Anyone in the food industry knows that nutrition labels have revolutionized the way average consumers choose their food products. Informing the consumer with simple labeling so they can compare two similar products in order to make informed and healthy decisions has given birth to what we call “The Savvy Shopper”. This has been one of the key factors that helped health conscious food mainstream.
A new website has built on this model and used it as a template to track companies ethics and values. Project Label “strives to provide the consumer with a standardized way of comparing similar products in terms of the products’ social impacts. We believe that if you give the consumer information in a clear and simple way, the consumer will listen. As with food nutrition labels, social nutrition labels will motivate consumers to learn about social issues in order to make more informed decisions when choosing between product A and product B. The result will be a high demand for socially nutritious products and thus a greater supply. Companies will no longer have to make a financial sacrifice to create a positive social impact since the value of social nutrition is much high… which of course, would result in a happier and healthier society and planet.”
Just as “organic” was once a niche relegated to health stores, it’s my hunch that ethics-based consumer decisions will soon move steadily into the mainstream spotlight. We have so much of this kind of evidence in the Self-Actualization category. More than ever before, the idealistic principles of the 60’s are manifesting as viable biz propositions. This generation is hungry for a healthier society and planet… and they are proving you can have your hippy cake and make money while eating it too.
Project Label would definitely be at home in the Inner Balance™ wave but I think placing it in Corporate Hating™ works to remind us that the savvy consumers are on the look out and ready to expose and even vilify companies who don’t think anyone is watching.
The Corporate Hating™ essence is “Big Business listens when people start screaming”. Well, in my opinion, it would be an overstatement to say a huge amount of consumers are “screaming” for social responsibility in their products and services… BUT forewarned is forearmed right?
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