This is a response to Heidi Upham’s blog post, “Ben and Jerry’s – More Than Just Ice Cream”

A worker at Foxconn.

Ben and Jerry’s, and the Unilever criticism highlights the importance of corporate responsibility and the value that consumers put on a concise and ubiquitous brand image, even when it comes to that companies suppliers, subsidiaries or parent companies.

In recent years it has become of greater importance to the consumer that from idea to production a consumer good, weather it be ice cream or an iPhone, has to be ethically and morally unimpeachable. Take the Foxconn scandal that blindsided Apple when dozens of Foxconn employees committed suicide. Surprisingly, instead of directing the majority of criticism at Foxconn for its poor working standards consumers and the media targeted Apple stating that the company should be insuring that its manufacturers are using proper working conditions[1]. This may have come as a shock to Apple seeing as they were relatively powerless when it came to drastically changing another companies internal operations however, when faced with the criticism Apple was quick to save face and initiated a campaign to enforce worker safety in Foxconn factories.

This idea of a through and through corporate social responsibility from idea to production should be of the upmost importance to consumers. By holding not only major companies such as Foxconn accountable, but also holding those who employ Foxconns services, such as Apple, accountable the business landscape will shift and more individuals will benefit from increased worker safety and socially responsible products.

[1] http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2012/09/12/apples-new-foxconn-embarrassment/