Regardless of the industry you’re in, you must adapt and evolve with the times. As people become more aware and politically correct, society’s tolerance for unethical practices is waning impressively and global dissent is on the rise. The number of global protest have sharply escalated since the 2008 economic crisis, and over the last two years the number of protests around the world has doubled. People are pissed off.
When big profits are a company’s largest — and only concern — a lot of people end up suffering. Take, for instance, Volkswagen’s decision to install “defeat software” to cheat on emissions tests. One of the biggest companies in the world has affected people’s health and the environment, and the outrage was evidenced by people vehemently protesting in Berlin (and worldwide) last year against the auto conglomerate.
Because the old ways of doing things no longer work and a drive for unending profits is ripping the Earth apart, there is an unstoppable rise of a new set of business practices that emphasize positive impact on both people and the planet. Enter conscious capitalism: a more practical philosophy than corporate social responsibility. Conscious business practices are inherently good because it survives on the following principles: it creates value, it is ethical because it is based on voluntary exchange, it is noble because it can elevate our existence, and it is heroic because it lifts people out of poverty and creates prosperity. Conscious business practices create win-wins for customers, employees, suppliers, communities and the environment, resulting in exceptional customer experiences, less turnover, lower overhead costs, higher profits, and sustained growth.
So just who are championing these revolutionary economic prerogatives, locally? From the organic fair trade foods industry to ethical fashion, there are several companies of note, conducting business in a way that is both environmentally and economically sustainable.
Vida is a global partnership of co-creators — from a designer in Paris, to a producer in Karachi and a consumer in San Francisco — which is attempting to change the world through ethical commerce. Vida offers one-of-a-kind scarves and tops from artists around the globe to socially conscious fashionistas. Vida harnesses the power of the Internet and digital printing to democratize art through fashion. Their story is that of the rich interconnected world we live in; the story of contemporary life and mindful, global citizenship. Their mission statement: “We believe it’s time to rebuild commerce – for the mindful, global citizens of the modern world.”
“I wanted to use technology to create a global platform that gives emerging designers all over the world an opportunity to share their gift with the world,” owner Umaimah Mendhro explains. Artists receive 10 percent of the $45-$90 retail price for each of their pieces sold.
It works, too.
Awuor Onyango, is an artist that has a strong need for fairness and the true representation of the things that she loves, some of which include her city and her art. She talks about the moment Vida approached her to collaborate on a project.
“It’s good to know that the maker in Kathmandu who is printing my designs is getting their fair share and literacy classes too to further their career. It’s good to know there is no slave/forced or prison labour involved and that everyone involved mutually benefits from every step in production of these clothes. That’s hardly something I can say for my electronics or other clothes. It’s the transparency and fairness that’s important,” says Awuor.
Her art was to be transformed into prints for sleeveless tops, modern tees, cashmere scarves and pocket squares in colourblocked pinks, reds, oranges, blues and purples. Since the prints were her ode to Nairobi, she gave us a new meaning to ‘African’ print, which is the point of ethical fashion and fair trade; to provoke thought into the things that make life easier, everyday, and what they represent to us.
Considering the African manufacturing economy is still in its expansion phase, where scaling up and cost cutting is highly valued, we still notice an emergence of businesses with ‘souls’ .These people haven’t taken the myriad opportunities available to toss their hat in the business of big industry. Rather, they’ve decided to be intentionally ethical, which is a great decision for the future of African resources and trade.
Binti’s Butters is a thoughtfully crafted Kenyan brand that puts its customers needs front and center. It sources the ingredients for the nut butters responsibly from suppliers who pay their farmers above market prices. From the farm, they make sure their supply is top grade, storing their products properly and testing their nuts for aflatoxins. The peanuts and cashews are sourced from Equatorial Nuts because they produce export quality nuts. The honey comes from the Kerio Valley region and the vanilla comes from Ndali, a farm in Uganda that produces award winning vanilla beans and pods.
Already we see the acute lack of “boundaries” when it comes to Binti’s Butter supply chain. For the best product they simply source from the best and pay fairly. This attention to quality trickles down to the consumer through retailers like the little gourmet food truck, Mama Rocks. Mama Rocks use Binti’s Peanut Butter in their peanut butter milkshake and in one of their delectable burgers, the “Fela Supa”.
Lulea (Luxury Leather for Africa) is a brand founded by Edmond Chesneau, a master leathers and accessories designer. The vision the company stands by is to “do well and do good” for social impact. This brings about another facet of the conscious economy: knowledge transfer/exchange. The elephant is an animal which passes on wisdom and knowledge accumulated through its lifetime to empower the community with the necessary skills to survive and thrive. This philosophy is represented on their logo. They aim to create opportunities for those who are willing to learn the craft and investing in a highly trained workforce who acquire skills for life, as well as contribute to the economy by adhering to international standards—so much so, that the Kenyan Ministry of Industrialization awarded them for favourable industry practices.
Mwikali Ndambo worked as a copywriter for various companies before she dropped everything and decided to go to Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa to study French cuisine. A pastry business later, Mwikali discovered how hard it was to get good chocolate in Kenya. She decided to start her own chocolatier—a passion project that radiates love in every step of the manufacturing process.
It takes her a week. She sorts the beans to roast them and processes them into chocolate liquor. Once the chocolate is processed, it takes her a day to produce the chocolate bars. She then wraps them in foil to keep them fresh and finally transfers them to hand-crafted wrapping paper.
“Chocolate Culture does not go for 10 Ksh, my bars cost between 350 and 550, cost that is more affordable than really high quality chocolate from a store. Mine is handcrafted chocolate, every step of the process is an involving process. Time, energy, and effort is put into process,” Mwikali says.
It seems that the conscious economy goes hand in hand with creativity and the creative industry and that it is definitely on the rise in Kenya and specifically in the Nairobi community.
Business should be a holistic enterprise because we spend our whole life in some sort of transactional and work cycle. We must consciously choose to look at the entire pie, and whether everyone is eating their rightful portions. Profits for its own sake is not a sustainable model as we have seen. In order to pave a route towards a more sustainable future, there needs to be an acceptance that we can alter the way we do business. We have the power to change through our choices.
Byline: Olivia & Hellen
