Beauty and Dignity

Well, after a long summer break it really is time to touch base, and where better than with a couple of great new initiatives that I came across?

The first, a lovely company called Saree, who make beautiful, Indian style clothes at reasonable prices, with strong personal relationships throughout the supply chain, with the designers, tailors and silk producers in India. Worlds apart from the grim conditions you often read about in this industry, this company shows how proper working conditions, good products and affordable prices can successfully go hand in hand.

I made my purchase and was handed my wares in a fantastic bag. I know there are now all sorts of alternatives to the common plastic carrier bag, but I was really taken by this one. It was made simply of newspaper, stuck very accurately with selotape, with soft cotton string handles. The sticker on it explained that it had been made by blind trainees of the technical training institute of the Poona Blind Men’s Association. So here we have a product that not only ticks the environmental box on several counts, but also provides work and dignity, where they might otherwise be hard to come by. Hats off!

An Ideal World

I muse…

in an ideal world, the consumer should not have to spend copious amounts of time researching before they shop. Global trading ethics would be clear and transparent, there would be a straightforward accountability system in place, and any company that chose not to trade in this way would be obvious to the end purchaser of the product. Audits would be available for responsible environmental practices and responsible behaviour towards labourers. Business’ would seek such guarantees from their suppliers and have the means to validate them. It would become normal for business’ to have community projects that they supported and to make this publicly known, so that those business’ that chose not to participate would again stand out to the consumer.

In some ways it sounds maybe too ideal and a way off in the future, but I’m not sure that it is so unachievable. If you look at the food industry for example, these days you take for granted that you look no further than the label if you want to know the ingredients used in a product and often in what proportion, and yet that is really a relatively recent legislation. Companies responded to the public concern about GM and are keen to inform consumers when their products don’t contain such ingredients. Organic food is now readily available with authentification. Whilst it is true that all this information does not tell the whole story (Not on the Label), there is nowadays far more information available to the concerned consumer to base their purchasing decision on, without having to be in the know or widely read.

Here at ResponsAble, we look forward to the day which we hope is coming soon, where business in general is able to shoulder the weight of the responsibilities it bears towards those it is in business with on every level, sustainable wealth creation, because it knows that governments, consumers, and stakeholders expect no less.