2013 Resolutions

resolution
(Image: Wikimedia Commons)

By Daniel Wilcock

At the risk of having none of them come true, here are my 2013 resolutions. In the past I have kept the kind of resolutions which I can track easily, where success or failure is self-evident. For the year of the snake, I decided to turn the dial all the way to the left and set resolutions that are harder to quantify and perhaps more likely to be a daily inspiration.

  • Just live
  • You have to live somewhere
  • Help others more than self
  • Choose free entertainment

Happy New Year!

The high human cost of cheap sourcing

By Daniel Wilcock

This devastating New York Times story about last month’s factory fire in Bangladesh, in which 112 workers perished because they were trapped by both the flames and their managers, is a wake up call.

I think it’s time to purchase fewer “brand” goods produced in places where almost none of the high purchase price commanded by the brand makes it into workers’ hands.

Granted, it’s hard to tell these days which products are produced sustainably. I’d be very curious to know how the Nike running shoes I typically buy, which are made in China, break down in terms of who receives what. My guess is that if I’d like to live by the above axiom, I’d have to find some different sneaks.

The b corporation model is the way forward. Consumers can affect change incrementally with their choices.

My hope is that what happened at Tazreen Fashions Ltd. in Bangladesh is also wake up call for those with the power to make macro changes, from heads of state to brand CEOs.