Sustainable Values: Justice and Fairness
This post briefly examines the value of Justice that many sustainable businesses build their brand on. This is also sometimes known as: Fairness or Equality.
Many companies have the idea of justice as a central value. While the Value of Truth, which I talked about last month, is more abstract and often about ideas of how things "should" be done, Justice is about putting your ideas around Truth into action.
Many companies do this already although they might not use the word, justice, and rather refer to it as: ethics, integrity, fairness, shared power or even equality and diversity.
"190628 Blok hosts conference against slavery and trafficking" by Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Essentially, this value recognises that access to power and fairness are often uneven internally and externally. While global examples of injustice between countries, cultures and people are perhaps more obvious, this occurs internally within companies as well. For example, there are differences in power and access to information among employees.
This value often is applied most obviously in relation to external relationships. For many this means ensuring that nepotism, corruption and forced labour are not part of their or their supplier business practices either “at home” or abroad. This may be translated into written policies such as a specific Sourcing Policy or a Statement on Human Rights.
An increasing amount of global businesses now have a “Modern Slavery” policy which explains how they ensure that the services, resources and suppliers support basic labour and human rights. This may result in a Code of Ethics and Business Conduct or commitment to upholding various international standards.
We recognise and understand that we live with great inequality, unfairness and a multitude of wrongs. For this reason, we also find it important to be brave enough to explore and face these as well as experiences of justice and fairness and equality.
We aim to find more ways to prevent injustice and promote more justice for ourselves and others. We understand the dangers of criticism and judging in a world where it is impossible to fully know others’ truth. That said, we stand on guard to avoid manipulations of truth and justice. We find this a delicate and difficult process, so are as graceful as possible with our guardianship, as we acknowledge that we all have all experienced instances as victims, perpetrators and guilty bystanders.
We seek to empower good over punishing bad and create this alternative in our world more consistently. We are brave and strong and able to speak truth in ways that do not hurt or hide or dismiss. We recognise that we are not responsible for solving all the problems of our world, while still recognising our key responsibility to witness and enable more justice.
Many companies have the idea of justice as a central value. While the Value of Truth, which I talked about last month, is more abstract and often about ideas of how things "should" be done, Justice is about putting your ideas around Truth into action.
Many companies do this already although they might not use the word, justice, and rather refer to it as: ethics, integrity, fairness, shared power or even equality and diversity.
"190628 Blok hosts conference against slavery and trafficking" by Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0Essentially, this value recognises that access to power and fairness are often uneven internally and externally. While global examples of injustice between countries, cultures and people are perhaps more obvious, this occurs internally within companies as well. For example, there are differences in power and access to information among employees.
This value often is applied most obviously in relation to external relationships. For many this means ensuring that nepotism, corruption and forced labour are not part of their or their supplier business practices either “at home” or abroad. This may be translated into written policies such as a specific Sourcing Policy or a Statement on Human Rights.
An increasing amount of global businesses now have a “Modern Slavery” policy which explains how they ensure that the services, resources and suppliers support basic labour and human rights. This may result in a Code of Ethics and Business Conduct or commitment to upholding various international standards.
How Sustainable Businesses Express the Value of Justice
Because the value of Justice is usually action-oriented, the way it is expressed is necessarily context dependent. However, below I've written some of the beliefs and words that are commonly used which lead to its expression.We recognise and understand that we live with great inequality, unfairness and a multitude of wrongs. For this reason, we also find it important to be brave enough to explore and face these as well as experiences of justice and fairness and equality.
We aim to find more ways to prevent injustice and promote more justice for ourselves and others. We understand the dangers of criticism and judging in a world where it is impossible to fully know others’ truth. That said, we stand on guard to avoid manipulations of truth and justice. We find this a delicate and difficult process, so are as graceful as possible with our guardianship, as we acknowledge that we all have all experienced instances as victims, perpetrators and guilty bystanders.
We seek to empower good over punishing bad and create this alternative in our world more consistently. We are brave and strong and able to speak truth in ways that do not hurt or hide or dismiss. We recognise that we are not responsible for solving all the problems of our world, while still recognising our key responsibility to witness and enable more justice.
