CSR narratives.

The place as a truth-teller

Historically, businesses have viewed places as resources for extraction, locations to draw materials, exploit labor, or benefit from cost advantages. Mining companies, for instance, leave behind degraded ecosystems, while monoculture farming erodes biodiversity and local resilience.

Yet some companies demonstrate a different approach. They draw their identity and strength from a deep connection to the places they inhabit. Family-run enterprises, for example, often maintain local roots even as they expand globally. Artisanal industries, such as wine or cheese, celebrate the unique characteristics of their regions, reflecting a more thoughtful relationship with place.

From extraction to collaboration

Forward-thinking businesses are recognizing a critical truth: no company can thrive in isolation. Extractive practices may yield short-term gains but create long-term instability. In response, some companies are shifting toward collaboration, building partnerships with local stakeholders, engaging in circular economy initiatives, and co-creating solutions that benefit both business and community.

These efforts mark progress but remain only the beginning of a broader transformation.

A Regenerative approach: co-evolving with place

The next frontier in corporate responsibility is regeneration, a mindset that moves beyond sustaining the status quo to actively developing the capacities of the systems businesses depend on. Regenerative businesses view places not as static resources but as living systems, shaped by their history, geology, biodiversity, culture, economy,...

This approach transforms the role of a company. No longer an external actor, the business becomes an active participant in the evolution of its place, creating value that benefits both the local ecosystem and its own resilience.

The shift from CSR to Place-Based Responsibility offers more than a new framework, it is a beacon of hope for a regenerative future. By aligning their strategies with the unique potential of the places they inhabit, businesses can forge authentic relationships, foster thriving communities, and take on a regenerative role as stewards of the ecosystems they depend on.

As the executive reminded me: “Place anchoring is the ultimate truth test. You cannot lie to a place.” Businesses that embrace this truth unlock the potential for a new era of responsibility, one rooted in place, purpose, and regeneration!