Photo by Nikola Jovanovic
The whole ordeal of Covid-19 and its implications can be traced to its root cause; the exploitation of mother nature. We can no longer do business as usual, which is producing and consuming goods without thinking of the consequences they pose on the people and planet . Even when things get better, we can’t ‘go back to ‘normal’ as it’s clear, now more than ever, that we are in need of a society that values people over profits as well as a political system that is free of the influence of corporate agendas. One of the ways to create ‘a new normal’ that holds up the values of sustainability is by practicing ethical business practices, hence producing #EthicalGoods.
E.thical comes to help in strengthening accessibility in Indonesia in the form of sustainability-centered educational programs. We help communities and businesses to innovate and become more proactive in tackling complex sustainability issues and challenges. Our pilot project was held in Ende last year, with a two-month long pilot bootcamp structured into six modules covering specific concepts such as leadership, sustainability, human-centered design thinking, ethical business model canvas, financial sustainability and legal clinic.
Ethical business practices are the ones that prioritize sustainability over any other aspects. They think highly of the people and planet, not only the profit gained from the business. There are key signs of ethical activity, in which this includes ethical business practices, as follows.
1.The business contributes to the local community.
2. The products use eco-friendly materials and ingredients where possible.
3. The business shows consideration for any social and political issues.
4. The business respects and makes an effort to preserve the flora and fauna.
5. The business does not promote activities with wild animals on display.
6. The business celebrates rather than exploits the local nature.
7. The business treats its staff and local people with dignity and respect.
Source: littlelostravel.com.
Photo by Nathan Dumlao
Why we started the #EthicalGoods campaign?
There are two reasons why we have decided to start the #ethicalgoods campaign. The first one is to raise awareness. Youth who aspire to start their own business should know the concept of sustainability to make sure their business would not be exploitative towards human and nature for the sake of the profit gained.
The second reason is to inspire; many may question the viability of creating such business. Well, it turns out there are many businesses out there who are already paving the way towards more responsible and sustainability-friendly practices. Through this campaign, we want to highlight the Indonesian changemakers. In fact, we’re now seeing the growing trend of sustainability-centered small enterprises in Indonesia. Most of these businesses are initiated by youth who aspire to see Indonesia move forward with the concept of sustainability as its reinforcement. Some of these businesses are Sukkha Citta (ethical fashion), Spedagi (bamboo bike), and Yagi Natural (natural skincare). This shows that sustainability business models are definitely possible to be put into practice.
We surely hope that our #EthicalGoods campaign grows into a platform to learn as well as inspire the youth in Indonesia in creating impactful changes for the country. We want to make sure that what we do is able to give good influence, not only for the country’s economy, but also for the welfare of the society, as well as nature in which we live and do our business.
We are very proud to see four of our alumni selected to be part of Ideathonesia 2020, a youth entrepreneurship initiative led by Innovative Financing Lab under UNDP Indonesia Country Office in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and Citi Foundation.
