Entrepreneur in
socially responsible business, chief executive officer ofGOOD and co-founder of Ethos Water Jonathan Greenblatt brought his business ethos to his Monday morning talk.

Greenblatt began speaking about the "economy of integrity," individual social action and potential. Globalization and the immediacy of technology mean that more people are aware than ever before, and there is as much potential for corruption as authenticity as the "haves" and the "have-nots" face one another in the consumer's arena.

This fertile arena has the potential to spawn ethical and socially responsible businesses to which consumers want to respond. In creating models for such companies,entrepreneurs and executives must seize the opportunity to leverage the consumer appeal of credibility and carry a socially responsible ideology throughout the entirety of their product and product identity to prohibit it from deteriorating into corporate spin or just good PR.

Greenblatt's first venture, Ethos Water (which he co-founded with Peter Thum), and current endeavor at GOOD Worldwide (where he serves as CEO) represent the technological and ideological response to global inequalities. As ethical brands, they start with intention, are rooted in authenticity and
transparency, demand competition-trumping performance and deep commitment to an issue, and engage consumers and vendors in their cause.

The concept behind Ethos Water sprung from the aspiration to help eliminate water shortages in the developing world. As an ethical brand, Ethos does not just satisfy the body's basic need for water or the ego's desire to hold a fancy bottle, but satiates one's need for a brand that incorporates these
elements and more, making the product meaningful.

Noticing a void on the newsstand, GOOD Magazine was developed by Ben Goldhirsh as a bottom-up, question-asking publication, designed to engage and inspire its readers. It asks the basic question "what's good?" and inspires the authentic promise that the world can be.

Posted by Anna Wool