Jason Kibbey + Young Urbanists = An Interesting Evening Discussion on Consumer Action
SPUR (San Francisco Planning and Urban Research) is a San Francisco gem. I became involved with SPUR’s newly formed Young Urbanist group aimed at the under 40 age group several years ago while still at EDAW, a global planning firm because I was fascinated by the influence the group was able to have on local public policy. The Young Urbanist series of events are held after work in SPUR’s SOMA urbalism museum and always draw a great crowd of smart, inquisitive citizens.
Last week I had the privilege of inviting CEO Jason Kibbey of Blue Practice client PACT to participate in a Young Urbanist event focused on “doing good through economic activism” as part of a panel discussion.
Jaosn spoke about the consumer power that comes from knowing where the product you’re purchasing came from, who made it, and how it got to you. PACT underwear is produced within a 100-mile supply chain in Turkey, and the company has gotten attention for their innovative compostable packaging, so much so that much larger companies have expressed interest in duplicating their bags, information Jason is thrilled to share. Reducing waste in the production, packaging and shipping processes — no matter how innovative — is not treated like a competitive edge or industry secret by PACT.
In addition to Jason’s talk, Brent Schulkin from Carrotmob shared his company’s platform that allows businesses to bid against one another to pledge socially responsible reform within their operations, with the winner reaping the rewards of the wallet-wielding mob of shoppers. Daniel Kaufman talked about how the One Percent Foundation is bringing philanthropy back to the masses through what is, effectively, a very large, organized and democratic giving circle that optimizes the power of small donations in order to help organizations achieve bigger results.
The mix of organizations and approaches brought to light some new ways in which consumers can harness and collectivize our purchasing power to produce positive changes in the marketplace.
Shopping has always been a social experience, but as the concept of crowd-sourcing capitalism evolves, so too expands the social element of the experience. We can connect our values to our dollars and participate in something larger than ourselves by merely purchasing every day essentials. It’s not about buying more, it’s buying better.
