THE LIVING ROOMS

Eco Echo column March 2010

A Question of Ethics

Jill Roberson, partner in Norfolk’s largest ethical trader, The Living Rooms in Poringland, redefines what ethical trading actually means.

It’s an old joke that for many businesspeople, Ethics is county between Suffolk and London, but this hoary old cliché has been gradually devalued by the ongoing campaign to bring an element of social responsibility into the corporate world.

This month’s Fair Trade Fortnight (which runs until the 7th March) is a very good example of the kind of activity which is changing things.  Originally set up to promote the FairTrade Mark, introduced initially into the food and drink sector, the campaign has widened its remit to the extent that the FairTrade brand itself is no longer the real focus of the campaign.

Instead, attention is increasingly turning to the wider ethical stance that businesses take.  Of course, treating the supply chain in a just and equitable manner is still vital, but there are all sorts of other ethical considerations to be taken into account as well.  Consumers are getting much more savvy about business ethics, and we therefore have to make sure we are keeping up with their expectations.

That’s why here at The Living Rooms we have been revisiting our ethical stance.  We have always been an ethical business, focussing on trading fairly with our many suppliers and producers in the developing world.  Now we have decided to widen our stated ethical position into five areas, which I share with you in the hope that other businesses may want to emulate some or all of these promises:

1. We will respect our supply chain and all those who work in it (the ‘Fair Trade’ value).  This means fair payment, promoting education and healthcare in the communities where we source goods, and operating a non-exploitative manner.
2. We will support small businesses to become sustainable, both in the UK and overseas.  By doing this we hope to promote diversity in business, especially owner-managed concerns.
3. We will respect the environment, minimising our carbon footprint and waste, and maximising recycling.  We will encourage our supply chain in this as well.
4. We will be fair in our employment practices.
5. We will promote ethical choices for consumers.

We will not do business with those using child labour, those exploiting the vulnerable, those exploiting the environment or those whose business practice is unfair or exploitative.

It’s a simple set of rules, and one which, to be honest, every business should be living by.  If you run a company, I urge you to examine how you do things, and create your own set of ethics (feel free to borrow from ours) – and then make sure you live by them.  If you are a consumer, then I urge you to ask the ethical question of every business which wants your custom.  And then we might succeed in making Ethics as important a word as Profit.

 Article published in Eco Echo March 2010