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This isn’t a problem with Amazon so much as it is a problem with the system Amazon operates in.

• ipsum2 8y ago
  Wrong. Amazon can pick a factory that treats their workers ethically. Imagine if Nike said that in regards to paying for child labor.
  • jaredklewis 8y ago
    And thanks to the guardian, we (the consumers) can choose companies that pick factories that treat their workers ethically. Lest we lose our moral high ground.
• hliyan 8y ago
  Let's say this is true, i.e. there is no motivation for a corporation to maximize anything other than profit. What if the relevant government body (EPA, OSHA) attaches a social cost or a rating to each corporation and that is factored into the tax rate?
  • ageofwant 8y ago
    This is not true. Social licence directly affects share-price. The bulk of most public shares are hold by other public companies. For example my superannuation company invests my payments in its portfolio that portfolio is under constant review and have to tick a number of social responsibility boxes, that process is part of its charter, and the charter is the reason I invest in this company. I work for a big mining company, 'social licence' is discussed at board level. Now most of that may very well be corporate bullshit, but the impact of social responsibility perception amongst the owners (shareholders) on share price is clear.