Ethos of Empowerment: Towards Ethical Production and Consumption
In the US alone, every year, a number of clothes equivalent to approximately 62 billion T-shirts are thrown away. That is 9 shirts for every single human being on our planet. Thrown away in just the US alone. But it’s worse than you think.
Consider this: to produce those garments, it took an amount of water that would be enough to provide for the entire world population for 31 years. And on top of that, the garment production alone contributes to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions while irresponsible purchasing habits lead to 12.8 million textile waste sent to landfills every year.
The list goes on. And what a list it is.
Right in the middle of all of this is Sian Conway. Once a fashionista, Sian, the founder and CEO of Ethical Hour, a sustainability-focused marketing consulting firm in the UK, is now among the leading advocates for responsible consumption and production
Driven by Sian’s passion, Ethical Hour, helps business owners implement sustainable practices into their own business models.
Sian believes that responsible consumption and production give us a more sustainable future, empowers workers in the supply chain to improve quality of life and reduces the strain on the environment.
#ETHICALHOUR
What started out as a blog dedicated to ethical living launched one of the most influential, sustainability-oriented businesses in the UK and perhaps globally. Ethical Hour began in 2017 after Sian garnered over 55,000 connections through her blog.
Since then, Ethical Hour has grown into an impactful marketing and entrepreneurial consulting company that empowers clients to share and implement their own goals of sustainability.
ALIGNMENT WITH THE GLOBAL GOALS
Ethical Hour’s business model and goals actively align with all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set forth by the United Nations.
Working with B1G1 has enabled Ethical Hour to easily contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals. More importantly, it’s also allowed Sian’s business to be a platform to give back to communities, some of which are deeply impacted by consumer-driven industries.
Ethical Hour is among the top 4% of businesses assessed by Support the Goals, which recognizes businesses and their work towards SDGs. For her work, Sian was named the UK’s Green and Eco Influencer of the Year in 2018
EMPOWERING CLIENTS, EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES
Sian explains it like this:
Giving women access to income-generating tools empowers them to lift themselves, their families and their communities out of poverty. It’s the perfect example of how to create positive change.
And this inspires her clients too. Seeing their partnership changing the lives of someone somewhere in the world makes it so much more meaningful and rewarding.
Working alongside B1G1, Ethical Hour has also given 401 days of clean water to families in Ethiopia, 26 days of sewing training to women in need, 66 days of an income-generating tool to disadvantaged women, and 280 days of support to farmers in a rural village. And these are only a few of several examples that have allowed Ethical Hour to make a total of 1600 impacts to date.
START WITH ONE SMALL STEP
Sian tells us that what bought her to B1G1 is “the vision that purpose and giving can be embedded in every transaction, so you can make a difference through the normal decisions you make.”
It aligns with what she believes in, in the sense that while it is important for consumers to practice responsible consumption, it is also the responsibility of businesses to make these conscious and ethical choices in what they do every day.
Start small – you’ll be amazed how quickly every small step adds up to a big positive impact.