Conscientious Brands Editorial

The idea behind conscientious brands emerged through discussions among like-minded brand thinkers and practitioners some 10 years ago. With the increasing size and influence of organizations and their impact on more aspects of people's lives, we argued that their role had changed: 'companies have to recognize their accountability not only to shareholders, but to all audiences and to society as a whole. There are those organizations that are still dominantly shareholder focused, but recognize a broader accountability. These businesses do address issues connected to corporate social responsibility (CSR), but they do not seem to integrate CSR into the fabric of what they do. It is still seen as a department or process that orbits far away from the corporate sun. By way of contrast, organizations, such as Patagonia, Pictet et Cie and Grameenphone, that are stakeholder focused are better at integrating CSR into their practices, because they see it as simply part of what they do everyday. Although this integration might be due to a philosophical stance, it is generally not altruism. It is connected to an understanding that businesses are not somehow separate from the world, but are very much part of it.