Revitalizing Global Culture through 21st Century Commerce

There’s a direct line from sanity and ethics to organizational acumen and global revitalization.

L. Ron Hubbard wrote in his article of 14 December 1970, “GROUP SANITY”:

“The points of success and failure, the make and break items of an organization are:

“1. HIRING”

“Letting people INTO the group at large is the key to every great movement and bettered culture on this planet. This was the new idea that made Buddhism the strongest civilizing influence the world has seen in terms of numbers and terrain. They did not exclude. Race, color, creed, were not made bars to membership in this great movement.”

“Thus inclusion is a major point in all great organizations.”

Corporate failures in inclusion are costly. The Center for American Progress added up the cost of workplace bias and discrimination: $64 billion.1

From the report: “That amount represents the annual estimated cost of losing and replacing more than 2 million American workers who leave their jobs each year due to unfairness and discrimination.”

When a company embraces inclusion, it reaps the rewards of innovation, creativity and diverse points of view from contrasting walks of life in a multicultural environment.

What would inclusion mean in the global marketplace? It would mean hiring people based on ability, and that alone—but it would also mean fair compensation and safe working conditions. This is the basic idea behind the “Fair Trade” label. Fair Trade means fair payment to workers and farmers, no oppressive labor practices, and transparency and accountability based on the ten principles of Fair Trade.2

Those who take the time and effort to practice Fair Trade consider it more of a global mission than simply a business venture.

Ali Hewson and her husband, Bono, of legendary Irish band U2, started the EDUN clothing company in 2005. The mission of EDUN (nude spelled backwards and a reference to the Garden of Eden) was to produce high-quality fashion by ethically sourcing from Africa. Ali and Bono had worked at an orphanage in 1985 in Ethiopia, and helping the continent became a personal mission.3, 4

Ali expressed concern over what her children were wearing: “Being aware of who made their clothes—was it somebody else’s child?” Part of EDUN’s mission is to focus on Africa as a viable trade option. “We wanted to show that you can make a for-profit business where everybody in the chain is treated well.”

The brand struggled, and the celebrity couple reportedly put $20 million of their own into the company. In 2009 they sold 49 percent of EDUN to Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH). The company does about 90 percent of their manufacturing in Sub-Saharan African countries like Uganda and Lesotho, where they continue to build infrastructure and working relationships.

EDUN’s sister company, Edun Live, makes organic cotton T-shirts to support sustainable economic development, teaching Africans to grow cotton and make clothing. While helping farmers transition to organic farming, they’ve produced and exported over 700,000 T-shirts, sold at U2 shows and elsewhere.

Bono elaborated on trade with Africa: “I’m always on and on about Africa, but when you go to Africa, it’s very clear that what the Africans want—yes, they want that help, that aid; but what they really want is trade, the fishing rod rather than the fish.”

When passed the torch to do their part, some major brands are running with it. Vermont’s Ben & Jerry’s ice cream company—in addition to being famous for flavors like Cherry Garcia; Chunky Monkey; and Coffee, Coffee BuzzBuzzBuzz!—has received praise for its commitment to Fair Trade.

The company started using Fair Trade ingredients in 2005. By 2010, it was Fair Trade certified in Europe and did the same in the United States by 2014. Ben & Jerry’s gets cocoa from Ghana and Ivory Coast, vanilla from Uganda and Madagascar, coffee from Mexico, bananas from Ecuador, and sugar from Belize—working with local farmers and rural communities.5

Mr. Hubbard summed up the three components essential to solve the problems relating to inclusion and exclusion:

“It all hinges on three points: (1) the sanity of the individual, (2) the worthwhileness of the group in terms of general area, planetary or universal survival, and (3) the superiority of the group’s organization tech and its use.”

The idea of profit over ethics is becoming increasingly unpopular, but there is no shortage of work to be done to make ethical business a reality. There’s also no shortage of well-intentioned people, but a major stumbling block has been the lack of administrative know-how.

The Hubbard technology of administration, integrated with the lightning-fast communication channels of the “new economy,” affords business a timely opportunity for revitalizing communities across the planet.