Doing a world of good?

I am ashamed to say I didn't really know about World Of Good until this morning, and it makes me wonder what on earth have I been doing for the past 5 years to remain ignorant of a business like this? (another post - another blog)

A totally inspiring story of social responsibility combined with entrepreneurialism and (presumably) a great education, took founder Priya Haji on a 6 year journey to connect developing world producers with mainstream business markets in the west.

Selling the World Of Good brand to eBay, to me makes perfect sense and the potential of expanding her Fair Trade empire to a mainstream audience is really exciting.

The more seamless the connection between mainstream consumerism and good quality, sustainable, ethical brands and businesses the quicker those businesses and critically their brand values become the mainstream.

Just keeping "do good" business as a private club that's the sole preserve of ethical and environmental purists is completely detrimental to the bigger picture.

In the UK's current (consciously miseducated) consumer economy, I don't expect mainstream shoppers to suddenly see the "sustainable" light and convert to consciously buying good overnight. But invisibly making the sustainable purchase the mainstream option pays the ethical producer a much bigger dividend and re-enforces the fact that "good" can be (is) profitable. Very profitable.

It's only this scale of change that will make sustainability an inevitability rather than a "fingers crossed behind the back" pipe dream.

Great move Priya. Now eBay, get busy doing your economies of scale "thing" and make World Of Good an immensely profitable part of your business, driving growth and dividends for your shareholders and "the market" (whatever that really is).

Whilst you are at it - let the values of World Of Good infect the rest of your business. Welcoming this change will equip you for the future where the relationship between business and consumers is radically different, where corporate values are the only effective marketing strategy and transparency is something businesses welcome.