Finalessay

Laura Wallbridge-Bruce To what extent do multinational companies consider ethics and sustainability in the production of their products?

When taking into consideration the ethical issues related to the manufacturing of products and packaging within multinational companies as well as the issues surrounding sustainability, we need to consider whether or not they are helping or hindering our future or whether they are more concerned with the present day and achieving the highest profits possible, as unfortunately this is often the case.

If a multinational company is sustainable then they have the ability to avoid depletion of natural resources in the future. 'To really determine the sustainability or carbon footprint of a product, one needs to follow it through its entire life cycle. Questions need to be raised about how much fuel is being used for shipping, what the final end product is, how long the life cycle is, and how long before the product ends up as waste.'

(MacAvery Kane, 2010, P38). In order to be successful they must also consider their ethical actions and morals. 'The term morality comes from the Latin word moralis, and is concerned with which actions are right and which are wrong, rather than the character of the person... Ethics is a branch of philosophy concerned with morality. It explores actions and consequences, motives, moral decision-making and human nature.'

(Bowie, 2004, P5).

The Brundtland Report, released in 1987 by the United Nations was titled the 'Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development. Our Common Future.' (NGO Committee, 1987). The report was written to unite countries together and encourage them to work towards a sustainable future. Many topics are raised within this report, with a considerable amount on the subject of 'Sustainable Development' (NGO Committee, 1987). It was discussed within the report that 'Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.' (NGO Committee, 1987). This succinctly summarises the definition of sustainability.

It is important that multinational companies are aware of the implications of their actions and they should be aware of the fact that 'sustainability is not a fixed state of harmony, but rather a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development, and institutional change are made consistent with future as well as present needs.' (NGO Committee, 1987). This report should really be enough to make companies realise just how important it is for them to become more sustainable in their practice. This in itself is crucial as it determines the longevity of the company itself and whether or not they will still have a large consumer population in order to be successful. In terms of ethics, the companies must consider the materials they are using for their packaging, the process in which they are creating their products, and the impact they are having on the environment. If a company has strong ethical values and morals, then this leads to a sustainable future for us all, and keeps the producer and the consumer happy.

In Victor Papanek's 'The Green Imperative' he writes about 'Designing for a Safer Future'. During this chapter of his book he considers the past as well as the future, to make observations about changes that have happened over time and it also highlights the fact that companies have become more and more concerned with the aesthetics of their products as opposed to the outward effect of the environment. He says 'It is a valuable concept that there is really nothing new in the world that needs to be packed and shipped. The immediate objection will be that this is sheer nonsense. After all, there were no computers, CD players or camcorders in the distant past. Yet Van Leuwenhoek had to ship his microscopes from the Netherlands to Padua in the 16th century... More recently, during the Civil War in the United States, delicate surgical instruments had to be shipped from northern factories to the front' (Papanek, 1995, P34-35). Therefore, he is making the point that although in today's society we may have more advanced technology which needs to be packaged, in the past we have also had to package materials which were just as valuable and important. He goes on to mention that 'The materials used to pack such early precision instruments were Spanish moss, other dried mosses, sand, sawdust, crushed and dried leaves... they are all organic and will return to the natural environment.' (Papanek, 1995, P36). Although perhaps impractical, this is factual information which we cannot argue against and suggests that there is no reason for companies not to return to old strategies.

There are many companies all over the world who consider themselves to be ethically driven, many of which are hard to believe. McDonald's is an example of a multinational company who, in recent years, has tried to relaunch itself, having the 'key priorities of reduce, reuse, recycle, and redesign with the aim to use less energy.' (McDonald's, 2014). For many, this is hard to believe, as McDonald's are known for supplying unhealthy food on a worldwide scale and will therefore wonder how this is ethical practice, providing their

consumers with food which will hinder their health if part of their regular diet.

On their website, McDonald's advertise themselves as being concerned with litter, waste, packaging, energy and recycling. They also have a section on their staff where they state that 'McDonald's has been recognised as one of the Top 25 Best Big Companies in the UK, featuring in the 'Sunday Times Best Companies' list for the third year in a row. (McDonald's, 2014). 'We have been ranked in the Top 10 for the last two years, with 2013 seeing us achieve 6th position!! The award is in recognition of the great things we do as an employer and the judges singled out our commitment to training and education programmes as well as our pay and benefit schemes.' (McDonald's, 2014).

