Triple bottom line corporate social responsibility: Social, economic, and environmental impact analysis of community-based water management program
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61511/esgsb.v2i2.2025.2640Keywords:
community organizing, corporate social responsibility, irrigation management, shared value, triple bottom lineAbstract
Background: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) environmental programs often face challenges in demonstrating measurable social, economic, and environmental impacts. The Irrigation Volunteer Forum (Forum Relawan Irigasi/FRI) in Klaten is a community-based water management initiative supported by CSR and multi-stakeholder collaboration. This study analyzes the triple bottom line impacts of the FRI program and its contribution to creating shared value for people, planet, and profit. Methods: This qualitative case study was conducted in Juwiring Sub-district, Klaten District, Central Java, from October to December 2024. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 25 informants, participatory observation, and document analysis. Data were analyzed using the interactive model of Miles et al. (2014). Findings: The FRI program generated positive impacts across three dimensions. Socially, it reduced conflicts in water distribution, increased trust among farmers, strengthened social solidarity, and improved institutional capacity. Economically, it eliminated irrigation pumping costs, reduced idle agricultural land, increased land utilization, and improved farmers’ income. Environmentally, the program restored blocked irrigation channels, rehabilitated previously unproductive land, improved water-flow efficiency, and supported ecosystem preservation. Key success factors included volunteerism, CSR support, multi-stakeholder collaboration, communication technology, local traditions of mutual cooperation, social solidarity, and inclusive gender participation. Conclusion: The FRI program demonstrates that community-based CSR initiatives can simultaneously generate social, economic, and environmental benefits through empowerment-oriented approaches. The findings show how partnerships between corporations and organized communities can create shared value using participatory water management practices. Novelty/Originality of this article: This study provides empirical evidence of the triple bottom line impacts of CSR-supported irrigation management and offers a replicable community-based model for sustainable value creation through people, planet, and profit dimensions.
References
Agrawal, A. (2001). Common property institutions and sustainable governance of resources. World Development, 29(10), 1649–1672. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-750X(01)00063-8
Ansell, C., & Gash, A. (2008). Collaborative governance in theory and practice. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 18(4), 543–571. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mum032
Armitage, D., de Loë, R., & Plummer, R. (2020). Environmental governance and its implications for conservation and sustainability. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 42, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2019.11.002
Banerjee, S. B. (2008). Corporate social responsibility: The good, the bad and the ugly. Critical Sociology, 34(1), 51–79. https://doi.org/10.1177/0896920507084623
Chambers, R. (2017). Can we know better? Reflections for development. Practical Action Publishing.
Dewi, R. K., Fauzi, A., & Juanda, B. (2021). Corporate social responsibility and sustainable agriculture development in Indonesia. Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies, 11(3), 263–279. https://doi.org/10.1108/JADEE-06-2020-0132
Elkington, J. (1997). Cannibals with forks: The triple bottom line of 21st century business. Capstone Publishing.
Emerson, K., & Nabatchi, T. (2015). Collaborative governance regimes. Georgetown University Press.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2020). The state of food and agriculture 2020: Overcoming water challenges in agriculture. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb1447en
Gilchrist, A., & Taylor, M. (2022). The short guide to community development. Policy Press. https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-short-guide-to-community-development
Haryanto, T., Talib, C., & Saptana. (2019). Farmer participation in irrigation system management in Indonesia. Water Policy, 21(4), 842–857. https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2019.chartered
Hidayat, R., & Sumaryono, H. (2018). CSR implementation patterns and impacts on community development in Indonesia. Journal of Asian Business Strategy, 8(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.1006.2018.81.1.10
Jalal, M. F. (2022). Critical analysis of corporate social responsibility practices in Indonesian mining sector. Resources Policy, 76, 102614. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2022.102614
Kusumawati, A., & Syaukat, Y. (2020). Sustainability assessment of community-based irrigation management in Java, Indonesia. Irrigation and Drainage, 69(3), 445–459. https://doi.org/10.1002/ird.2431
Mathie, A., & Cunningham, G. (2003). From clients to citizens: Asset-based community development as a strategy for community-driven development. Development in Practice, 13(5), 474–486. https://doi.org/10.1080/0961452032000125857
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Ministry of Public Works and Housing. (2020). Strategic plan of the Directorate General of Highways 2020–2024. Directorate General of Highways, Ministry of Public Works and Housing.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2021). The design of sustainable infrastructure systems: Harnessing the power of infrastructure for better lives. OECD Publishing.
Ostrom, E. (1990). Governing the commons: The evolution of institutions for collective action. Cambridge University Press.
Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. (2011). Creating shared value. Harvard Business Review, 89(1–2), 62–77. https://www.communitylivingbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Creating-Shared-Value.pdf
Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. Simon & Schuster.
Reed, M. S., Vella, S., Challies, E., de Vente, J., Frewer, L., Hohenwallner-Ries, D., Huber, T., Neumann, R. K., Oughton, E. A., Sidoli del Ceno, J., & van Delden, H. (2022). A theory of participation: What makes stakeholder and public engagement in environmental management work? Restoration Ecology, 30(1), e13641. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13641
Rosenstein-Rodan, P. N. (1943). Problems of industrialisation of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. The Economic Journal, 53(210/211), 202–211. https://doi.org/10.2307/2226317
Rothman, J., Erlich, J. L., & Tropman, J. E. (2008). Strategies of community intervention (7th ed.). Peacock Publishers.
Saputra, K. A., & Wibawa, I. M. A. (2018). Corporate social responsibility and corporate financial performance in mining sector: Empirical evidence from Indonesia. Journal of Economics, Business & Accountancy Ventura, 21(2), 283–291. https://doi.org/10.14414/jebav.v21i2.1630
Sudarmadji, Hadi, P., & Widyastuti, M. (2020). Pengelolaan sumberdaya air terpadu. Gadjah Mada University Press.
Tumpu, M., Hamdi, F., Affandy, N. A., & Rustan, F. R. (2022). Pengembangan sumber daya air (Vol. 1). IPB Press.
UN Women. (2023). Progress on the sustainable development goals: The gender snapshot 2023. UN Women.
United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. United Nations. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
United Nations. (2023). The sustainable development goals report 2023: Special edition. United Nations.
United Nations Development Programme. (2022). Human development report 2021/2022: Uncertain times, unsettled lives. United Nations Development Programme.
World Bank. (2022). Institutions for development: World development report background papers. World Bank.
World Bank Group. (2021). Indonesia menuju ketahanan air. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/indonesia/publication/indonesia-towards-water-security
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Bidiyah Siska Fiyana
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
