Comments for Corporate Social Reality

Comment on Is Sustainability Just A Band-Aid? by Saulo Rozendo (@saulonet)

Saulo Rozendo (@saulonet) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 23:11:41 +0000

Hi David, Hi Henk,

I also look forward to hearing more about the methods to change consumer behavior at the 1% to purchase what is needed and not what is possible.

In a corrupted system of values, how do you deconstruct moral anchors and beliefs, and repurpose with sustainable values? That can be either by emotion or repetition.

Your post just gave both. Aloha,

Comment on Is Sustainability Just A Band-Aid? by davidcoethica

davidcoethica — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 22:32:11 +0000

Another tortured sustainability soul. Ignorance was bliss.

I can’t wait until you’ve refuelled your solar battery to hear your suggestions for the new partnership direction needed to change our course.

Comment on Build it (green) and they will buy? by moorthy

moorthy — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 08:29:44 +0000

A number of green products aren’t flying off the shelves the way companies anticipated. Why is it that the green revolution has taken companies by storm, but not consumers? With the environment at the forefront of consumer concerns, it makes one wonder, why consumers aren’t dropping the bad stuff and buying the good stuff. We build it, but they just won’t come

Comment on Needless Stakeholder Clash? Unilever, Greenpeace and the Palm Oil Wars… by tinekenoppers

tinekenoppers — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 21:49:20 +0000

I just want to remark that there is no such thing as sustainable Palm oil. These plants drain the destroyed rainforest grounds of all nutrition and nothing grows there afterwards for a long time. Sustainability is a fashion word, made up by these industries in order to give a responsible taste to palm oil. This is called greenwashing. A certificate cannot save the rainforest and the people and animals that live there. And no matter how much Unilever is trying to polish there image, it is stil a rotten company. If they want to take responsibility it is best that they turn them self in at the nearest police station! They really ought to pay for there crimes! They are not a hair better than Sinar Mas, if for example, you hire a contract killer, then should only the killer be punished?

Comment on Consumers, Do They Really Care? by Robin Cangie

Robin Cangie — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:58:07 +0000

A very nice explanation of the business advantages of CSR. I appreciate that you don’t limit your definition of CSR to the organizational level. The truly socially responsible business can transform not only its own ways of doing business, but also those of its vendors, suppliers, consumers, and everyone and everything that it interacts with. Ultimately, there are no externalities, but there are many opportunities to create greater flourishing.

Comment on It’s not always greener on the other side by Robin Cangie

Robin Cangie — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:32:41 +0000

I really enjoyed this post, especially your insight that going green is mostly the province of middle- and upper-class consumers in the wealthy nations of the West, who ironically still consume far more resources than their impoverished brethren. The bigger lesson, as you pointed out, is that no matter how eco-friendly our consumption becomes, we haven’t really changed anything about our basic ways of living, working and consuming. Too often, “green” business is still just business as usual.

And yet, business has so much potential for good. It can be nimble, innovative, even transformative in ways that governments and NGOs cannot. Integrating the 3 pillars of CSR into every aspect of doing business is a big step in the right direction, as is the recognition that if business is to thrive in the long run, it must not only preserve but actually create conditions that enable people and the planet to thrive, as well.

Comment on Consumers, Do They Really Care? by Stefan Portay

Stefan Portay — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 20:40:30 +0000

Good post and great point! Another example of how CSR is turning into the new competitive advantage

Comment on So, consumers don’t care? by Factors Influencing Purchasing Decisions « goodpurposeblog

Factors Influencing Purchasing Decisions « goodpurposeblog — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:41:31 +0000

[...] The goodpurpose study validates my claims. The most recent study found that when choosing between two brands of equal quality and price, consumers worldwide value social purpose as the deciding factor over design, innovation and brand loyalty. We’ve re-posted the old blog below, and hope you’ll take a look for insights into consumer behavior that should inform your business’ decisions today. So, consumers don’t care? [...]

Comment on CSR: It’s Evolution, Not Revolution by davidcoethica

davidcoethica — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 16:08:21 +0000

Good post Henk.

I too prefer CSR from the list of alternatives available (and more Twitter friendly!).

I would like something shorter and snappier and ideally covered the SME market too, but nobody has come up with anything better yet in my opinion.

Not perfect but widely accepted yet too often misunderstood.

Comment on Start Dating – The Rules of (Stakeholder) Engagement by Cathie Guthrie

Cathie Guthrie — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 01:52:07 +0000

I, too, have NGO DNA running deep inside of me. How often did I see myself in your statement: “they would rather see you ‘do the right thing’ than have you pay them to do something”. As an NGO there is the perennial suspicion of the ’cause-related’ factor and the risk of having your passion and intellectual capital diminished to a commodity that’s never quite valued in the same way you value it; changing its character to the unfamiliar. The quickest way to an NGO heart? Do the right thing!