An article written by the Daily Mail online suggests otherwise, where it states that 'A foreign exchange student from Argentina says he paid $3,000 to participate in a work travel program with McDonald's but claims the fast-food franchise failed to pay overtime and constantly threatened to deport the workers if they complained.' (Daily Mail Reporter, 2013). This is therefore misrepresentation of their companies' ethics, implying that they are one of the best companies to work for, when really they are mistreating a percentage of their employees, exploiting them, and not giving them the money they deserve.

There are many philosopher's who have devised different theories which act as a guide to behaviour, relating to what is right and wrong. Immanuel Kant's categorical imperative allows us to understand 'which actions are obligatory and which are forbidden.' (Bowie, 2004, P57). Within the categorical imperative there are three principles, one of them being 'treat humans as ends in themselves'. He says ' you can never treat people as means to an end. You can never use human beings for another purpose, to exploit or enslave them.

Humans are rational at the highest point of creation, and so demand unique treatment.' (Bowie, 2004, P58).

This speaks for itself, suggesting that the student from Argentina should not have been treated unfairly and exploited. Kant's categorical imperative suggests that 'once you're aware of a moral requirement, your awareness is a reason for doing something. Moral statements are categorical in that they prescribe actions irrespective of the result.' (Bowie, 2004, P57). This therefore implies that the exchange student should have been treated in the same way as every other McDonald's employee, as the same moral requirement should apply to all.

Another moral dilemma McDonald's face, is the way in which they portray themselves through their packaging. It is easy enough for them to say that they 'know it is our most visible means to demonstrate our commitment to the environment which is why we are working to identify ways to reduce the impact of our packaging.' (McDonald's, 2014). However, whether or not they fully understand what constitutes as 'commitment to the environment' is questionable.

According to the McDonald's website, 'in 2007, more than 80% of all packaging used by McDonald's UK was made from renewable resources' (McDonald's, 2014). But one of the most important advertising strategies is deciding on the persuasive language which is used on the packaging to encourage more consumers to buy the food time and time again. Naturally, if the correct language is used, then consumers are drawn in and are encouraged to buy into the brand.

Graphic designers are aware of what sustainability means, and all of the requirements of designing an ethical, sustainable piece of packaging. They have to consider a wide variety of things such as copyright laws, plagiarism, image rights, professionalism, social responsibility, client responsibility and so on.

However, 'one of the biggest challenges that graphic designers face is educating their clients about sustainable practices. When companies claim to be eco-friendly based on a myopic view of sustainability and without looking at all the implications of their actions, they may end up being guilty of green washing – the practice of “spinning” their products and policies as environmentally friendly, such as by presenting cost cuts as reductions in use of resources. Sustainable practices need to be authentic. If they are not, they lose all credibility.' (MacAvery Kane, 2010, P39). If a company claims to be 'green' and they are essentially falsely portraying themselves through using packaging, then they are not only guilty of false advertising, but also of acting immorally.

When design agency Boxer were commissioned to redesign McDonald's food packaging, they were asked to 'change the way the world feels about eating McDonald's' food' (Burgoyne, 2008). According to their website, Boxer 'created a simple strategy to ‘Celebrate’ the things that people love about McDonald’s and

‘Reassure’ consumers with the origins and quality of the ingredients that make their McDonald’s.' (Boxer).

Surely the brand shouldn't have to convince and reassure their consumers in this way, that in itself seems like an unethical act. It is almost as if they are trying to divert attention from the criticism their food has received because the public are trying to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

One of the many critics of McDonald's wrote an article on Creative Review explaining how the packaging from '1976 all the way until 1991, the burgers still came in brightly coloured foam boxes' (see fig.1) and 'now, it says, all its bags, tray liners and cup carriers are made from 100 per cent recycled paper while packaging for hot foods is made from 72 per cent recycled paper.' (Burgoyne, 2008). This new packaging has been widely criticised, as McDonald's are essentially green washing their products to make the consumer concentrate on the healthier ingredients of their food, and not mention all of the more harmful ingredients.

