Companies step up community work, image matters

By Karen Jacobs

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Some U.S. companies are stepping up their involvement in social activities as research shows such issues are having an influence on what consumers buy and where they choose to work.

"The marketplace is demanding that companies share what they stand for, so companies are looking to align themselves around issues that are relevant to their business," said Jeff Terry, a vice president for Cone Inc, a Boston brand strategy and communications firm.

A survey of 330 business and private sector leaders released last month by the Business for Social Responsibility, a San Francisco nonprofit business association, found that 82 percent of respondents felt social responsibility would become a higher priority for companies in the next five years, driven by consumer behavior and concern about corporate reputations.

At a Habitat for Humanity project this week in Los Angeles, companies such as Home Depot Inc, Dow Chemical Co and Whirlpool Corp donated tools, insulation and other products to help build more than 30 homes.

"We believe that a part of our responsibility is to help society," said Brian Maynard, Whirlpool's director of corporate responsibility.

Whirlpool has donated $34 million to Habitat for Humanity globally in the last eight years. It gave 30 staffers time off with pay to participate in this week's Habitat build, an annual event hosted by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter to build homes for lower-income families.

The appliance maker also funds its own housing project called Building Blocks, a yearly event during which it works with Habitat affiliates to construct homes in various U.S. cities. Whirlpool built 10 homes in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006, nine houses in Phoenix this year and will build in Dallas next year.

"If we help solve the issue of affordable housing..., ultimately you have healthier families, other homes get built, communities become stronger and self-sustaining and people buy appliances," Maynard said.