Abstract

Changes in French environmental legislation since 2010 require major companies to establish a corporate social responsibility policy. Although very small, small, and medium-sized companies are not as yet required to comply with these obligations, some of them consider that it is necessary to develop provisions addressing this concept, and even to fully embrace them. In view of the particular character of VSEs and SMEs, which are informal in nature, characterized by intuitive strategies, and have limited access to information, this reconnaissance study examines the role of agricultural cooperatives in disseminating information about CSR policies and implementing them in the industry. A preliminary series of qualitative interviews shows that these organizations are taking responsibility for assimilating the regulations in order to prepare their members, and that the existence of certifications is useful in this regard. The reconnaissance nature of the study has enabled us to formulate two research propositions, to be tested by future investigations.

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