Examining corporate social advocacy in the context of sustainability and environmental justice (2022)

Organizations of all types have been more willing, in recent years, to engage in conversations about controversial or polarizing issues — from the Obergefell v. Hodges U.S. Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage to Black Lives Matter. While, in the past, ostensibly apolitical organizations have steered away from issues not directly related to their business where taking a stand might alarm or anger certain stakeholders, the trend of corporate social advocacy (CSA) has grown into a significant area of public relations practice and research. This study looks to build on existing research and push theory forward in two areas by: 1) Comparing previously studied CSA issues to the potentially polarizing context of climate change and climate justice communication and 2) Applying a new mechanism for understanding the psychology of consumer/citizen responses to stances on polarizing issues: Moral Decoupling Theory.