Shawnee Love   •  
July 24, 2013

I am heartened by how often I see stories in the media about responsible capitalism (aka: corporate social responsibility, triple bottom line focus, etc.).  I am hopeful that karma will prevail and the good guys (companies that try to do good) will finish first (i.e., make more money, last longer).

Profit at the expense of people & the environment is gradually becoming socially unacceptable.  We still have a long way to go (as evidenced by the recent train disaster involving MMA and the myriad of other organizations who proudly report gargantuan profits) while:

• Firing local people in favour of using near slave labour in foreign countries,
• Using cheaper materials and shoddier parts, poorer quality fillers and feeds, and nasty chemicals, and
• Cutting “unnecessary” steps in production and quality control.

However, with consumers becoming more aware of the consequences of mercenary company actions and more savvy to the tools available to help make good choices, we predict responsible capitalism is here to stay.

One critical element of responsible capitalism is responsible people practices. Come back next week for a discussion on what those look like.  And in the meantime if you have some examples to share, please comment.