You Ask, They (sometimes) Answer

The Guardian runs a weekly "You Ask, They Answer" series where companies that make social and environmental claims such as Howies and Divine Chocolate do their best to answer enquiries from the public about these claims. The ones I've followed in the past, despite some belligerent comments, have let to really productive and enlightening discussion. The discussion usually looks something like this: Good question posed by the public, reasonable answer given by the company, then a range of reactions (ie, 'kudos to you' or, 'I'm still not satisfied'.

Here's an exert from the Howies You Ask They Answer:

Question:With the exception of a pair of hemp jeans, most of your products are made from cotton. Why not try bamboo?

Howies' answer:With regards to Bamboo:?We were interested in Bamboo a while back. We used some for some products. But then we started to dig deeper and discovered that the energy used to convert it into a garment meant it was using far more energy than the problem we were trying to answer. The viscose process used relies entirely on inorganic chemicals and a lot of water.?It's like that sometimes. You think you are trying to do the right thing but it turns out not to be so. We have learnt to dig a bit deeper before we go forward with something.

Reaction:What is wrong with you people? How about actually encouraging the people who are making an effort rather than constantly criticising them? Howies are a fantastic company who are one of the few making clothing responsibly and making clothing that people actually want to wear.Personally I'm sick of seeing ethical fashion that looks vile and fits terribly. Howies - please continue to make lovely clothes that are created with a conscience, and that I actually want to wear.

Result:The company learns more about what customers are worried about and skeptical eco-consumers are able to make better and more confident purchasing decisions. It's a rare win-win!

But, this week's social enterprise, Neal's Yard Remedies (NYR), illustrated exactly how these win-win opportunities can fall apart. As the blog shows, consumers were aggressive in questioning many of the claims about homeopathic remedies and particularly, NYR's willingness to replicate and publicize these, as perhaps they should be. Rather than responding, however, NYR decided to stay quiet, leaking a rumor that they were preparing an all-encompassing answer. 216 posts later, the blog had turned into a collective NYR bashing. The blog was since closed, and without our response from NYR, both bloggers and the company come out of the process frustrated and angry.

As Adma Vaughan says, it's a great lesson on how not to run a PR campaign. True. But even more importantly, it is testament to the fact that perhaps some companies, even ones that make amazing cheese, aren't able to withstand serious public scrutiny. If only more companies were brave enough to join the You Ask, They Answer Debate.