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As we close out 2014, here are Silicon Valley Community Foundation's predictions for what's ahead for CSR in the coming year:

"The Walt Disney Company has the best perception for citizenship, the report says, with about 50 percent of consumers surveyed saying that Disney supports good causes and protects the environment."

Well-designed corporate social responsibility programs increase revenue by as much as 20 percent, command price premiums up to 20 percent and increase customer commitment by as much as 60 percent, according to a study commissioned by Verizon and Campbell Soup.

Well-designed corporate social responsibility programs increase revenue by as much as 20 percent, command price premiums up to 20 percent and increase customer commitment by as much as 60 percent, according to a study commissioned by Verizon and Campbell Soup.

In his groundbreaking 1962 opus Capitalism and Freedom, economist Milton Friedman famously claimed that the "one social responsibility of business [is] to increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game."

A group of ten automakers - including BMW Group, Daimler AG, and Honda - have partnered to launch DRIVE Sustainability, which aims to "drive sustainability throughout the automotive supply chain by promoting a common approach within the industry and by integrating sustainability in the overall procurement process." CSR Europe is facilitating the partnership.

In 2016, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts had environmental achievements that included saving 12.2 million gallons of water, recycling more than 17,000 pounds of paper for charity, and recycling over 23,000 gallons of cooking oil, according to the company's latest CSR report.

Companies are increasingly seeing climate risks as a major bottom-line threat and viewing corporate sustainability as a must-have rather than an optional extra, writes Matt Timms. Finding effective environmental strategies and messaging remains a challenge, but a growing number of success stories are making it clear that CSR doesn't have to come at the expense of profitability. "[B]usinesses have a responsibility to acknowledge what many consider to be the defining challenge of our time," Timms argues.

There are several long-term threats to the global chocolate industry, not the least of which is climate change. Concerns over human rights have also convinced more consumers to be discerning about the choices they make when purchasing chocolate. Companies have responded in kind, as many have started to partner with nonprofits on projects ranging from mapping tools to supply chain transparency.

World Wildlife Fund is encouraging Climate Saver companies to help reduce global carbon emissions by 1.2 gigatons by 2020. WWF created the Climate Savers program in 1999 to give companies a way to partner to achieve environmental and sustainability goals.

MBA students from the University of California, Berkeley achieved a 50% return on investment from the school's socially responsible investment fund since 2008. The fund performed almost 5% better than the overall market from 2011 to 2014.

A Nissan vehicle plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, improved the plant's energy performance by 7.2 percent in gaining the SEP certification. The new system saves the facility $938,000 annually; Nissan's investment, $331,000, was recovered in just four months. - See more at: http://www.justmeans.com/#sthash.61g5GUht.dpuf