Reconciling profit and morality
By
Store shelves stocked with Bob's Red Mill products (Shutterstock) |
Is “corporate ethics” an oxymoron? Do you have to be a jerk to be a successful CEO? Is exploitation the only path to profit?
The
good news is that many companies, big and small, in the food economy are
blazing a different path through Wall Street’s jungle of greed, demonstrating
that money and morality can be compatible.
Texas
supermarket chain HEB, for example, has drawn an intensely loyal customer
base by investing in good wages and benefits for employees, showing up in such
emergencies as pandemics, hurricanes, freezes, etc. to give essential supplies
and hands-on help, and being an involved and supportive neighbor to the
hundreds of unique communities it serves.
Elsewhere,
Maine Grains is “relocalizing” the business of milling grain by working
with local farmers who’d been abandoned by global grain marketers like Ardent
and Gold Medal. They’re producing nutrient-rich flours from heritage grains,
boosting the local economy in the process.
Then
there’s Bob’s Red Mill, which also artfully mills its products from diverse,
natural grains — and it’s 100 percent employee-owned.
These are part of a rising business alternative to the selfish, profiteering ethic of Fortune 500 titans.
Called certified B Corporations, they definitely exist
to make a profit, but they are equally focused on having a positive social
impact, prioritizing fair wages, environmental protections, and healthy
communities as core elements of their missions — even making those goals legal
requirements of their corporate charter.
Ben
& Jerry’s, Amy’s Kitchen, King Arthur Baking, and New Belgium
Brewery are just a few more of some 3,800 other businesses now organized
as B Corps. Though not pretending to be perfect, they’re at least striving to
be more than money grubbers, instead trying to contribute to the Common Good.
For more information on the products and practices of B Corps, go to BCorporation.net.
OtherWords columnist is
a radio commentator, writer, and public speaker. Distributed by OtherWords.org.