Too Many Companies Say Good Rather Than Do Good

Is goodwashing good? The Economist has a rather glum report on the state of Corporate Social Responsibility suggesting that it might not be worth a company’s time if they’re not committed to making it a true part of their business. To be honest, the report gives ‘good’ a big kicking,the lead opinion article saying:

Some people complain that this sort of “good corporate citizenship” is merely another form of self-interest. Correct—and good. They should be happy that this category has grown. The difficulties with CSR come when companies get it out of proportion. For instance, there is a lot of guff about responsibility being at the core of a firm’s strategy. But even the business gurus who promote the idea admit that examples are scarce. And being a champion at responsibility does not guarantee great financial results, as recent setbacks at Starbucks and Marks & Spencer have shown.

Although we found the report ignored companies that really were driving the idea of good (like American Apparel, Method, Interface Carpets) and even investigated that the consumer attitude angle, it’s still a good check on the pulse of this movement.

Question: Like greenwashing, is goodwashing good if it at least gets companies talking about the idea of ‘good business’?

Economist : Just Good Business