Corporate Social Responsibility 

Unlike larger corporations, small- and medium-sized enterprises are not generally faced with a explicit social demand for CSR. Nevertheless, their relations with their geographic environment and with the groups of interest in their immediate surrounding are generally very close and have a very direct impact on how these companies operate as well as on their prestige.

In the case of small- and medium-sized enterprises, CSR as a “form of management” is tied to the personal values and business attitudes of their owners or managers. Nevertheless, when managed responsibly and strategically, CSR becomes a valuable tool to help SMEs along the path towards "business excellence" within their own particular characteristics as regards size, sector, and geographic location. Here at the Directorate-General of Industry and SME (DGIPYME) we want companies to be fully aware of this potential, which is why we are carrying out the following programmes and initiatives:

Action taken by the Directorate General of SME Policy related to CSR of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises:

1. CSR – SME Initiative 
2. Micro-credit programme for female entrepreneurs and business owners
3. Subventions for SMEs for the implantation and certification of environmental management systems, as well as for innovative projects related to the efficient use of energy through the InnoEmpresa Programme.
4. Loans to innovative SMEs in sectors related to the environment, renewable energies, biotechnology, health, and social economy through the Empresa Nacional de Innovación, S.A. (the Spanish National Company for Innovation).
5. A study of the European approach to supporting the integration of CSR in small- and medium-sized enterprises: "SME CRS. A European Perspective"