While sustainability is becoming a prevalent statement when companies are trying to promote their visions, I feel that it is mostly for lip service and utilized as a vehicle to enhance a company’s profile. This is discussed in Vivian’s post, where she poses some questions that influential companies like Coco-Cola state sustainability is “the most critical issue”, but are “they doing it for the right reason?”

I feel that most companies do not; while there may be individual companies that have sustainability as a fundamental value, many publicized companies such as Coco-Cola and Pepsi are about jumping on a bandwagon, merely stating the desire to help improve the world and asking people to support the movements. Ultimately, the major companies are still maximizing their profits, and if marketing the brand as a socially aware company sells, they will incorporate it as a tactic. Last week I went into the Body Shop, and while there are two sales associates explaining the various deals that the company offered, they did not focus on the ethically produced products.

Unfortunately, it seems rather idealistic to hope that sustainability becomes mainstream as it seems to be merely another marketing tactic for companies to entice consumers.

Picture URL: http://2sustain.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Coca-Cola_GiveItBack_logo1.jpg