What if for every latte you bought or yoga class you attended you were also helping some one in Ghana get clean water or an education.
This is now a reality thanks to Karma Exchange created by Vancouverite Shannen O’Brian.
Karma Exchange was created to change the mindset of charity. Instead of encouraging people to change their lifestyle they want people to shop with heart. Companies contribute by agreeing to donate part of their proceeds to a Karma Exchange charity and consumers contribute by choosing to purchase these products over an alternative. Sometime they are also able to offer a deal the product as well as proceeds going to a charity. So really its a win-win situation for everyone involved.
Sites such as this are changing the mindset when it comes to not only charity but also purchasing decisions regarding the environmental, health and social practices of companies. Here are two more examples of sites that aim to inform and aid consumers in their sustainable purchasing decisions.
Good Guide is a tool available to consumers to help them make informed decisions about their products regarding environmental and social practices of companies as well as the health impacts of a certain product. Started by a team from UC Berkeley they believe that transparency is the key to more informed consumer purchases and aim to make this accessible through their website.
Ethical Deal is a site similar to Groupon or Living Social, however they only offer deals on companies that they consider sustainable. Their mission is to make green mainstream and they make sustainable choices more accessible to consumers through the discounts you can purchase on their site. They use 4 different categories to determine if a product can be featured on their site. These are: cares for the planet, respects animal rights, benefits the community, and promotes wellness
Is this shift towards transparency and social entrepreneurship the new way of doing business?
Thanks for sharing these examples of companies truly striving to make a positive change! To answer your final question I would say that there is definitely a strong shift towards transparency as consumers are beginning to demand more information and are making more responsible choices based on that information. Social entrepreneurship is also certainly on the rise, however, I think the only way for them to become the mainstream way of business is if we, as consumers, show our support in our everyday purchasing decisions by making choices that align with our values.
As for the examples you mentioned, I think the Good Guide is a brilliant website, however, my only worry is that only the consumers who already care about sustainability and social impact in their purchases will actually search out the information to make better choices. Also, for Ethical Deal, is it making sustainable purchasing choices more accessible or since it is a deal site could it still be fuelling consumption? Ultimately I think we will see a slow shift in purchasing behaviour and I do think that these companies are acting as positive catalysts!
-Ali Birston
my response: https://blogs.ubc.ca/jamesshaw/2013/03/30/social-enterprise-social-finance-social-everything/