Creative Review author states that 'in the new design the box for a Big Mac is adorned with clean photographs of the fresh ingredients inside - a mound of '100% pure beef' sits atop scales. There's a real onion and a real lettuce. This is packaging as advertising in a very explicit form, campaigning heavily to convince the customer that this stuff is made from real things.' (Burgoyne, 2008). However, according to Boxer's website, their work is 'based upon the truth' (Boxer), surely it would be more truthful to inform the consumer of the 'fat or salt, both heavily present in McDonald's foods' (Burgoyne, 2008), rather than green washing the packaging to make the consumers believe otherwise.

This article expresses the concern that McDonald's should be considering all of the values that constitute an honest and truthful relationship between producer and consumer, otherwise they leave room for criticism and become penalised for falsely advertising their products. 'The issues with McDonald's go much further and deeper than the quality of its beef or the paper used in its wrappers. Unlike packaging on the shelf in a supermarket, by the time a McDonald's box has arrived in someone's hands, they have already bought it. You would have to assume that whoever is holding the box has already set aside their concerns about the food.

Isn't it a bit redundant to start trying to convince them about the quality of the lettuce now?' (Burgoyne, 2008).

Kimberly-Clark is another multinational company who provide hygiene products on a global scale and claim to be doing right by the environment. They claim to 'provide essentials to meet people's needs around the world, and focus on creating a better future for all.' (KCWW, 2001-2014). On their website they say 'Since we made our first product in 1872, quality, service and fairness have been the values behind our essential products. These values continue to inspire our search for more sustainable ways of meeting our customers' needs.' (KCWW, 2001-2014). This is the main noticeable difference between McDonald's and KimberlyClark, as they have had their ethical beliefs and notions in place since the day they began their business.

In 2013 Kimberly-Clark were given the World's Most Ethical Companies award and they take sustainability very seriously. They have made a consistent effort to reduce their carbon footprint and by doing so they can now state that 'Reducing the weight of our Kleenex facial tissue cartons saved us nearly $1 million.'

(KCWW, 2001-2014). This is just one example of some of the changes that have taken place. By reducing the weight of their packaging, they have not only managed to save money but they have also simplified the process of packaging the product, which works hand in hand with effectively and succinctly communicating the product to their audience. This is supported by Victor Papanek's 'Design for Human Scale' where he recognises that 'simplification leads to elegance. Simplification also implies common sense, a quality that seems to get rarer as the world becomes bureaucratized. Elegance as I use the word here means that a problem has been solved directly, un-self-consciously, with minimal effort and in such a way that the object or product can be understood easily and is a good fit with its environment.' (Papanek, 1983, P80).

Unlike McDonald's, Kimberly-Clark recognise where they may have gone wrong and where there is still room for improvement, they say that 'Unfortunately, packaging reduction projects completed in 2012 were largely offset by increases in some corrugated box weights, changes in product mix to more packagingintensive smaller-count packages, and increased bag weights to enhance on-shelf product-quality perception and reduce product damage. We acknowledge that we have much work to do to reduce the environmental impact of our packaging while maintaining product quality in a highly competitive marketplace.' (KCWW, 2001-2014). This is supported by Victor Papanek's 'The Green Imperative' where he says the slogan 'Re-use, recycle and dispose responsibly' is a familiar one. However 'Use less,' should be our over-riding maxim.'

(Papanek, 1995, P47). William McDonough and Michael Braungart made a similar observation in their book 'Cradle to Cradle'. They mention how 'taking an eco-effective approach to design might result in an innovation so extreme that it resembles nothing we know, or it might merely show us how to optimize a system already in place. It's not the solution itself that is necessarily radical but the shift in perspective with which we begin, from the old view of nature as something to be controlled to a stance of engagement.'

(McDonough, W. and Braungart, M., 2002, P84). Here, they are understanding and supporting the possible compromises that companies such as Kimberly-Clark may have to face whilst undergoing such crucial changes in the way that they package their products.

