Corporate social responsibility refers to the way modern companies conduct business that allows the creation of a social, economic, ecological and sustainable development while maximizing the positive impact that the economy has on society and the environment while at the same time minimizing the negative impacts. The goal of any business is to make profit, but today, business is conducted in a community that has certain expectations of a company, as well as rules relating to social responsibility. The role of self-regulatory instruments is getting more important, and enterprises takes into account all these expectations and strive to exceed them. The aim and main focus of this work is to clearly show the connection between self-regulatory instruments and corporate social responsibility, and how be self-regulatory instruments are implemented in the business strategy of a company, what are the challenges in their implementation, but also the benefits that derive from them, and to analyze the characteristics, features and the role of self-regulatory instruments in any economy. The first chapter defines the term of corporate social responsibility and its development throughout history. In the second chapter the conceptual definition of self-regulatory instruments is given as well as their characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. In the third chapter, the emphasis is on ISO standards, the process of certification and the significance they have in everyday business. Finally, a few examples were given from Croatia that clearly show how to successfully implement social responsibility and self-regulatory instruments in order to strengthen their position in the market. With the implementation of self-regulatory instruments, companies are showing a concern, not only for the environment and the society as a whole, but also for future generations that remain behind us.