I came across this blog post on Pamela Ho’s blog concerning business ethics. The post describes Dole and Chiquita, huge banana distribution companies, and their accusation of an “environmentally unfriendly method for transporting and refrigerating their bananas overseas” 1.
Pamela comments on Dole and Chiquita’s use of Canadian tar sand oil to fuel their transportation: “By using the tar sands Dole and Chiquita’s main goal clearly is bringing in as much profit as possible” 1 . I think that while many companies do use natural resources irresponsibly, it’s important to distinguish between those that are intentionally irresponsible and try to get away with it and those that are just unaware. Perhaps Dole and Chiquita decided on a fuel source based on its location, Alberta, not its method. They aren’t the ones supplying the oil, an external distribution company is (Dole had to contact their suppliers after these allegations to verify no use of tar sands fuel). Of course, that brings up the point: companies should do their research before deciding on a fuel source.
But 30 years ago, maybe nobody would have cared where it came from. While it’s extremely important to pressure companies on their environmentalism, we have to understand that they are not always at fault. There’s a time to be corrective, but right now we have to be collective.
Word count: 200
References
1. Ho, Pamela. (2011, September 15). Business Ethics – Dole and Chiquita [Web log comment]. Retrieved from https://blogs.ubc.ca/pamelaho/2011/09/15/business-ethics-dole-and-chiquita/
2. Siegel, RP. “Hey Chiquita, Dole: Isn’t the Use of Tar Sands Oil Bananas?” Business Exchange. TriplePundit, 31 Aug. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://bx.businessweek.com/business-ethics/view?url=http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/08/tar-sands-oil-bananas/>.