企業需要“道德執照”
It was an easy prediction to make: that the recession would end talk of corporate social responsibility. Faced with the fear, or reality, of losing their jobs or homes, consumers would rush past the Fairtrade shelves and pick up something the family could afford. Companies, meanwhile, would concentrate on saving themselves rather than the planet.
人們很容易做出這樣的預測：經濟衰退將中止有關企業社會責任的討論。面對失去工作或房屋的擔憂——或現實，消費者會匆匆走過公平貿易(Fairtrade)的貨架，去挑選一些家庭負擔得起的東西。同時，企業會專注於拯救自身，而不是拯救地球。
That easy prediction has turned out to be wrong. Mars, the world's biggest confectionery company, has announced that its entire cocoa supply will be “produced in a sustainable manner” by 2020. Mars will work largely with the Rainforest Alliance, which encourages farmers to preserve their environment.
這個簡單的預測已經被證明是錯誤的。全球最大的糖果公司瑪氏(Mars)宣佈，到2020年前，該公司使用的所有可可豆都將來自以“可持續的方式生產”的供應源。瑪氏將與雨林聯盟(Rainforest Alliance)進行大量合作，該組織致力於鼓勵農民保護其種植環境。
Mars's move follows the announcement last month by Cadbury, the UK confectionery group, that all the cocoa in Dairy Milk, Britain's biggest-selling chocolate, would be certified by Fairtrade, the organisation that works to ensure a minimum price for farmers.
此前，3月份時英國糖果集團吉百利(Cadbury)宣佈稱， 英國最暢銷的巧克力——吉百利牛奶巧克力(Dairy Milk)中採用的所有可可豆將會得到公平貿易組織的認證。該組織旨在確保農民獲得的收購價格有一個最低限制。
The two chocolate makers were preceded by Wal-Mart, the world's biggest retailer, which told a meeting of 1,000 Chinese suppliers last year that it would hold them to strict environmental and social standards, the downturn notwithstanding.
全球最大的零售商沃爾瑪(Wal-Mart)走在了這兩家巧克力製造商的前面。去年，在有1000多家中國供應商參加的會議上，沃爾瑪宣佈，儘管經濟低迷，但它將要求供應商遵循嚴格的環境和社會標準。
Why are these companies acting in a way few expected? First, there are substantial business reasons. When Mars and Cadbury talk about their cocoa supplies being sustainable, they mean it. Chocolate manufacturers are worried about how much cocoa will be available a decade from now.
爲何這些公司的行事方式幾乎無人預見到？首先，這裏面存在切實的商業原因。當瑪氏和吉百利表示要實現可可豆供應的可持續性時，它們的確是這個意思。巧克力製造商對從現在開始的10年內能夠實現的可可產量感到擔憂。
Worldwide cocoa production fell in 2008 for the fourth successive year. Cadbury says it is worried about how few cocoa farmers' children intend to go into the business. It is hoping the investment in farms that Fairtrade encourages will persuade them cocoa farming is a worthwhile occupation.
去年，全球可可產量連續第四年出現下降。吉百利表示，它擔心可可豆農的子女中幾乎沒有人打算從事可可豆種植。它希望，公平貿易組織所鼓勵的對農場的投資能使他們相信，可可豆種植是一份值得從事的職業。
Wal-Mart also has commercial reasons for its stance. The company has been encouraging companies to cut down on packaging. This enables it to fit more goods into each delivery truck, not only reducing its emissions, but also cutting the amount it spends on petrol. Its insistence that manufacturers produce concentrated laundry detergent has allowed it to save on both packaging and shelf space. Cost-cutting is vital to beating the downturn and if companies can boost their green credentials at the same time, why not?
沃爾瑪的立場也有其商業原因。它一直在鼓勵企業簡化包裝。這樣它能夠在每輛運貨車裏面多裝一些貨物，從而不僅能減少發車次數，還能減少在汽油上的花費。它堅持要求製造商生產濃縮洗衣粉的主張使它得以節省包裝成本和貨架空間。削減成本對於安然度過經濟低迷至關重要，而如果與此同時，企業能夠提升它們的綠色資質，那何樂而不爲呢？
But the companies go further. Not only do their announcements make business sense, they say; consumers, even now, insist on them. Fiona Dawson, Mars UK's managing director, says customers expect the company to “do the right thing”, adding that “nobody has to buy confectionery”.
但這些企業又更進一步。它們表示，它們所宣佈的舉措不僅僅具有商業意義；此時甚至連消費者也開始堅持要求它們這麼做了。瑪氏英國分公司董事總經理菲奧娜·道森(Fiona Dawson)表示，顧客希望公司“做出正確之舉”，並補充說，“沒有人必須得買糖果”。There are many things that consumers do not have to buy, and plenty they can buy more cheaply. As the Financial Times has reported, US families earning more than $100,000 a year are using more discount coupons.
有許多東西都不是消費者非買不可的，還有許多東西他們能以更低的價格購買。英國《金融時報》曾經報道，美國年收入在10萬美元以上的家庭開始更多地使用優惠券了。
Yet there is little sign of committed consumers abandoning Fairtrade products. A recent report by Mintel, the research organisation, says: “Although a third of shoppers have cut down on the number of premium foods they buy, only one in 10 has cut back on ethical produce.” Justin King, chief executive of J Sainsbury, the UK retailer, said in February that its Fairtrade sales were holding up well.
不過，幾乎沒有跡象表明忠誠的消費者會放棄公平貿易產品。研究機構敏特(Mintel)最近發佈的一份報告表示：“儘管三分之一的消費者減少了優質食品的購買量，但只有十分之一的人減少了良知產品(ethical produce)的購買量。”英國零售商森寶利(J Sainsbury)的首席執行官賈斯廷·金(Justin King)在2月份表示，該公司公平貿易產品的銷售保持良好。
However, consumer attitudes are complex. Mike Barry, head of corporate social responsibility at rival retailer Marks and Spencer, says consumers are happy to continue to buy what they see as ethically sourced goods – provided they do not have to pay more. M & S's research says the number of “green crusaders” – those who buy ethical goods, no matter what, is about 9 per cent of the total, slightly down from the proportion at the start of the recession.
不過，消費者的態度是複雜的。森寶利的競爭對手——零售商瑪莎百貨(Marks and Spencer)企業社會責任部的主管邁克·巴里(Mike Barry)表示，消費者將很樂意繼續購買他們認爲採購渠道符合道德良知的商品——前提是他們無需支付更高的價格。瑪莎百貨的研究顯示，“綠色支持者” ——即無論如何都會購買良知商品的人——在整個消費羣體中約佔9%，比衰退初期的比例略有下降。
About a fifth of consumers are uninterested in such issues and about a third cannot see what difference their purchasing makes. But the biggest group, about 40 per cent, are those who are prepared to buy ethical goods if companies make it easy, which generally means not making it expensive.
約有五分之一的消費者對這類問題不感興趣，約有三分之一的人看不出他們的購買行爲能起到什麼作用。但人數最多的一組消費者（大約40%）表示，如果企業使這些商品的購買變得容易——通常是指不要讓它們變得昂貴——他們就準備購買良知商品。
As Fairtrade involves paying producers more, how can retailers keep the prices competitive? Mr Barry says that when, in 2007, M & S laid out its “Plan A” on sustainable sourcing and fair trading, it expected the changes to cost the company £200m ($290m,
