As a young girl, I 'bumped' into a book that opened my mind about who has the real economic power in the world.
You will immediately think of the large multinationals but no, we, the consumers, have the economic power.
Have you ever thought that if the whole world stopped buying a product, the company that produces it would close its doors?
This book, whose name I can't remember, explained in an understandable way the management practices of the world's large companies, from Coca Cola to Monsanto, from Johnson & Johnson to Nestlè, from the big banks to Ikea.
It was interesting to understand where the production was located, the state incentives and the tax regime they paid, how much women paid compared to men, how they managed maternity, layoffs and accidents, where they bought raw materials, the variety of products in which ranged, their environmental impact, where they invest their profits, what and who risked, in case of bankruptcy and much much more. An objective analysis of a business management.
Some companies shocked me, like one in Africa that held the entire food market, from powdered milk to bottled water. This company had a contract signed where, if a woman got pregnant, she would lose her job.
By now our critical judgment towards those who sell us is 'tarnished' by grandiose advertising campaigns aimed at building and promoting a reliable facade, which reassures the consumer, unaware of a very different reality.
One of our clients, Venetia La Manna , English podcaster and activist, the real ones the way I like them, this week, in addition to physically demonstrating in front of Adidas stores, made this video on IG which explains well what behind words like sustainability, ethics and respect for the planet, many companies are just a 'green washing', that is, they wash themselves with green words but have very little sustainable! In reality, certain old women contribute to the destruction of the planet, exploit men, women and children and in the case of Adidas, do not pay, entire peoples living in inhuman conditions, just to have profits millionaires.
We, who are among the so-called "developed countries", by purchasing from certain companies are complicit in forced, poorly paid and impactful labour. Some companies are so strong that they corrupt governments, exploiting and sometimes even encouraging crises and armed conflicts.
And you, are you still willing * to give your money to these kinds of companies? Or would you rather support truly ethical and sustainable companies that improve rather than consume the planet? who respect workers and pay taxes in the perspective of a circular economy, where EVERYONE benefits and not just a select few?