ESGComplete

Compliance guide

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Policy Template

A corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy sets out how your business manages its social, environmental and ethical impact. This guide gives you a template structure, examples, and the exact sections supplier portals expect to see. Need it written for you? Get a portal-ready document.

Create my CSR document->See the template

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Key takeaways

  • A CSR policy is an internal-facing document that states your commitments across the environment, workplace, ethics and community.
  • Supplier portals (Felix, Avetta, CM3) often ask for a CSR or sustainability policy as part of vendor onboarding.
  • A strong policy is specific to your business, generic, copy-paste policies are easy for buyers to spot and may be rejected.
  • You can build one from the template below, or get a tailored CSR/ESG statement from ESG Complete for AU$499.

What is a CSR policy?

A corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy is a document that sets out how your business takes responsibility for its impact on society and the environment. It typically covers your commitments to ethical conduct, your people, environmental sustainability, and the communities you operate in.

For most small and medium businesses in Australia, a CSR policy isn't a legal requirement, but it's frequently requested by larger customers and supplier portals as evidence that you operate responsibly. A clear policy can be the difference between passing and failing a vendor onboarding check.

CSR policy vs CSR statement: what's the difference?

These terms are often used interchangeably, but there's a useful distinction:

  • A CSR policy is an internal rulebook: it states your principles and commitments and guides decisions.
  • A CSR statement (or sustainability statement) is an outward-facing summary of those commitments and what you're doing about them, often shared with customers and portals.
Many supplier portals accept either, as long as the document genuinely covers environmental, social and governance topics. ESG Complete's CSR/ESG statement is built to satisfy both needs in one PDF.

CSR policy template structure

Use this outline as your template. Each heading becomes a short section, a few sentences to a paragraph is plenty for an SME.

  1. Purpose & scope, why you have the policy and who it applies to.
  2. Our commitments, a short statement of your overall CSR stance.
  3. Environment, energy, waste, emissions and resource use.
  4. Workplace & people, health and safety, diversity, fair treatment, training.
  5. Ethical business conduct, anti-bribery, anti-corruption and fair dealing.
  6. Supply chain & modern slavery, how you expect suppliers to behave.
  7. Community, local engagement, donations or volunteering.
  8. Governance & review, who owns the policy and how often it's reviewed.
Avoid vague filler like "we care about the environment". Buyers look for specific, credible commitments tied to your actual operations.

How to write your CSR policy

Turn the template structure into a finished policy with these steps.

  1. 1

    Start with your real practices

    List what you already do, recycling, safety procedures, fair pay, local hiring. Most businesses do more than they realise.

  2. 2

    Map each practice to a section

    Slot your practices under the template headings (environment, people, ethics, supply chain, community).

  3. 3

    Add specific, achievable commitments

    For each area, state one or two concrete commitments you can actually stand behind.

  4. 4

    Reference recognised standards

    Where relevant, mention frameworks like ISO 14001, the GRI, or the Australian Modern Slavery Act to add credibility.

  5. 5

    Assign ownership and a review date

    Name who is responsible and commit to reviewing the policy annually.

  6. 6

    Approve and publish

    Have it signed off by a director or owner, then share it with portals or customers as needed.

Write it yourself vs done-for-you

Both work. Choose based on your time and how confident you are it'll be accepted.

DIY from this templateESG Complete
CostFreeAU$499 inc GST
TimeHalf a day~10 minutes of input
Covers ESG + CSR + slaveryIf you're thoroughYes, in one PDF
Portal-ready formattingYour responsibilityYes, professional PDF
Revisions if rejectedOn youTwo free revisions

Get a portal-ready CSR / ESG statement

One compliant PDF covering ESG, CSR and modern slavery, built to be accepted by Felix, Avetta and CM3. Usually delivered within the hour.

Sustainability Statement (CSR / ESG)

ESG, CSR and anti-slavery in one compliant PDF, built for supplier portals. (AU$499 inc GST)

Get started->

Modern Slavery Statement

A standalone, portal-ready Modern Slavery Statement for vendors who only need this one document. (AU$159 inc GST)

Get started->

Frequently asked questions

Is this CSR policy template free?+
Yes. The structure and guidance here are free to use. If you'd prefer a tailored, portal-ready document, ESG Complete can produce a combined CSR/ESG statement for AU$499.
Do small businesses need a CSR policy?+
It's rarely a legal requirement for SMEs, but larger customers and supplier portals frequently request one before onboarding you, so it's often needed commercially.
What should a CSR policy include?+
At minimum: your commitments across environment, workplace and people, ethical conduct, supply chain (including modern slavery), and community, plus who owns the policy and when it's reviewed.
Will this be accepted by Felix and other portals?+
Portals look for a genuine document covering ESG and social-responsibility topics. ESG Complete's statements are built to meet Felix, Avetta and CM3 requirements and include free revisions.

Related guides

ESG Statement Template->The ESG counterpart to your CSR policy.Modern Slavery Statement Template->Often requested alongside a CSR policy.Supplier Code of Conduct Template->Set expectations for your own suppliers.Create your CSR statement->Portal-ready PDF, usually within the hour.