You Can Create Job Opportunities In Socio-Eco Innovation!

Many aspiring socio-eco innovators (SEIs) find it difficult to identify job opportunities that would enable them to make business decisions that successfully blend financial return with social impact and environmental responsibility.  Some build their way to CSR jobs in big companies.  These professionals often find CSR jobs within big companies frustrating, as generally, only a small proportion of the company's revenue is devoted to CSR initiatives, and initiatives are seen as a nice token that can be given when financial quarter goals have been met (and exceeded).

The unique and most important goal for the vast majority of companies remains to maximize shareholder value. To do so, companies maximize revenue while minimizing costs.  Of course, minimizing costs has led to the wide-spread exploitation of people and resources, as well as the environmental challenges we are currently facing.  Some of the bigger companies have made strides in shifting the balance of how business is done, reported in previous Justmeans Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethical Consumption posts here, here and here.  These bigger businesses are increasingly requiring suppliers to measures of their environmental impact or by including measures of community building and fairer wages in their supply chain.  A great step to get business done better!

But a lot of work remains to be done, and each of us can have an impact on how to get business done - better.  How?  By voting with our dollars!  If you want to increase the number of job opportunities in socio-eco innovation, we must support companies that redefine value creation by integrating economic, social, and environmental value.  By putting your dollars towards products and services that are produced by companies that create economic, social and environmental value, you are enabling them to better compete, grown, and create more job opportunities in socio-eco innovation.

This sounds easy, but it is not.  In fact, it can quickly become a chicken-egg dilemma as discussed by Michael Hassett.  You will have to conduct more research to decide what to buy in terms of everyday products, including your cleaning products, your beer, or your yogurt.  You will have to reconsider your transportation habits.  Every purchase counts.  You will have to go past the green washing that many companies are masters at promoting and distributing, as well as other factors previously discussed here, here and here.  You can start small though, and leverage resources such as our Justmeans' companies, as well as our ethical consumption blog to make purchasing decisions.

Our consumption drives how business is done.  By consuming products and services that create economic, social and environmental value, you can change how business is done.  Vote with your dollar, and you too can contribute to increase the number of job opportunities in socio-eco innovation in small and bigger firms.

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