Burt’s Bees was a small, local skin care and cosmetic company that started right here in Maine. It’s always been a values-based company that produced excellent, natural products; grew it’s profits and did so without harming the environment or the community in which it did business. A few years ago it was sold and moved to North Carolina and just last week was sold again to Clorox for over 900 million dollars. Very similar to Tom’s of Maine, another natural products company, being bought by Colgate last year. When I heard the news, I had the same reaction that I often do. Mixed.
On the one hand, I value locally-owned companies where the jobs and the taxes stay in the state of Maine. I also love doing business with small companies where I know the name of the owner and staff and they know me. This is small town business at it’s best. There is also an accountability built into a business like this. It’s harder to just be about the profit when you have coffee with the folks you do business with and your kids go to the same school.
On the other hand, how fabulous that a small business, incubated in Maine, grew to something that created so much good will and wealth that Clorox choose to buy it for so much. How incredible that such a large company with such reach saw this natural product market as an opportunity. We want big business to recognize that "doing good" does make financial sense.
At the same time, the idealist in me would like to see them actually doing it for the right reasons, not just because "green" is the color of the moment. In the end, what really matters is that big companies are recognizing that this is the way ALL business is going. If their only motive is profit, that’s acceptable as they’ll be doing less harm in the process of doing what good businesses do – making a profit. Would I like for them to be doing it for the right reasons? You bet. Everyone, including companies, should clean up their own mess without having to be asked. We make our kids do it – okay, so we have to "encourage" them. That companies are now beginning to do so, for any reason, only benefits us all.
Annie
Watching "Green" Grow
One Comment
I count Annie & Jon and the girls as my closest friends; but I am a great burden to them. I am very conservative politically although that we find there are things we solidly agree upon. (I am part of the 35%.)
BTW Burt’s Bee’s stuff is great; its hard to find it here in Missouri so I do stock up when I am in Maine.
However Annie allow me to point out that while I agree with you on this; I see a bias that pops up a lot when people get to talking about “going green”. Why would a stock holders equity company be any less green than a “values” company? What is a “values” company? Stock holders equity companies are owned by stock holders; the United States has the largest percent of population owning stock than any country in the world and the largest in the history of the world.
OK; I will shut up now. What tack did you want skipper? Oh starboard; aye aye sir. Prepare to tack! Helm’s alyee!