Public Relations and Responsible Citizenship: Communicating CSR and Sustainability

This chapter offers a critical public relationspublic relations perspective in its exploration of the role of communicationcommunication in corporate socialsocial responsibility and sustainabilitysustainability . It explores the contradictions inherent in public relations in relation to both organisational communication and activism. Certainly, industry practices such as greenwashing and astroturfing appear to undermine the possibility of public relations being perceived as an ethical and socially responsible occupation. This chapter, therefore, considers the public relations role in conceptualisations of socially responsible citizenshipresponsible citizenship through a discussion of the role of public relations in CSR corporate social responsibility in the fashion sector. In the wake of the Rana Plaza tragedy in 2013, when more than 1100 textile and garment workers died, activists and consumers demanded fashion retailers and brands take greater responsibility for their social and environmentalenvironmental impacts. In exploring activist campaigns to promote ethical and sustainablesustainable fashion and corporate CSR corporate social responsibility programs in the sector, this chapter concludes that public relations, as practised by activists, NGOsNGOs and corporations, may contribute to more socially responsible behaviour on the part of organisations. However, without an authentic commitment to sustainability, there is a real riskrisk of CSR corporate social responsibility programs being perceived as little more than corporate propaganda and image managementmanagement .