So how do we vet the companies with whom we do business? How do we determine which businesses are fundamentally dedicated to the betterment of their communities and the environment, and which businesses have targeted us and are simply trying to take advantage of the new target market that we suddenly constitute?
This is, of course, a hard call. There’s no question that the larger a company becomes, in size and revenue, the more challenges they face in their efforts to do good. By all accounts, GAP participates socially, is focused on sustainability and is a good global citizen, as evidenced by its Gap (PRODUCT) RED line. At the same time, the scandal about working conditions in the factories abroad called their sincerity into question. As we search for the companies that represent us, what allowances do we give and what do we demand?
I wanted to mention a few companies that I have come into contact with over the past few years, places that are, across the board, doing good. You’ll notice that most of them are relatively small, and privately owned but I will continue to search for the larger, public companies that are maintaining their profits and their ethical standards, both internally and externally.
First and foremost, when researching a company, I look for a strong mission statement that combines the social AND the commercial goals.
Take Patagonia’s mission:
Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.
Or New Belgium Brewery’s Purpose and Company Core Values and Beliefs:
To operate a profitable brewery which makes our love and talent manifest…Kindling social, environmental and cultural change as a business role model of sustainable business.
Or Give Something Back Business Products’ description of the change they are seeking:
GSB seeks to delight our customers by helping them save time and money on their office products purchases. We provide rewarding careers for employees and support communities in which we do business by donating more than half our company profits to community organizations.
These are companies that have incorporated their commitment to their employees, to the environment, to their communities and to excellence in their own industries into their charter documents. As such, their businesses exist to make money, but they also exist to do good. The good is not secondary, it is part and parcel, and without it the business would cease to function.
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