Leadership by Example

Description | Indicators | Scoring Criteria | Definitions | Issues

PROBLEM
Companies engage in a variety of actions and activities that individually or collectively define a company’s commitment to sustainability. These actions are often marketed aggressively in a way that suggests and communicates an overall level of corporate commitment to long-term sustainability. However, individual noteworthy activities are not sufficient, and in fact can provide marketing cover for the cumulative negative impact on society, human health, and the environment of the collective practices of a company. Some companies that produce a leadership product may do that only as greenwash to distract from their other actions to produce products that are harmful to the environment, aggressively lobby rulemakers against proposed environmental health protections, have restrictive or secretive policies towards workers, or test their products in an unethical manner.

GOAL
To provide transparency and leadership in reporting and improving corporate impact on environment, health & social justice.

IDEAL
A product and its source materials are harvested, extracted, or manufactured exclusively by companies engaged across the board only in activities that are not harmful to society, human health, or the environment, and that use their influence in society to advance sustainability in all its forms. Composition of all products is fully disclosed. The company is responsive to community questions and concerns about their policies and practices, and has a mission to promote ecological responsibility and stewardship. Optimal company will report annually to the public on sustainability, adhere to the precautionary principle, take a leadership role throughout the industry on environmental, health, and social justice issues, and support the formation of public policy to create environmental, health or social justice protections.

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