Regenerative corporate social responsibility and stakeholder engagement practices in Nigerian companies: advancing planetary health and societal wellbeing

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to examine how Nigerian businesses operationalise regenerative corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices through stakeholder engagement to promote planetary health and societal wellbeing. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a qualitative multiple case study design involving 19 semi-structured interviews with managers and community stakeholders across firms in the energy, manufacturing, agribusiness, telecommunications and service sectors. Findings The analysis identifies three different sector pathways for enacting regenerative CSR. In energy and manufacturing, regeneration is institutionalized as corrective governance that focuses on environmental remediation, compliance and legitimacy repair. In agribusiness, regeneration is part of operational systems and produces integrated socio-ecological value for soil health, livelihoods and productivity. In telecommunications and services, regeneration mainly occurs through social investment infrastructures that promote education, health access and inclusion. Across all sectors, stakeholder engagement is a structurally uneven regenerative capability shaped by ecological exposure, regulatory pressures and livelihood interdependence. Originality/value The study advances stakeholder and regenerative business scholarship by theorizing regenerative CSR as a governance process shaped by context, rather than a universal business model. It provides rare empirical evidence from Nigeria and extends planetary health research to corporate governance discussion. The study also offers a sector-sensitive framework for designing regenerative CSR in emerging economies.