Companies need to realise that even if the aesthetics of the packaging are ever so slightly affected, then this isn't the worst outcome, and the more multinational companies that realise this, the better, because it will be more commonly considered. The honesty of Kimberly-Clark and the reduction of materials used is a recipe for success. Realistically, 'many of the things we use are almost identical but for exterior appearance. This raises many questions about what the appearance really means within the framework under discussion...Does the graphic design on a box of washing-up powder make it any better than the near-identical powder in a box with a different design?' (Papanek, 1995, P170). Victor Papanek makes an extremely good point here, suggesting that companies such as Kimberly-Clark must sacrifice their need to overrule competitors, and instead consider whether the materials as well as the inks they are using to produce their packaging, is sustainable enough. It is true to say that the 'true needs of the consumer classes have been pushed aside to be replaced by artificially induced wants.' (Papanek, 1995, P142). The need for 100% sustainability and ethical values is overruled by the want for money and popularity amongst consumers.

A growing concern for companies such as Kimberly-Clark is the fact that a large percentage of their products are single use and therefore they produce a lot of waste. They are doing everything they can at the moment to recycle their waste and much of it is used to create new products. 'K-C Professional (KCP) initiated a singleuse-garment recycling program in 2011. In 2012, KCP and Life Technologies in the U.S. completed successful pilots of a nitrile-glove-recycling program, which were then replicated across the country. The gloves and garments are recycled in partnership with TerraCycle. In 2012, the cleanrooms and laboratories participating in the U.S. program recycled more than 20 tons of garment and glove waste into plastic lumber, Adirondack chairs, Frisbees and other consumer products.' (KCWW, 2001-2014).

This is supported by Papanek in a chapter which is ironically titled 'Our Kleenex Culture' in 'Design for the Real World'. Papanek suggests that 'when people are persuaded, advertised, propagandized, and victimized into throwing away their cars long before they wear out, their clothes with the latest demands of fashion, their high-fidelity sets whenever a new electronic gimmick comes along, and so forth, then we may begin to consider everything obsolete. Throwing away furniture, transportation vehicles, clothing, and appliances may soon lead us to feel that marriages (and other personal relationships) are throw-away items as well, and that on a global scale, countries and, indeed, entire subcontinents are disposable like Kleenex. That which we throw away, we fail to value.' This indicates that even in 1984, Kleenex were automatically known as being a 'disposable' item and reinforces the fact that this has to change.. (Papanek, 1984, P87).

Once again, this would be supported by Immanuel Kant's universal law which suggests that 'moral laws must be applied in all situations and all rational beings universally, without exception. If an act is right for me, it's right for everyone. If it is wrong for one person, then it is wrong for all.' (Bowie, 2004, P58). Therefore suggesting that if this recycling program was applied to all other multinational companies around the world, then we would live in a much more healthy, eco-friendly environment.

The endless problems relating back to packaging production will be a continual topic for conversation over the forthcoming years. If multinational companies were to consider their options carefully, they could simply reduce the amount of packaging they use whilst also choosing to package their products using recycled materials. This has been a proven success with companies such as Kimberly-Clark who are consistently trying to do more for the environment. With this sustainable attitude in place, the ethical values should come naturally, and multinational companies simply have to look after their employee's to create a well rounded, well thought of business. The Brundtland Report expects a lot in response, however, when broken down to appear more manageable, small steps in the right direction combined with the right attitude and companies who are willing to compromise in some cases, there is no reason why 'greener' production can't be achieved.

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Fig. 1 Burgoyne, P. (2008) 'McDonald's New Packaging â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Lovin' it?' [internet], Creative Review Blog, available from <http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2008/december/mcdonalds-new-packaging-lovin-it>

Fig. 2 Boxer. 'Our Work' [internet], Boxer, available from <http://www.boxercreative.co.uk/our_work/our_work.html> [accessed 20/12/13]

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McDonough, W. & Braungart, M. (2002) 'Cradle To Cradle' North Point Press.

Papanek, V. (1983) 'Design for Human Scale' Van Nostrand Reinhold Company.

Papanek, V. (1984) 'Design for the Real World' Thames and Hudson.

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