Earthenterprise Tool Kit - International Institute for Sustainable ...

EarthEnterprise Tool Kit
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refrigerated trucks across North America. Vermont, of course, benefits by
keeping jobs and suppliers close to home.
In his “Declaration of Sustainability,”in the September/October 1993 issue of
the Utne Reader, Hawken calls Ben and Jerry’s “America’s premier socially
responsible company. Are there flaws? Of course. Welcome to planet Earth. But
the people at Ben and Jerry’s are relaxed and unflinching in their willingness to
look at, discuss, and deal with problems.”
In a published interview, company co-founder Ben Cohen said,“When we first
started out with our social mission, the lawyers, accountants, pundits, and
business people all said it would be our undoing.Ironically, it’s because of these
values and actions that we are becoming so profitable.” Economics professors
Stephen Erfle and Michael Fratantuono at Pennsylvania’s Dickinson College
have studied the link between companies’social performance and profitability.
They found a positive correlation between profits and the following five criteria:
e nv i ronmental performance, a dvancement of wo m e n , a dvancement of
minorities, charitable giving, and community action.
In an era when companies are not trusted and everybody’s a cynic, being open
about your failures, as well as your achievements, can go a long way toward
building trust and cultivating loyalty.
A Commitment to Honest and Accessible Public Relations
“There is nothing more damaging than a spokesperson who does not know or
care about the issues,”wrote John Elkington and Peter Knight in their book, The
Green Business Guide.
Successfully conv eying information about your company to customers,
journalists, the local community, and anybody who has an interest in what you
do requires an up-front approach and clear, understandable language. People
naturally fear or are skeptical of what they don’t know. With knowledge comes
familiarity, security, and often support.
In recent years, many consumer products companies have established toll-free
telephone numbers to sell merchandise and respond to customer inquiries.
When staffed by knowledgeable and courteous personnel, 800 numbers can
provide information on how products are made and how to dispose of them
safely. They can also convey a “corporate soul.” By the same token, an 800
operator who is not helpful and is unable to answer or redirect questions will
frustrate and annoy customers.This can be especially damaging when the caller
is phoning about a real or perceived risk or hazard.
Companies that make or sell highly technical equipment and products face
another challenge: scientists and technicians are often incapable of explaining
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INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT