Lost that lovin' feelin?

A few years ago I was really psyched about corporate responsibility and ethical business (or whatever term you use). Google.org, The Eden Project, Duchy Originals, FTSE for Good, the Grameen Bank, Wal-Mart, and Coca Cola's series of commitments all kept me up at night thinking of the future possibilities. I couldn't believe all the changes that I sensed around me; I felt like a boy in a toy store and all I wanted to do was tell people around me about it. Unfortunately, there were few people to talk to, few courses to take, and few journals to read. I felt rather alone with a very exciting secret.

Today I have loads of people to talk with about these changes. In fact, the thing to talk about is corporate responsibility and ethical business. I cannot turn on the television or even a McKinsey Quarterly podcast (a 'high brow' journal proud of being impervious to populist jargon) without hearing about these new types of businesses, and the endless changes that they purport to deliver. The politicians these days just won't shut up about these things! Nor can I shop for carrots without hearing about how revolutionary Sainsburys is, throw away my trash without hearing how sustainable Southwark is, fly without hearing how green Virgin is (that's impossible isn't it?), or read a phone bill without being reminded how environmentally keen O2 is for me to "do your part and recycle this letter".

Three years ago this would have really stoked my flames. I would probably have lain awake all night dreaming up how important these changes are for our future. Unfortunately, today it all seems a bit trite. When I read about the latest GE eco-imagination campaign, I feel absolutely no inspiration for imagination. In fact, these lofty campaigns and logos remind me only of the status quo, which is by all measures disappointing.

I suppose it might be like that band that you're really into not just because they're awesome but because they are so unrecognized and undervalued. Once they become mainstream (or most likely because they become mainstream), they all of a sudden lose their hitherto unmatched appeal. But on the other hand, maybe these businesses really are disappointing and uninspiring given the expectations they've set. Coca Cola says that it "recognizes that we cannot have a healthy and growing business unless the communities we serve are sustainable themselves" but a North American bottle-to-bottle recycling plant seems a rather flat response to such an ambition. Shell's statement that it is "totally committed to a business strategy that generates profits while contributing to the wellbeing of the planet and its people" seems almost laughable. I am not sure what the new VP of CSR/Sustainability, David Stangis, could have said about the Campbell Soup Company's commitment to CSR to inspire me again but it just felt flat.

I have a hard time determining whether its just my inflated expectations or if it really is a lack of sincere corporate sustainability. Maybe, like the child in the toy store, I am disappointed to discover that the magic doesn't really exist. Maybe the magic is there but like a pessimistic oldscrooge, I just can't get over my own pre-judgments. Either way, I hope that through actions of my own or of businesses, I will again be inspired to stay up late dreaming of the future possibilities.